 |
| LINKS ON COCAINE |
| Home | ||
| Cocaine Effects | ||
| Cocaine Information | ||
| How Cocaine is Used | ||
| Cocaine in the News | ||
| History of Cocaine | ||
| Lethal Consequences | ||
| Crack Effects | ||
| Cocaine Addiction | ||
| Crack Addiction | ||
| Crack Information | ||
| Pictures of Crack Cocaine | ||
| Signs of Cocaine Abuse | ||
| Using Crack Cocaine | ||
| What is Cocaine? | ||
| Where cocaine comes from | ||
| Effects of Cocaine on Society | ||
| Effects of Cocaine on Family | ||
| How does Cocaine Work? | ||
| How to stop cocaine use? | ||
| Cocaine Addiction Treatment | ||
| Cocaine Deaths | ||
| Cocaine Drug Testing | ||
| Cocaine Facts | ||
| Cocaine Paraphernalia | ||
| Cocaine Statistics | ||
| Cocaine and Pregnancy | ||
| What is a Cocaine Binge | ||
| Cocaine and HIV/AID/Hep C | ||
| Cocaine Detox | ||
| Cocaine Withdrawal | ||
| Cocaine Addiction Facts | ||
| Cocaine Research | ||
| Cocaine and Hunger | ||
| Cocaine Addiction Memory | ||
| Cocaine Prevention | ||
| Sitemap | ||
| INFORMATION ON DRUGS |
| FAQ about Heroin |
| FAQ about Marijuana |
| FAQ about Meth |
| FAQ about Methadone |
| FAQ about Oxycontin |
| FAQ about Hydrocodone |
| FAQ about Xanax |
 Print this article |  Send this article to a friend |  Add to Favorites |
Cocaine
Effects
How
does cocaine produce its effects?
A great amount of research has been devoted to understanding the way cocaine produces
its pleasurable effects, and the reasons it is so addictive. One mechanism is
through its effects on structures deep in the brain. Scientists have discovered
regions within the brain that, when stimulated, produce feelings of pleasure.
One neural system that appears to be most affected by cocaine originates in a
region, located deep within the brain, called the ventral tegmental area (VTA).
Nerve cells originating in the VTA extend to the region of the brain known as
the nucleus accumbens, one of the brain's key pleasure centers. In studies using
animals, for example, all types of pleasurable stimuli, such as food, water, sex,
and many drugs of abuse, cause increased activity in the nucleus accumbens.
Cocaine
in the brain - In the normal communication process, dopamine is released by a
neuron into the synapse, where it can bind with dopamine receptors on neighboring
neurons. Normally dopamine is then recycled back into the transmitting neuron
by a specialized protein called the dopamine transporter. If cocaine is present,
it attaches to the dopamine transporter and blocks the normal recycling process,
resulting in a buildup of dopamine in the synapse which contributes to the pleasurable
effects of cocaine.
Researchers have discovered that, when a pleasurable event is occurring, it is accompanied by a large increase in the amounts of dopamine released in the nucleus accumbens by neurons originating in the VTA. In the normal communication process, dopamine is released by a neuron into the synapse (the small gap between two neurons), where it binds with specialized proteins (called dopamine receptors) on the neighboring neuron, thereby sending a signal to that neuron. Drugs of abuse are able to interfere with this normal communication process. For example, scientists have discovered that cocaine blocks the removal of dopamine from the synapse, resulting in an accumulation of dopamine. This buildup of dopamine causes continuous stimulation of receiving neurons, probably resulting in the euphoria commonly reported by cocaine abusers.
As cocaine abuse continues, tolerance often develops. This means that higher doses
and more frequent use of cocaine are required for the brain to register the same
level of pleasure experienced during initial use. Recent studies have shown that,
during periods of abstinence from cocaine use, the memory of the euphoria associated
with cocaine use, or mere exposure to cues associated with drug use, can trigger
tremendous craving and relapse to drug use, even after long periods of abstinence.
What
are the short-term effects of cocaine use?
Cocaine's effects appear almost
immediately after a single dose, and disappear within a few minutes or hours.
Taken in small amounts (up to 100 mg), cocaine usually makes the user feel euphoric,
energetic, talkative, and mentally alert, especially to the sensations of sight,
sound, and touch. It can also temporarily decrease the need for food and sleep.
Some users find that the drug helps them to perform simple physical and intellectual
tasks more quickly, while others can experience the opposite effect.
Short-term effects of cocaine:
- Increased energy
- Decreased appetite
- Mental alertness
- Increased heart rate
- Increased blood pressure
- Constricted blood vessels
- Increased temperature
- Dialated pupils
The short-term physiological effects of cocaine include constricted blood vessels; dilated pupils; and increased temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure. Large amounts (several hundred milligrams or more) intensify the user's high, but may also lead to bizarre, erratic, and violent behavior. These users may experience tremors, vertigo, muscle twitches, paranoia, or, with repeated doses, a toxic reaction closely resembling amphetamine poisoning. Some users of cocaine report feelings of restlessness, irritability, and anxiety. In rare instances, sudden death can occur on the first use of cocaine or unexpectedly thereafter. Cocaine-related deaths are often a result of cardiac arrest or seizures followed by respiratory arrest.
What
are the long-term effects of cocaine use?
Cocaine is a powerfully addictive
drug. Once having tried cocaine, an individual may have difficulty predicting
or controlling the extent to which he or she will continue to use the drug. Cocaine's
stimulant and addictive effects are thought to be primarily a result of its ability
to inhibit the reabsorption of dopamine by nerve cells. Dopamine is released as
part of the brain's reward system, and is either directly or indirectly involved
in the addictive properties of every major drug of abuse.
Long-term effects of cocaine Addiction:
- Irritability
-
Mood disturbances
- Restlessness
-
Paranoia
-
Auditory hallucinations
Use of cocaine in a binge, during which the drug is taken repeatedly and at increasingly high doses, leads to a state of increasing irritability, restlessness, and paranoia. This may result in a full-blown paranoid psychosis, in which the individual loses touch with reality and experiences auditory hallucinations.
Medical consequences of cocaine abuse:
- Cardiovascular effects
- disturbances in heart
- rhythm heart attacks
-
- Respiratory effects
- chest pain
- respiratory failure
-
- Neurological effects
- strokes
-
seizures
-
headaches
-
-
Gastrointestinal effects
- abdominal pain
- nausea
-
Research has revealed a potentially dangerous interaction between cocaine and alcohol. Taken in combination, the two drugs are converted by the body to cocaethylene. Cocaethylene has a longer duration of action in the brain and is more toxic than either drug alone. While more research needs to be done, it is noteworthy that the mixture of cocaine and alcohol is the most common two-drug combination that results in drug-related death.
