Cocaine is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that’s very popular as a recreational drug despite it being illegal in the United States. It can cause intense focus and energy, along with several other symptoms that can severely impact your health and well-being, including the development of addiction or cocaine use disorder. Understanding the short-term effects of cocaine use is imperative if you or someone you love is abusing this drug and is putting themselves at risk of serious harm.
The Ranch PA is a full-service addiction treatment center that welcomes Pennsylvania residents abusing cocaine and seeking help to break the addiction. Our cocaine addiction treatment program is fully customizable to your unique symptoms and will include private and group therapy sessions. You’ll work closely with a professional therapist who’ll identify triggering situations and people and teach you valuable coping skills that will help you manage your symptoms and triggers.
What Are the Short-Term Effects of Cocaine Use?
Cocaine is a central nervous system stimulant that can cause alertness and high energy levels. Even in small doses, it can cause mental alertness, hypersensitivity to touch, and increased energy. It affects dopamine levels in your body, which is why you get a euphoric rush, and you’ll need to take more to feel the same effects.
These symptoms are intense and short-lasting, lasting up to an hour. During this time, the short-term effects of cocaine use include:
- Increased heart rate and blood pressure
- Dilated pupils
- Decreased appetite
- Restlessness
- Tremors
- Nausea
Along with heightened euphoria, cocaine causes feelings of confidence, increased talkativeness, anxiety, hallucinations, and taking more risks. Serious health complications include irregular heartbeat, seizures, panic attacks, and heart attacks.
If you recognize these signs in a friend or loved one, talk to them about enrolling in cocaine rehab. An addiction treatment program can ease withdrawals and cravings and use behavioral therapy to help them recognize triggers and how to manage them better.
What Are the Dangers of Untreated Cocaine Use Disorder?
Cocaine is a dangerous drug that can cause serious health complications if the abuse is allowed to continue for an extended period. It can severely impact your quality of life and cause many health complications.
Reduced Cardiovascular Health
Whether you ingest cocaine through smoke or snorting it, it can have a devastating effect on your cardiovascular system. Cocaine use can increase the risk of developing acute hypertension, coronary spasms, arrhythmia, and aortic dissection. It can also lead to:
- Endocarditis
- Heart attack
- Cardiomyopathy
- Atherosclerosis
- Coronary artery disease
Abusing cocaine can affect your appetite and cause you to eat poorly, leading to malnutrition, gastrointestinal issues, and liver and kidney damage. If you’re pregnant and abusing cocaine, it can cause migraines, premature membrane rupture, seizures, high blood pressure, and difficulty in delivery.
Physical Effects of Cocaine Exposure
You can take cocaine in one of three ways: snorting, smoking, or injection. All three methods come with serious health risks that you should be familiar with:
- Snorting – This method can lead to intranasal crusting, chronic sinusitis, recurring nosebleeds, loss of smell, lung injury, microtrauma, and problems swallowing.
- Smoking – Smoking cocaine will cause asthma or worsening asthma, chronic coughing, respiratory distress, and increased risk of pneumonia or other infectious diseases.
- Injection – Those who intravenously take cocaine are at risk of skin and soft tissue infections, scarring, collapsed veins, and a higher risk of blood-borne diseases, such as HIV and hepatitis.
Smoking cocaine can cause a condition known as “crack lungs.” Symptoms include fever, coughing, difficulty breathing, and hemoptysis or coughing up blood. It may also lead to pulmonary edema or fluid in the lungs and barotrauma or injury caused by changes in air pressure.
For those who ingest cocaine orally, it can lead to mouth sores, gum and teeth problems, and oral lesions.
Call The Ranch PA Today to Get Started on Cocaine Addiction Treatment
Recovery Ranch PA supports those struggling with cocaine use disorder who are ready to stop once and for all. We understand the difficulty in overcoming addiction. That’s why we’ll develop a customizable treatment program based on your unique symptoms and triggers. You’ll work with a professional therapist who’ll teach you to recognize personal triggers and several healthy coping skills to manage symptoms and triggers.
If you or a loved one is struggling with cocaine use disorder and ready for a new start, call 717.969.9126 today or complete our online form to discuss your options with our compassionate team.