If you use cocaine, you run the risk of an addiction. If you or someone you love is at risk, look out for these key side effects that can indicated cocaine use and the associated risks. A drug addiction comes with certain risks. No matter which drug you take, there will be side effects. This goes for everything from sleeping tablets to herbal remedies to cocaine addiction. If you take a drug, expect a reaction. Unfortunately one of the worst reactions you can have is to Class A drugs like cocaine. If you suffer from the addiction, you ought to prepare yourself for the short term and long term side effects that drug can have.
What are the Side Effects of Cocaine Use?
Cocaine addiction comes with multiple side effects, all dependant on how long you used it and how heavily you used it. There are short term effects which will go away if you stop using cocaine. Then there are long term cocaine side effects which will impact your life for years to come. Usually, you need to use cocaine for a prolonged period to pick up these long term effects. We split the cocaine side effects into two categories below.Short Term Cocaine Side Effects
Using cocaine produces a short-lived euphoric effect. If you snort the cocaine it has a longer onset time than smoking it, but the high won’t last as long. The short term effect of cocaine is a euphoria which lasts no more than 15 minutes. Short term cocaine side effects include constriction of the blood vessels which can cause problems for those with existing heart conditions. It also alters your heart rate and your blood pressure, making it a triple dangerous drug for those with heart conditions. Cocaine causes a raise in temperature, potentially violent or strange behaviour, irritability, restlessness, paranoia, and panic attacks. As well as all of this, you can experience muscle spasms, vertigo, and tremors.Long Term Cocaine Side Effects
If you continue to use cocaine over an extended period, your brain will get used to the limited dopamine uptake and not in a good way. The circuits in your brain which create stress go into overdrive. You will experience more and more bad moods as your brain tries to correct itself. You will begin to take less and less enjoyment over the pleasurable things in life. As you use cocaine for longer, you will need increasing amounts of it to get the same effect. The cocaine starts to cause anxiety when you take it and when you don’t take it. You may experience convulsions and toxicity symptoms. You become more sensitive to the potential contraindications between cocaine and alcohol. Long term exposure to cocaine can lead to several health problems, including:- Irritability and irrational behaviour
- Restlessness
- Negative psychological and physiological symptoms
- Loss of smell, nosebleeds, and the erosion of the nasal septum (the skin which separates your nostrils
- Worsening of respiratory conditions
- Needle users have an increased risk of Hep C or HIV
- Potential for allergic reactions due to sensitivity to toxicity built up over time
- Tears and lesions in the digestive tract
- Appetite loss
- Weight loss
- Malnourishment
- Chest pains
- Inflammation of the heart muscle
- Increased risk of heart attacks
- Aortic ruptures
- Strokes and seizures
- Bleeding on the brain
- Movement disorders such as Parkinson’s Disease
- Inattention
- Lack of impulse control
- Inability to make decisions
- Deterioration of motor skills
