Cocaine

Cocaine is a highly addictive central nervous system stimulant that can be snorted, injected or smoked. “Crack” is cocaine hydrochloride, powder that has been processed to form a rock crystal that is usually smoked. Cocaine’s effects include euphoria, feeling energetic, but it can also increase body temperature, blood pressure and heart rate. Using cocaine can increase the risk of heart attack, respiratory failure, stroke, seizure, abdominal pain, and nausea. In rare cases, sudden death can occur during even the first use of cocaine or following any use of the drug.

Cocaine works in the same way as heroin and nicotine by tapping into the brain’s natural reward (dopamine) pathways. The drug binds itself to the proteins in the brain that are responsible for transporting dopamine. As a result, the user feels pleasure every time they take it and a distinct lack of pleasure once it wears off. The effects of the drug do not last very long which encourages users to continue using it to avoid the crash that often occurs after the “high” wears off. Like most drugs, users develop a tolerance and need to consume larger amounts of cocaine to get the same pleasurable effect they experienced when they first started taking the drug. Symptoms of cocaine use can include severe mood swings, insomnia, paranoia, lack of appetite and violent physical behavior.