Cocaine addiction treatment that actually works

Cocaine is central nervous system stimulant derived from the leaves of the coca plant. It most often takes the form of a white, bitter-tasting powder or as small, white or off-white rocks (crack cocaine).

While some forms of cocaine are sometimes used in hospitals as a topical anesthetic, the drug has largely been replaced by alternative anesthetics. With such few therapeutic uses, cocaine is a Schedule II controlled substance.

Powdered cocaine can be swallowed, snorted up the nose, or dissolved in water and then injected into the body with a needle.

Crack cocaine can also be snorted, but it’s much more commonly smoked in a small glass pipe.

The body quickly builds up a tolerance to cocaine. Even as early as the second exposure to cocaine, the brain adjusts and releases less of the feel-good chemicals than the first, and users need to take higher doses to get the same desired effects.

Over time, this constant artificial stimulation of the brain’s reward center causes significant changes to brain chemistry, eventually leading it to stop producing dopamine on its own. As a result, many users begin losing interest in activities the previously enjoyed because they no longer get pleasure or reward from them. With prolonged use, cocaine may become the only source of enjoyment and lead to an uncontrollable dependence.

The physical effects from snorting, smoking, and injecting cocaine may include:

• Euphoria
• Constricted blood vessels
• Dilated pupils
• Increased body temperature
• Increased heart rate
• Increased blood pressure
• Increased respiration (heavy breathing)
• Sensations of hot, cold
• Nausea
• Muscle weakness
• Decreased appetite

Although some of the symptoms of cocaine intoxication sound unpleasant, because of the way the drug triggers the center of the brain associated with pleasure and reward, over time these sensations are associated with feeling good and being happy.

Cocaine is a fast-acting stimulant, meaning the initial effects are felt quickly. How quickly – as well as for how long – depends primarily on how a user ingested it.

Snorting: This is the most common way people use cocaine, and the effects kick in after about 1-3 minutes, peak at about 20-30 minutes, and may be felt about 1-2 hours.

Smoking or injecting: These methods allow the drug to reach the brain much more quickly, and the effects kick in after only around 10-15 seconds. Because it enters the bloodstream so quickly, it also results in an initial “rush” that lasts for 3-5 minutes, but the high usually wears off in less than an hour.

How long cocaine can be detected in a person’s system depends on a number of factors, including how long they’ve been using, how much, how pure it was, etc. But for the most part, cocaine can be detected for around 1-4 days in bodily fluids (urine, blood, saliva) and for up to about 3 months in hair samples.

While withdrawal from certain substances such as opioids and benzodiazepines can bring about severe physical withdrawal symptoms, detoxing from cocaine primarily only causes psychological withdrawal symptoms.

Symptoms of cocaine withdrawal can include:

• Physical symptoms like chills, tremors, muscle aches, and nerve pain
• Difficulty concentrating
• Slowed thinking
• Slowed activity or physical fatigue after activity
• Exhaustion
• Restlessness
• Inability to experience sexual arousal
• Depression or anxiety
• Suicidal thoughts or actions
• Vivid dreams or nightmares
• Intense craving for cocaine
• Increased appetite

While withdrawal from cocaine isn’t usually physically dangerous (unlike alcohol, opioids, or sedatives), unpleasant physical symptoms do occur. The most dangerous symptoms of cocaine withdrawal is severe depression, which can lead to relapses, and in worst-case scenarios, suicidal thoughts and actions.

For this reason, it’s critical for patients to be supervised by trained medical and psychological professionals during the detox process. In addition, physicians may prescribe certain anti-addiction drugs such as Modafinil to help ease withdrawal symptoms. Other medications, including antidepressants like Paxil (paroxetine) may also help with cocaine cravings and severe depression.

The specific amount of time for cocaine withdrawal varies between individuals, but in general, withdrawal begins about an hour or two after the last dose. The initial withdrawal phase, known as the acute phase (or crash), usually lasts for only a few days, but in heavy users it may persist for 7-10 days.

After the initial phase, the withdrawal symptoms are significantly reduced, but they may periodically spike for the next 2-3 weeks, especially cravings for cocaine.

After 3-5 weeks (post-acute phase), most physical and/or mental withdrawal symptoms are gone, though agitation, drug cravings, and sleep disturbances may persist for several weeks.

Yes. Cocaine significantly affects the cardiovascular system, increasing heart rate, blood pressure, and respiration it can cause death at high doses. As users get accustomed to the unpleasant side effects over time, their likelihood of overdose increases with tolerance and the dose needed to achieve the high they crave.

Besides addiction and overdose, prolonged cocaine abuse can also lead to a hardening of the arteries and heart muscles, which can lead to much higher blood pressure and put users at a much higher risk for heart attacks and stroke.

Due to how expensive cocaine is, most dealers cut the drug – that is, they dilute it with other substances to increase the amount they have to sell. Typical cutting agents include things like caffeine, anesthetics like lidocaine and procaine, boric acid, and laxatives, but other dangerous and toxic chemicals have also been found in  According to 2019 reporting from the Drug Enforcement Administration, “cocaine” may only make up a little more than half of what a user is actually ingesting.