Author: Alex Thompson

What Does Cocaine Do to Your Brain? Effects of Cocaine on the Brain

They typically end within a few minutes to an hour after the drug is taken. Individuals with an existing heart condition could face an even greater risk of danger when using this stimulant drug. A small 2014 study found that as long as cocaine use was moderate and recovery began within 1 year, brain damage from cocaine use was at least partially reversible. Since cocaine causes your blood vessels to narrow, your heart has to work harder to pump blood to your brain.

It may also make a person more likely to relapse if they try to stop using the drug. In order to determine how cocaine affects the brain overall, it’s important to consider both the long-term and short-term effects of this drug. As a result, people need to take more of the drug more frequently in order to achieve the same high and prevent withdrawal symptoms.

Crack cocaine is so addictive that a person can become tolerant after using it only once. One of the most dangerous long-term effects of crack cocaine abuse is severe physical dependence and addiction. Additional long-term risks and dangers of use include cardiovascular complications, mental health problems, and organ damage. Choosing a program that uses evidence-based treatments to treat an addiction to crack can help a person’s brain and body to stabilize after using this harmful stimulant drug. These programs will teach a person coping and relapse prevention skills so that they’re better equipped to maintain a drug-free life.

Crack Cocaine Effects on the Brain and Body

People who are addicted to crack have a chronic medical condition that requires treatment. It’s often not as simple as expecting a person to stop using it on their own, or thinking they’ll be better if they stop using it for a few days. People may also develop tactile hallucinations, causing them to feel things that don’t exist, such as “coke bugs.” Coke bugs cause a person to feel like there are bugs crawling on or beneath their skin. This sensation can lead a person to itch or pick at their skin until massive irritation and sores develop. Crack cocaine can cause sudden death or overdose the first time a person tries it. Further, a person who has used the drug for a long time can overdose when they use the drug.

Can it lead to the development of neurological disease later on in life? Thanks to multiple studies and ongoing medical research, these questions have some answers. Using crack cocaine for a long period of time is believed to cause cognitive impairment that makes it more difficult for a person to think and use their brain. If a health event prompted your visit to your doctor, they’ll recommend treatment options and help supervise your withdrawal once you’re stable.

Effects of crack include hyperstimulation, euphoria, fever, and increased heart rate, breathing rate, and blood pressure. The unnatural increases in heart rate and blood pressure put enormous strain on the cardiovascular system, leading to heart and blood vessel damage. Crack also damages the immune system, making the user more vulnerable to disease. Since crack cocaine is one of the most addicting drugs, it is often the hardest for a person to stop taking altogether. When a person keeps on using crack, their brain will trigger them to have tremendous cravings, causing them to want to take the drug more frequently and in higher doses. When the exposure is repeated, the brain will start to adapt, leading to an inability to feel pleasure from normal levels of dopamine.

Long-Term Effects of Crack Cocaine Use and Abuse

If a person uses cocaine, it can have both short- and long-term effects on their brain. Some effects of cocaine are almost instantaneous and typically last from a few minutes to 1 hour. When someone uses cocaine, the brain begins releasing extra dopamine, a feel-good brain chemical responsible for the feelings of a high or euphoria. Cocaine prevents the breakdown of dopamine, leading to a buildup of large amounts of it in the brain. If someone in your life has a crack addiction, it’s important to support them and help them find evidence-based treatment that works for them, Dr. Tetrault says.

Research suggests that the progression from use to addiction is strongly influenced by genetics. Studies suggest that the heritability risk for cocaine use disorder is 65% in women and 79% in men. Having a co-occurring mental health condition and exposure to environmental factors can also increase the risk of developing a crack addiction.

1. Understanding the short-term and long-term effects of crack cocaine is important for a person thinking about using the drug, who is already addicted to the drug, or who is the a loved one of cocaine users.
2. When cocaine is purchased from an unknown source, it is always possible that the drug isn’t pure cocaine—a situation that presents its own risks.
3. Her work spans various health-related topics, including mental health, fitness, nutrition, and wellness.
4. It may be possible for some people to restore their brain function to what it was before cocaine.
5. It can also starve your brain of the blood it needs, which kills brain cells.
6. The term ‘crack’ refers to the crackling sound the crystal makes when it is being heated to smoke.

If you reach out to your doctor about your cocaine use, they will start by asking you questions about your lifestyle, habits, usage, and dosage. It’s important to be straightforward and honest so you can get the right treatment. There are different treatment options available for people who need help stopping cocaine use.

What are the long-term effects of cocaine use?

Repeated use of cocaine may cause the brain to be more sensitive to the negative or toxic effects of cocaine, such as anxiety, at lower doses. Crack cocaine has serious health risks, which is why treatment is so important. Detoxing the body of the substance and attending psychotherapy can help people with their long-term recovery from crack addiction. This artificially high level of dopamine reinforces crack use as an important behavior, to be prioritized even over survival behaviors like eating and sleeping.

If you or a loved one are concerned about a cocaine use disorder, it’s time to seek professional help. The Recovery Village provides care to those struggling with cocaine use through evidence-based addiction treatment and therapy. Reach out to one of our knowledgeable representatives today to learn how you can start on your path to recovery. Heart attacks, strokes, and seizures may occur even after just one or two uses and can lead to coma and sudden death.

Cognitive functions

Cocaine is abused in different ways including taking orally, sorting, smoking and injecting, all of which cause the drug to enter the bloodstream and take effect within seconds. A person should contact a doctor if they are using cocaine to discuss the health effects of the substance and support to help stop using it. However, people with a cocaine use disorder can lose a significantly greater amount of gray matter, and at a more rapid pace, than someone with no history of a substance use disorder.

This article discusses the short- and long-term effects that cocaine can have on the brain, other health considerations, substance use disorder, and when to consider speaking with a doctor. A crack addiction can put a person at risk for serious health consequences, including death. Preventing the use of this drug is critical because even a single instance of use can lead to addiction or death in some people. Cocaine increases the amount of a chemical called dopamine in your brain. Small doses of dopamine travel through your brain cells to indicate pleasure or satisfaction.

Cocaine has both short-term and long-term effects on the brain, including paranoia, Parkinson’s disease, stroke and more.

A 2016 study in the brains of mice gave more insight into this phenomenon. When the brain’s “cleanup processes” are sped up or disrupted from cocaine, brain cells are essentially thrown out. Over time, flooding your brain with dopamine can damage the structure of the brain. That’s why heavy cocaine use can lead to seizure disorders and other neurological conditions.

It can also damage other vital organs, including your cardiovascular system. There’s currently no medication that treats cocaine addiction, but sometimes doctors prescribe drugs off-label to treat it. And a 2014 review suggests many of the long-term cognitive effects of cocaine use are actually connected to withdrawal from cocaine. This seemed to imply that 5 months without cocaine would restore much of what was lost in terms of brain function.