The Effects Of Cocaine

Cocaine’s mode of action has been shown to involve the dopamine receptors. This paper will discuss how cocaine affects dopamine receptors, the mode of addiction, how cocaine affects the frontal brain metabolic activities, as well as the role of excitatory amino acids in cocaine’s mechanism. I will also discuss how cocaine affects another system through its mechanism on the brain—the renin angiotensin system.

Cocaine is an addictive stimulant, and it is known to be the strongest natural stimulant in today’s

The third method is intraperitoneal which is in the stomach. Lastly, there is intravenous which is into the veins. Intravenous injection results in intense affects within 30 seconds of the injection (Volkow, 2013). This method is thought to be most common when thinking of heavy drug users because of the fast results. The next route of administration for cocaine is intranasal. This is where cocaine is snorted or sniffed up the nose. This is the most common way that cocaine is administered. Intranasal routes require ten to fifteen minutes for the desired effect of cocaine to begin. The last method is inhalation. This is where cocaine is smoked. The effect of inhaling cocaine is felt almost immediately; however, the effects do not last more than five to fifteen minutes (Volkow, 2013). This method is less likely with cocaine since it is the only way for crack to be administered. Cocaine is readily absorbed after oral and intranasal administration, but the onset of drug action is slower and the peak effect is takes longer period of time to be reached than with other routes of administration. Cocaine is processed rapidly with most of its effects vanishing twenty to eighty minutes after administration (Volkow, 2013). Cocaine and crack cocaine is eliminated through the urine and is detectible up to two to three days after administration. The route of administration is chosen by the user, and is addictive from whichever route is chosen. They become

Cocaine usage is not as popular today as it was back in the 1900s but it continues to be abused as it was then. The drug has become addictive to those that used the drug intravenously, and free base (smoking crack). It has been said that individuals who try cocaine by inhaling, injecting, snorting would become addicted by using it for the first time. The individuals try to capture the pleasure or that high he/she first got when using the drug, the psychological effects of cocaine, addiction and dependence reports “only about 10 to 15% of those who initially try cocaine intranasally become abusers” (Gawin, 1991, p.1584).

One of the most detrimental and addictive narcotics in the world today is cocaine. Cocaine dates back as early as 3000 BC. Ancient Incas used the coca leaves to counter the effects of living in thin mountain air. Native Peruvians in the 1500’s chewed the plant strictly for religious ceremonies. Andean Indians are believed to chew the leaves of the coca plant to increase their energy for work while decreasing their hunger and pain. It wasn’t until 1859 when a German chemist Albert Niemann successfully extracted the narcotic from the coca leaf. In the 1880’s, it was freely prescribed by physicians for “maladies as exhaustion, depression, and morphine addiction and was available in many patent medicines” (“Cocaine”), until users and doctors began to realize its dangers and side effects. While it was not fully understood at the time, cocaine has many devastating and lasting effects on the user.

Fact: Being addicted to any type of illicit drug can be dangerous, and cocaine is certainly no exception. A cocaine addiction can lead to many medical complications. This includes things such as respiratory failure, stroke and heart failure. Additionally, cocaine causes more fatalities than any other illicit drug.

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

Some long term effects of Cocaine are ; Permanent damage to blood vessels of heart and brain , High blood pressure, which could lead to heart attacks, strokes, and death . Liver, kidney and lung damage , Respiratory failure if smoked , I nfectious diseases if injected , Malnutrition,

Cocaine and heroine are both illegal drugs, however, they hold some differences than you may realize. The origins of both drugs come from different place. Cocaine is extract from coca leaves, which is developed by the painkiller whereas heroine is from the resin of poppy plants. In addition both drugs can be taking different way, for cocaine mostly people sniffed, as the cocaine is a crystalline powder. For heroine, it is mostly injected through body. Finally, these drugs provide different effects. Long-term cocaine use can lead to death from the respiratory failure, stroke, or heart attack. For ling-term heroine use can impact to the liver or kidneys from infectious diseases and brain can be damage due to lack of oxygen. Thus, cocaine and

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

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 findings and results of these case studies showed cocaine users in a dangerous light. The researchers reached the conclusion that “social factors influenced paranoia and hallucinations even at high consumption levels and [they] can attribute these findings to differences in learning between novice and experienced users” (Erickson, et al 206). The amount of cocaine using friends one has plays a role in the amount of cocaine consumed and the effects it has on the individual compared to if one took the drug alone. These factors are significantly different when it comes to the difference between crack and powder users. A study conducted in the early nineties found “significantly higher levels [of toxicity] than chewing or snorting occur after intravenous use [injection]” (Karch The Pathology of Drug Abuse 20). The drug enters the bloodstream immediately upon injection which helps bring the user to a faster “high.” This route of administration can be extremely addictive as the user will want more and more to achieve the same effect.

There are different types of effects this drug can cause which is short term and long term damage. Short term effects cocaine can cause a short lived. Other effects is intense high which is followed by intense depression, edginess and you start to get addicted to the drug. Cocaine increases the chance of heart attack, stroke, seizure or respiratory breathing failure. Long term phrase is

This is one reason why traces of the drug are commonly found on money in the country. This isn't the only way it may be used, however, as some people choose to inject it or smoke it. When a person wishes to inject cocaine, they mix the drug with a soluble substance, such as water, to create a new material that is similar to liquid in many ways. This substance may then be injected intravenously with the help of a needle. Crack cocaine is often smoked through a glass pipe, yet there are other methods of smoking the drug also, and the method of use is a matter of personal preference or

For short-term use, cocaine can provide extreme happiness, enhanced sensitivity to sound and touch or mental alertness. People takes cocaine as it can provide energy on their work but a long-term use of cocaine may lead to malnourishment, irritability, restlessness, paranoia and auditory hallucination (NIDA, 2016; Roncero, C., et al., 2013). Also, cocaine abuse may have other complications such as nosebleed because of snorting, difficulties in swallowing and easily infected by HIV or hepatitis C through needle injection and the misjudgment on having unsafe sex (NIDA, 2016). On the other hand, long-term use of cocaine may lead to addiction and a stronger dosage will be taken when they have any withdrawal symptoms. For instance, symptoms of depression, fatigue and increased appetite. Nowadays, still no medicines were approved for treating the addiction on cocaine and thus the treatment of cocaine addiction is