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Cocaine, also known as blow or coke, has sometimes been viewed as a status drug due to its high price tag and association with celebrity culture. However, due to its highly stimulating and addictive effects, cocaine can spiral from a recreational drug to a substance use disorder quickly. If you or a loved one requires cocaine addiction treatment, contact our team at 833.551.2304 to learn more about our medical detox programs.
What Are the Symptoms of Cocaine Abuse?
As a derivative of the coca plant, cocaine acts as a full-body accelerant, raising energy, blood pressure, and mood. However, these effects are short-lived and are followed by a significant physical and emotional crash within an hour or two of dosage.
Over time, users may come to demonstrate the following symptoms:
- Erratic or hazardous behavior
- Signs of delusion or overconfidence
- Compromised decision-making
- Loss of appetite and/or significant weight loss
- Sleeplessness
- Financial problems
- Chronic nose bleeds or loss of smell (especially when cocaine is inhaled)
- Fast speech, pacing, or other hyperactive behaviors
- Dilated pupils
- Sudden predisposition to violent or belligerent behavior
- Hoarseness
- Paranoia and mood swings, cycling between euphoria and depression
- Combining cocaine with downers such as alcohol or opioids to manage anxiety
Why Is Cocaine Detox Difficult?
Cocaine is an abnormally addictive drug, which works by blocking the brain’s ability to eliminate dopamine, a neurotransmitter stimulating mood, confidence, and overall pleasure. This mirrors how the brain responds to natural highs such as exercise, sex, chocolate, and other benign-to-healthful stimuli. Therefore, early cocaine use may even feel like a positive decision, increasing the user’s overall sense of well-being.
At first, cocaine elicits a state of euphoria for many users and may create the illusion of focus, confidence, or increased productivity. It may even help to conceal some of the undesirable side effects of depression or other forms of substance abuse such as food addiction, alcoholism, or opiate dependency.
However, if cocaine is used excessively or over a long time, it may alter the brain and nervous system, creating exaggerated cravings. These effects are increased through alternate consumption methods, such as injection or inhalation (e.g., crack cocaine), as well as the duration and frequency of usage.
The longer a person uses cocaine, the more the brain will depend upon the drug to create and release dopamine. If uncorrected, the brain may lose its ability to produce the neurotransmitter, forcing ever-increasing usage to feel normal.
What Will I Experience During Cocaine Withdrawal?
To treat the underlying conditions behind a substance use disorder, clients must first be physically weaned off of addictive substances. Although cocaine withdrawal is not life-threatening, it can be terrifying to endure on your own.
Depending on the individual, this may include mild to severe symptoms, including:
- Sleep problems, especially vivid nightmares
- Digestive issues
- Increased appetite and weight gain
- Advanced fatigue
- Muscle aches and pains
- Body chills
- Intensification of mental health symptoms
- Unstable moods and paranoia
Clients recovering from cocaine abuse are also more predisposed to cardiac arrest, so they must be closely monitored. Those with substance abuse disorders may also have developed concurrent respiratory, renal, or gastrointestinal problems requiring ongoing treatment. In addition, those undergoing cocaine withdrawal may require significant psychopharmaceutical supports to assist their brain’s compromised ability to produce dopamine.
These symptoms may be made more tolerable within a medical facility, where various pharmaceutical, cognitive and behavioral therapies may be employed to expedite the healing process and increase the effectiveness of treatment.
Gulf Breeze Recovery: Offering Next Steps in Treating a Cocaine Abuse
Help is always available. If you are suffering from a cocaine dependence problem, help is available through cocaine addiction treatment. Contact our team at 833.551.2304 to learn about our specialized cocaine detox program.