Everyone knows about cocaine – even people who have never used it. It owes this to the heroes of movies and books. Thanks to such publicity, its popularity is constantly growing.
But it seems harmless until you learn about how many people have died from cocaine overdose. Just look at these numbers from NIDA over the last 20 years. Overdose is real, and today it is mostly due to impurities in cocaine, such as fentanyl.
New Breath Recovery treats all forms of drug and alcohol addiction. People come to us who are unable to cope on their own. We listen to them, examine them and offer individualized treatment programs in a comfortable environment under the supervision of medical professionals 24/7.
What Is Cocaine and How Does It Work?
Cocaine is a stimulant derived from coca leaves. The most common form of the drug is a white powder. It is inhaled, smoked or injected as a solution into a vein. As a result, the drug enters the bloodstream and then affects the brain.
The euphoric effect that cocaine causes is due to the production of large amounts of dopamine, known as the happy hormone. Dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin accumulate between neurons and increase their activity, thereby stimulating the central nervous system. The result is alertness and no need for sleep.
In addition to the feeling of unbridled energy, focused attention and pleasure from taking the substance, other effects can be observed:
- dilated pupils;
- nausea and vomiting;
- inappropriate behavior;
- breathing problems;
- nosebleeds;
- intestinal tissue die-off;
- soft tissue infection.
How exactly this will look depends largely on the individual characteristics of the person and the way the drug is used.
Can You Overdose on Cocaine?
Cocaine ingestion increases blood pressure and constricts blood vessels. The higher the dose, the more pronounced this effect. High amounts of the substance, or admixtures of more toxic drugs, can cause blood vessels to either burst or clot. The result is a stroke or heart attack, which can lead to oxygen deprivation of the brain and death.
How much cocaine does it take to overdose? It all depends on whether a person has used the drug before. If not, a dose of 0.5 grams is already considered dangerous. For drug addicts with a long history, lethal doses of cocaine can be twice as much. But we cannot exclude individual characteristics of the body: general health, chronic diseases, body weight. For some people it is enough to take 30-50 mg for an overdose. Joint use of alcohol and other drugs reduces the threshold of dangerous amounts.
Symptoms of Cocaine Overdose
Symptoms of an overdose can manifest themselves in changes in behavior or well-being. Usually it starts with psychological symptoms: severe anxiety, panic, paranoid delirium – the person behaves not as in a state of euphoria, but like a madman.
On a physiological level, overdose is most often accompanied by increased blood pressure, nausea, difficulty breathing, chest pain. If there were too many drugs, there can be seizures, heart rhythm disturbances, stroke. This is accompanied by increased sweating and increased body temperature.
Risk Factors for Cocaine Overdose
The following factors affect the probability of overdose:
- the general condition of the person: the presence of chronic diseases, problems with the cardiovascular system;
- age. The risk of overdose is higher in adolescents and middle-aged people;
- body weight. Excessive thinness or overweight increases the risk of overdose;
- taking cocaine along with alcohol and other drugs, using a diluted substance;
- injecting cocaine.
The biggest danger comes from diluting the powder. It is never pure. Impurities can be both harmless, which simply reduce the drug’s effect, and deadly. For example, fentanyl is often added to cocaine in the United States today.
What to Do in Case of a Cocaine Overdose
The first thing to do is to call 911. If possible, transport the person to a hospital where they will receive emergency medical care.
To increase the chances of life, until help arrives, you should:
- provide the person with a supply of fresh air;
- rub the ears to get blood flowing to the head;
- try to bring the person back to consciousness – you can use ammonia;
- keep the person awake by talking to them constantly;
- if the overdose has caused unconsciousness and cardiac arrest, artificial respiration and cardiac massage should be performed;
- turn the patient on his right side, bend his left knee, put his left hand under his head.
The rest depends on the actions of the doctors.
Long-Term Consequences of Cocaine Abuse
Each new dose of cocaine produces less and less euphoria. You need more of the substance to achieve the same pleasure. This is called drug tolerance. The body needs more and more. At some point, it is possible to miscalculate the dosage and die from the cocaine or its impurities.
Cocaine addiction develops on a mental and physiological level. Patients lose touch with reality, and drug taking becomes their first priority. If there is no access to cocaine, irritability appears and psychosis develops. Against this background, drug addicts often start using other more accessible substances, such as crack. This drug is cheaper and more dangerous, so crack overdose occurs more often than cocaine.
A portrait of a cocaine-addicted person:
- emaciated, despite an increased appetite;
- sleeps little, often complains of headaches;
- tires quickly, can’t remember things that happened recently;
- compulsive movements, irritability and aggression;
- often becomes depressed, shares paranoid ideas;
- experiences various forms of hallucinations.
Cocaine kills the heart. Its use over several months can lead to myocardial infarction, aortic dissection, endocarditis and other cardiovascular diseases. Because of the effect on the blood vessels, the brain can be affected. Stroke is the second common cause of death from cocaine overdose.
Prevention and Treatment Options
The only effective way to avoid overdose is to never take drugs. This can only be achieved by educating your children and staying in constant communication with your loved ones. The effects of cocaine use should be openly talked about and shown.
Can you overdose from cocaine? Yes. It is bad for you and your family. Is it possible to take it all back. Yes! Before it’s too late, it can be done.
Seek help from a rehab facility that specializes in drug addiction recovery. If you’re in California, consider New Breath Recovery. This high-comfort clinic offers personalized cocaine addiction treatment programs designed to help individuals reclaim a healthy and fulfilling life.
Effective addiction recovery programs include:
- medical detoxification – removal of drugs and their metabolites from the body;
- medication treatment – prescription of drugs that help to survive withdrawal symptoms;
- psychotherapy – individual, group, and family therapy aimed at teaching the patient to cope with the desire to use drugs on their own.
This is by no means the entire list of techniques used at New Breath Recovery. They can be combined to achieve maximum results.
Conclusion
No clinics will help you until you take the first step toward informed treatment. Remember that it is never too late to get help. It is not a sign of weakness, but the only possible way to be yourself and return to a healthy life.
Find yourself in a difficult situation? Enlist the help of your family to work together to find the right clinic. Have you noticed that a loved one or friend is in a difficult situation because of drugs and is not coping? Give them a helping hand and they will remember it for the rest of their life.