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- Cocaine -

Cocaine

Cocaine, a drug that resembles white powder, often makes the user feel alert, confident, talkative, and strong. Cocaine use is most prevalent among males between the ages of 18 and 25. Its effects last for about 45 minutes. On the streets, cocaine may be diluted with cornstarch, talcum powder, sugar, or other drugs. Because cocaine is extremely addictive, the first-time user cannot possibly predict when loss of control will occur. Street names for cocaine are coke, snow, blow, Peruvian marching powder, or C.

Methods of Use

Chewed as a leaf
Smoked as a paste or freebase lumps
Snorted into mucous membranes of the nose as a powder or vapor
Applied to mucous membranes of the mouth, vagina, or rectum as a powder
Injected into the bloodstream in a water solution
Used with heroin (called "speedball")
Used with morphine (called "whiz bang")
Dissolved in liquid and drunk

Types

Cocaine can take many forms, including powder, paste, or vapor (freebase). Coca leaves are sometimes chewed directly. "Crack" cocaine is a popular variant that is usually smoked, producing a fast, intense high. It is rapidly addictive. Once addicted, users have a hard time staying away from it.

Effects on the Central Nervous System

Cocaine acts on the nervous system almost immediately. It blocks the biochemical mechanism that regulates levels of the neurotransmitter called dopamine in the central nervous system. The end result is increased amounts of dopamine, leading to stimulation of pleasure centers in the brain. This mechanism accounts for both the immediate euphoric "rush" of the cocaine experience and the reinforcing effects that lead to long-term addiction. Cocaine also causes increased levels of another important neurotransmitter called serotonin. Other specific neurochemical effects of cocaine use include feelings of wakefulness and increases in heart rate, blood pressure, and body temperature.

Intoxication

Cocaine acts on the nervous system almost immediately. Cocaine intoxication may cause hallucinations and other perceptual disturbances, tachycardia, agitation, panic, paranoia, impulsive and aggressive behavior, and poor judgment. Cardiac or respiratory distress can cause death in some cases. Common side effects include:

Difficulty passing urine
Dizziness
Enlarged pupils
Fast or irregular heartbeat
Headache
Increased sweating
Mood swings
Paranoia
Neutralized sense of taste
Stomach pain
Nausea and vomiting
Numbness or tingling in extremities
Seizures or convulsions

Acute stimulant intoxication is often very similar to symptoms shown by schizophrenic or otherwise psychotic individuals. When these symptoms subside, the user may "crash" and experience depression, anxiety, sleep disturbance, and other disturbances accompanied by a craving for more of the drug.

Life Risks

Mixing alcohol and cocaine results in the creation of a new chemical compound called cocaethylene, which intensifies cocaine's effects and increases the risk of sudden death due to depressed life-support functions, such as breathing.
Long-term use of these drugs has been associated with personality changes that include increased paranoia and aggression, especially in adolescents.
Cocaine is an illegal substance. Addicts can put themselves in dangerous situations while attempting to buy their drugs. Obtaining, using, and especially dealing cocaine carries significant legal penalties, including lengthy jail times.

Withdrawal

Cocaine withdrawal causes characteristic symptoms of depression that can last for years. How the drug induces long-term depression is not known, but cocaine apparently causes changes in the serotonin system in the central nervous system. Other withdrawal symptoms from cocaine may involve:

Apathy and listlessness
Oversleeping
Intense cravings for cocaine
Loss of appetite

Warning Signs

A person who is addicted to cocaine may:

Change the circle of friends and withdraw from non-using family and friends
Borrow or steal money to buy cocaine
Become preoccupied with cocaine
Compulsively seek cocaine and dwell on the next use of it
Experience personality changes, poor judgment, and loss of interest in previously enjoyable activities
Behave evasively or lie about activities or whereabouts

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