Cocaine is a drug produced from the leaves of a coca plant. The coca plant in its natural form has been used for centuries for medicinal purposes including as a topical anesthetic. Cocaine was originally developed in the 1800s as an ingredient that could be ingested to help relieve ailments. Yet, it was soon discovered that cocaine was highly addictive and could cause health problems, including death. Cocaine was soon banned in the U.S. as a publicly available drug. Only medical grade cocaine was allowed for use by physicians for medical care. But cocaine had become known for its short term effects in stimulating the body and producing feelings of euphoria. Thus, it has become one of the most popular illicit drugs on the street today.
The short term effects of cocaine or "the high" is why one generally uses cocaine. Users generally sniff/snort, inject, or smoke the drug to achieve a high. As the drug enters the blood stream, it stimulates the central nervous system creating a feeling of euphoria, which can last up to 30 minutes. During this time the blood vessels become constricted; heart rate, blood pressure, and body temperature increase; and pupils become dilated. This makes most users feel mentally alert, euphoric, and energized although some users experience irritability, anxiety, and
…show more content…
Those who chose to snort are at risk for regular nose bleeds, deterioration of the septum, loss of smell, problems swallowing, and gangrene of the bowels. Those who smoke the drug risk lung damage and lung disease including difficulty breathing, chest pain, and similar damage as one who smokes tobacco. Injecting the drug increases the risk of HIV, hepatitis, and other blood born or diseases related to needle sharing. Regardless of how the drug is consumed, chronic cocaine use can lead to seizures, abdominal pain, headaches, nausea, heart attack, stroke, respiratory failure, and ultimately
One can feel the effects of cocaine almost immediately after use, with these effects lasting only a few minutes or hours. The duration of cocaine 's effects depends upon how it is administered. The faster the drug is absorbed, the more intense the high, but also the shorter the duration. The high from snorting is relatively slow to arrive but it may last 15 to 30 minutes. In contrast, the effects from smoking are more immediate but may last only 5 to 10 minutes. “In the brain, cocaine interferes with the chemical messengers -- neurotransmitters -- that nerves use to communicate with each other. Cocaine blocks norepinephrine, serotonin, dopamine, and other neurotransmitters from being reabsorbed. The resulting
Crack is the smokable form of cocaine, and can only be taken into the body by smoking it. Smoking crack cocaine introduces it into the system faster than other methods (Zonderman and Shader, 660. To smoke it, the crystalline chips are either put into a glass pipe and smoked, or crushed and smoked in a marijuana joint. The chips change to smoke when heated, which is inhaled, drawn into the lungs, and then diffused rapidly into the bloodstream (Edwards, 77). The little sacs of the lungs are lined with fatty tissue that readily absorbs the fat soluble crack (Mickey, 2). Circulating blood transports the dissolved cocaine to the brain where it has immediate effect (Edwards, 77). Crack reaches the brain within seven seconds (Mickey, 2). The effect, called a rush, is caused by the almost pure cocaine's assault on the brain and central nervous system. The central nervous system responds by involuntary movement of the muscles, increased body temperature, and an overstimulation of the pleasure centers of the brain. The high
Crack cocaine has been popular since the 1970s and mid 1980s. Crack cocaine is not a new drug; this drug is obtained from coca plant which grows mainly in South America. For many years, the native South American Indians chewed its leaves to develop strength and increased energy. By the 1800s, the cocaine was secluded from its leaves and used as a medicinal drug. By the late 1800s, it was used as an anesthetic and to avert surgical hemorrhage. The next century, people recognized crack cocaine an addictive narcotic and its non-medical use of the drug was ended by the Harrison Narcotics Act in 1914 (“How crack cocaine works?”).
Today, cocaine is commonly derived from the coca plant that is most commonly grown in Columbia but also Peru and Bolivia. It is harvested and processed into a “coca paste” which the base of is extracted and turned into the white powder form of cocaine. Once the powder is made it is often mixed with laundry detergent, laxatives, or boric acid to cut down the potency and have more to distribute. Cocaine can be used snorting, smoking, injecting or swallowed. The United States outlawed cocaine in the early 1920’s but it wasn’t until the 1970’s and middle of the 1980’s that cocaine was at
Cocaine has been Shown to block the reuptake of norepinephrine (NE) at the adrenergic nerve ending. Consequently, there is an increase in the postsynaptic stimulation of NE receptors and their target cells because of the increased levels at NE in the synapse. Cocaine’s effect on the adrenergic neurons themselves is inhibition (Dackis & Gold. 1987).
The effects of crack cocaine are felt shortly after a person uses it. There are both physical and psychological effects that a person may experience. Dilated pupils, elevated blood pressure, temperature and heart rate and constricted blood vessels are some of the physical effects. Some of
Cocaine is most often administered via nasal insufflation, intravenous injection, the oral route and inhalation of crack cocaine vapours (unionized form of cocaine) (Fattinger et al., 2000). Cocaine is absorbed the fastest and has the most intense effects after smoking or intravenous injection. This is due to rapid absorption, distribution and low degrees of first-pass metabolism although nasal or oral routes are also common (figure 1; Fattinger et al., 2000). Nasal dosing is often preferred to oral because oral doses have high degrees of first-pass metabolism and slow absorption compared to that of the nasal route. However, a substantial amount of the drug taken via the nasal route will migrate into gastrointestinal
Cocaine has been shown to be the most common, most potent stimulant out there. It was found in the leaves of the erythroxylon coca plant in the Andean highlands, and it was used for many centuries as a relaxant and energizing tea by natives. It was used in surgeries to numb the nose, throat or eyes. It was useful in these areas because it constricted blood vessels and helped stop blood flow as well as acted as an anesthetic (Virtual Mass Spectrometry Laboratory 2003). Today cocaine is still used in hospitals for the same reason. Cocaine was also thought to be used to treat depression, alcoholism, and addiction to morphine. It was sold in pharmacies in Canada until around 1911. It made a return in the 1960s. Cocaine is illegal and is sold
To understand the devastating effects of cocaine one needs to understand its history and how it became one of the most potent drugs in today’s society. Cocaine is extracted from the coca leaves and is one of the oldest and natural stimulants. Ancient Incas and native Peruvians chewed cocas leaves for religious ceremonies and to counter the effects of living in thin mountain air and air sickness prevention. To this day Peruvian markets sell coca products, from teas, soft drinks, cocktails and candy; its use is accepted and is an integral part of their culture and way of life. So the question one must ask is when did this natural product become a notorious drug that is abused by many?
The primary methods of ingesting cocaine are snorting, plugging, swallowing, and injecting.The duration of cocaine's effects depends upon the route of administration. The faster the absorption, the more intense the high. But, the faster the absorption, the shorter the duration of the high. The high from snorting is slow, and may last 15 to 30 minutes, while from smoking may last 5 to 10 minutes.
Cocaine is a stimulant drug that can be snorted, injected, or smoked. Cocaine comes from a Coca plant (Hart & Ksir, 2016). It can come from any of the four Erythroxylaceae plants, but it most commonly comes from the Erythroxylon Coca plant (Hart & Ksir, 2016). These plants are commonly grown in South America (Karch, 1998). Cocaine interacts with several neurotransmitters in the brain, such as “Dopamine, Serotonin, Gaba, and Glutamate” (Hart & Ksir, 2016). Upon consumption of the drug it also influences adrenaline reuptake and causes more to be released (Karch, 1998). Cocaine is a popular mainstream drug, it impacts the user positively and negatively, and has known stereotypes associated with it.
Physical effects are many. There are constricted blood vessels, increased temperature, increased heart rate, and an increased blood flow. Cocaine is a drug that hurts the body instantly after intake. It messes up almost every internal organ, and just slowly corrodes it. There’s also a form of enhanced senses. There are things such as greater alertness, more energy, and increased self-confidence. There’s also a sense of increased power in one’s body. Cocaine produces its high affect by activating the nerve cells in the brain that releases dopamine. The dopamine lasts for a while until the user becomes aware of the high. Dopamine causes a chemical that can be traced to that of pleasure and mental alertness. What happens with the dopamine is that parts of the brain receives bits of it and stores it in the brain in this reservoir type of thing. This is why it’s pretty dangerous to take a heavy dose of cocaine. The effects of cocaine may go away temporarily, but due to that reservoir the affects can come and go at any moment, which can cause some mental deterioration. Obviously, the bigger the dose, the longer the effects of the dopamine. The end result is that after intake, the body of the user starts getting
For starters, cocaine physically changes the structure of the nerve cells. After prolonged exposure to cocaine, the cells begin to grow and extend on their respective dendrites (Nestler, 2005). This may sound like a positive reaction to cocaine but it is far from that. The increase in number of dendrites “theoretically will collect a greater volume of nerve cells” which will give the amygdala, hippocampus, and frontal cortex more control over the nucleus accumbens, also known as the reward center in the brain (Kreek, Levran, Reed, Schlussman, Zhou & Butellman, 2012). This physical change can cause the user to recall drug-associate memories, as mentioned before. These alterations unfortunately leave the user with an altered limbic system – causing potential behavioral problems in the future. Cocaine also aids in more than unfavorable physical risks, which include spiked blood pressure, heart rate, and body temperature, increased risk of heart attacks, strokes, seizures or respiratory failure. Cocaine has very unpleasant effects when it comes to the user’s heart. After cocaine inhalation, “cocaine is rapidly absorbed through the respiratory tract within seconds to minutes” (Keller, 2003). Not only does cocaine consumption affect the neurotransmitter dopamine, but it also affects the neurotransmitter norepinephrine. The natural presynaptic uptake of norepinephrine is blocked after cocaine is used which increases catecholamine
However, everything comes at a price, the short-term health effects are: constricted blood vessels, dilated pupils, nausea, raised temperature and blood pressure, faster heartbeat, tremors and muscle twitches, and restlessness. The long-term effects of cocaine depend on how it is taken. If it is snorted effects include: loss of sense of smell, nosebleeds, frequent runny nose, and problems with swallowing. Ingesting orally leads to severe bowel decay from reduced blood flow. If it is injected, the effects include higher risk of contracting HIV, hepatitis C, and other bloodborne diseases. However, those who use non-needle forms of cocaine are still at risk for STDs because cocaine affects one’s judgement so one may lead to unsafe sexual behavior. Long term effects shared by all forms of cocaine include: being malnourished due to cocaine’s appetite suppressing properties, movement disorders such as Parkinson’s, irritability, restlessness, and severe paranoia which can lead to the loss of touch with reality and cause auditory hallucinations. Along with all the previously mentioned effects, if someone becomes dependent on cocaine, withdrawal symptoms include: depression, fatigue, increased appetite, nightmares, insomnia, and slowed cognitive function. I personally know someone who has tried cocaine and here’s what they said on the matter:
The most immediate and also most dangerous method to take Cocaine is to inject. There is higher risk of an overdose. Additionally, there are associated risks such as HIV, Hepatitis and Syphilis due to pre-used needles and/or syringes (known as the