Cocaine Addiction: Signs, Effects Treatment Options

Counseling and other types of therapy are the most common treatments for cocaine use disorder. Sessions with a trained therapist can help you make changes to your behaviors and thought processes. You may need to stay in a rehabilitation center (also known as rehab) for intensive therapy and support. cocaine addiction treatment If you do attend rehab, continuing treatment afterward (aftercare) is important to help you avoid relapse. The most important part of any treatment plan is to give up the drug right away. Many people who are addicted to cocaine go through a phase called withdrawal when they first do this.

Opioid use disorder (OUD)

Others dissolve the drug in water and inject it with a needle. When injected, it goes directly into your bloodstream for a very strong and near-instant effect. The drug is made from the leaves of the coca plant, which grows almost nowhere other than the northern and western regions of South America. People there have chewed and eaten coca leaves for thousands of years to help them stay alert and lessen their appetites.

Is there a risk of addiction?

Cocaine taxes the cardiovascular system when blood vessels thicken, reducing the flow of oxygen to the heart. Cocaine is a vasoconstrictor, which makes the heart pump faster while narrowing the blood vessels. While high on cocaine, some individuals feel energetic, alert and talkative while others feel anxious and on-edge.

Why is fentanyl added to cocaine, and what are the potential consequences?

When a person has developed a dependence – or physical addiction – on a drug, they are likely to experience withdrawal symptoms when they stop taking it. Some prescription medicines, like benzodiazepines or some antidepressants, can cause physical dependence without the person being addicted to the drug. This means that they do not compulsively seek out the substance, but they may experience withdrawal symptoms if they stop taking their prescription suddenly without a doctor’s help creating a taper.

However, medical professionals can provide treatments to stabilize a person’s symptoms. If a person is experiencing an overdose of a combination of cocaine and an opioid such as fentanyl, administering Narcan (naloxone) can reverse the effects of the opioid overdose. This medication will not, however, treat the effects of cocaine overdose.

• When you snort it, it takes slightly longer to feel the effects.
• Healthcare providers may occasionally use cocaine as anesthesia.
• Because cocaine’s effects wear off sooner, this can lead to a heroin overdose.
• Their lifestyles may alter completely as the addiction takes hold.
• Recovery may involve medication to help with cravings and withdrawal as well as different forms of therapy.
• Presumably, effective psychosocial treatments for addiction work by causing changes in the brain, perhaps even some of the same changes that will be produced by effective medications.
• The signs and symptoms of cocaine use can vary depending on whether a person snorts, injects, smokes or swallows the drug.

Listed below are some of the physical, behavioral, and psychological signs of cocaine use. Cocaine is a stimulant drug derived from the leaves of the coca plant native to South America. According to a 2022 study, close to 25 million people around the world use cocaine. Therapeutic communities or residential programs with stays of several months are also on offer for treatment for those who abuse cocaine. Therapeutic communities focus on the resocialization of the individual and can include on-site vocational rehabilitation and an array of other supportive services.

Signs of Cocaine Dependence