Side Effects Of Cocaine

Cocaine is a narcotic drug that is derived from the leaves of coca plant. Cocaine is a powerful drug and can easily become addictive. Cocaine is highly intoxicating and has been declared illegal by most countries in the world. However, the drug has gained immense popularity as a “recreational drug” among drug abusers in different parts of the globe. People who start using cocaine for the first time may feel sudden bursts of energy and may feel joyful for some time; however, the harmful effects of this drug can be far reaching. The side effects of the drug depend on various factors like the purity of cocaine, the quantity used, and the way that the drug enters the body. The emotional and mental state of the user can also play a role in the way the drug affects the system. To learn more about the different side effects of cocaine, examine the following sections. 

• The effect of cocaine on the nervous system can vary from user to user. Some users may have a euphoric feeling with increased levels of energy and excitement. On the other hand, some users might feel just the opposite. Restlessness, nausea, vertigo, headaches, dilated pupils and irritability are some of the common side effects of cocaine on the nervous system. Cocaine also plays a major role on brain chemical and alters their functions, thus leading to many grim complications.
• People who use cocaine usually use it by sniffing or snorting it. This causes enormous damage to the nasal tract. Some of the common side effects of using cocaine this way include stuffiness, recurrent nosebleeds, hoarseness, and sinusitis. The nasal septum is also damaged as the blood supply is reduced by sniffing in cocaine regularly. A common side effect of cocaine is the “coke nose” where the septum is perforated and produces a whistling sound when the person breathes.
• Regular cocaine abuse leads to constriction of the blood vessels thus increasing the blood pressure and the heart rate. Therefore, cocaine users are always at a higher risk of heart attacks.
• People who smoke cocaine suffer from chronic coughs with black phlegm as well as chronic bronchitis. Inhaling the drug recurrently can also cause chest pain, neck pain, shortness of breath, and even lead to total respiratory failure.
• Over stimulation of the heart by cocaine can cause ventricular fibrillation and can cause sudden death.
• Cocaine severely damages the health of the heart. It weakens the walls of the aorta, causes abnormal or irregular heart rates, pain in the heart muscles and angina, all of which can lead to sudden heart attacks.
• Many cocaine users introduce cocaine into their bodies by means of injections. This can lead to different types of infections including cellulitis. Other common infections are tetanus, abscesses in the brain or the lungs, hepatitis C and B, and HIV that are caused due to sharing of needles.
• The consequences to pregnant women using cocaine can be harsh. The most common side effects of cocaine abuse during pregnancy include miscarriage and still births. Even if the baby manages to be born, it is born with many defects and deformities.

• Unconsciousness
• Strokes
• Low blood pressure
• Coma
• Hyperthermia