You know that cocaine use can cause increases in energy, motivation, and confidence. You also understand that the drug’s negative effects can include anxiety, paranoia, and even death. But do you know how this happens? What does cocaine do to your body to cause these types of reactions?
If you or a loved one are struggling with cocaine addiction, call us today or visit our admissions page to start your journey toward recovery.
What Does Cocaine Do to Your Body?
Cocaine is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant. Other drugs in this category include caffeine, nicotine, amphetamine, and methamphetamine (meth).
Stimulants speed up the functioning of nerve cells that deliver messages between the brain and other body parts. Caffeine has a mild stimulating effect, which is why it can give you a slight energy boost. Cocaine, which is much more powerful, can have a significantly stronger impact.
Cocaine causes these effects by elevating the amount of several neurotransmitters (chemical messengers) in your body, including dopamine, serotonin, epinephrine, and norepinephrine. These naturally occurring substances are involved in a range of functions and characteristics, including mood, learning, reward, motivation, and energy.
In a healthy body, here’s how neurotransmitters typically function:
- In response to certain stimuli, the brain triggers nerve cells to release one or more chemical messengers.
- The nerve cells send the messengers into the synapses, which are small gaps that separate one cell from another.
- Once the neurotransmitter has delivered its message, it is transported back to the originating cell, where it can be reabsorbed and stored for later re-use.
Cocaine disrupts the reabsorption process, which leads to a buildup of various neurotransmitters in synapses throughout your central nervous system. This buildup magnifies the messages that the neurotransmitters are sending.
When messages to slightly elevate your mood, motivation, energy, and/or confidence are amplified, the result is that you experience dramatic increases in these and other areas.
When cocaine’s effects wear off, your artificially elevated neurotransmitter levels will drop precipitously, which leads to a physical and psychological crash. To maintain your high and avoid the crash, you may feel tempted to use cocaine multiple times in a short period, which is known as bingeing on the drug.
Cocaine binges can raise your risk of incurring substantial physical and psychological harm, including addiction and possibly death.
Short- and Long-Term Dangers of Cocaine Use
The answer to the question, what does cocaine do to your body, can vary widely depending on factors such as:
- Your gender, weight, and metabolism
- How much cocaine you used
- How often you use the drug
- If you have also been abusing alcohol or other substances
- If you have any co-occurring medical or mental health concerns
The one common factor among all people who use cocaine is that they expose themselves to considerable harm every time they use the drug.
Short-Term Dangers
Using cocaine even once can lead to immediate health concerns such as:
- Vertigo
- Powerful headaches
- Heart palpitations
- Arrythmia (abnormal heart rate)
- Heart attack
- Elevated body temperature
- Increased blood pressure
- Overdose
- Death
The short-term psychological impact of cocaine can include:
- Impaired judgement
- Aggressive or violent behaviors
- Impulsivity and recklessness
- Panic and paranoia
Long-Term Dangers
Continuing to use cocaine for an extended period can cause long-term physical damage such as:
- Inflammation of the heart
- Elevated risk of blood clots, pulmonary embolism, and stroke
- Bleeding in the brain
- Liver damage
- Kidney failure
- Respiratory problems
- Deterioration cartilage and tissue in the nose
- Frequent nosebleeds and lost sense of smell
- Damage to the gastrointestinal tract
- Impaired functioning of the immune system
- Muscle weakness
- Tremors
- Malnutrition
- Death
People who inject cocaine may also expose themselves to HIV/AIDS, hepatitis C, and other bloodborne diseases.
From a cognitive or psychological perspective, cocaine’s long-term impact can include:
- Difficulty focusing and concentrating
- Memory problems
- Diminished impulse control
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Paranoia
- Psychosis
- Hallucinations
- Psychosis
- Addiction
If you are struggling with cocaine addiction, you may be wondering, how long does it take to detox from cocaine? The detox timeline can vary based on several factors, including how long you have been using the drug and your overall health.
It’s also important to remember that short- and long-term dangers aren’t limited to what cocaine does to your body and brain. Using this drug can also have a powerful impact on many other areas of your life, including:
- Strained or ruined relationships
- Poor performance in school or at work
- Job loss and long-term unemployment
- Being arrested, fined, and/or jailed
- Financial difficulties
Signs of Cocaine Overdose
In the previous section, overdose is listed as a potential immediate effect of cocaine use. This emphasizes the fact that a person doesn’t need to become addicted to cocaine, or even use the drug multiple times, before they are at risk of overdosing.
Using cocaine even once can be deadly. The risk is particularly high among people who combine cocaine with opioids or other recreational substances.
Typical signs of cocaine overdose include:
- Confusion and disorientation
- Agitation and restlessness
- Racing heart rate and chest pain
- Intense abdominal discomfort
- Excessive perspiration
- Nausea and vomiting
- Seizure
- Loss of consciousness
Anyone who exhibits signs like these after using cocaine needs immediate medical attention. If you are with someone who has overdosed on cocaine:
- Call 911 immediately
- Stay with them until help arrives
- Roll them onto their side to prevent risk of choking if they vomit
- Place a pillow under their head, and remove any objects that could pose an injury risk if they have a seizure
- When emergency medical responders arrive, be prepared to tell them how much cocaine the person used, if they were also using other substances, and which overdose signs they exhibited
It is no exaggeration to describe cocaine overdose as a life-threatening experience. In 2022 alone, cocaine and other stimulants were factors in more than 54,000 overdose deaths in the U.S. Most of these overdose deaths also involved opioids such as heroin or prescription painkillers, but more than 10,000 were due to simulants alone.
Can someone die from cocaine withdrawal? While withdrawal itself is not usually fatal, complications like dehydration, heart issues, and suicidal thoughts can make detox dangerous without medical supervision.
Learn More About Cocaine Treatment Options in Atlanta
The best way to prevent what cocaine does to your body is to not use the drug. If you’re unable to stop using cocaine, even with the knowledge that you are endangering your health and possibly your life, please know that help is available and treatment works.
Retreat of Atlanta is a premier source of medical detox and residential rehab for people who have become addicted to cocaine and other dangerous substances. With the help of our compassionate team, you can get through withdrawal safely and as comfortably as possible, then begin to build a much healthier and more hopeful life in recovery.
To learn more or to schedule a free assessment, please visit our Admissions page or call us today.