Cocaine is one of the world’s most destructive drugs. Unfortunately, it’s very accessible in the streets and is sold illegally that even minors that are as young as 12 years old use it. While it gives a pleasant feeling when taken, the negative effects after are so lethal that it can sometimes lead to death.
How Cocaine Affects the Brain
Cocaine targets dopamine production in the body. When you consume cocaine, your dopamine levels shoot up. Normally, when your body releases dopamine, it goes back to be recycled on the cells that released it. Cocaine blocks it out and traps it in between the nerve cells.
Soon, there will be a build-up of dopamine between these cells. Your brain will then start to grow tolerant with the build-up and will classify it as normal levels. This is why many users increase their dosage constantly so that they will feel the effect of cocaine continuously.
What Are the Common Effects of Cocaine?
You will immediately feel the euphoria when you consume cocaine along with the following effects:
- Decreased appetite
- Paranoia
- Extreme happiness
- Intense sensitivity to touch, sight, and sound
- Anger
Using cocaine regularly will lead to the following effects:
- Mood swings
- Mild to severe headaches
- Lung diseases
- Sexual problems
- Loss of senses
- Seizures and convulsions
- Heart diseases
- Stroke
Can cocaine be Completely Eliminated from Your Body?
You may think that since cocaine is just another variant of a medical drug that it can be easily flushed out of your system. However, that is not the case. Traces of cocaine can still be spotted in a blood test or a saliva test even after 3 days of intake. More importantly, it can be found on a hair test after years of your last intake.
Logically, the more cocaine you consume in a short amount of time, the longer it stays in your system. It can last up to 2 weeks in your body. Additionally, many factors can prolong the stay of cocaine in your body.
Why Does Cocaine Stay in Your Body Longer?
When used under medical supervision, cocaine is eliminated from your system after a few days. However, the following factors are considered to affect the duration of cocaine in your system, especially when it is taken recreationally:
- Frequency of use
- Dosage
- Liver or kidney problems
- Urine pH
- Weight
There is a possibility that you will turn out positive for cocaine even when you are not an addict. If you have ever undergone a medical procedure where your doctor required you to take cocaine, talk to them. They will know what to do to fix this issue.
Alcohol and Cocaine: The Deadly Duo
The effects of cocaine can be enhanced when it is mixed with alcohol. This is what most drug addicts do. What they don’t know is that the combination actually poses a lot of health threats such as:
- Increased heart rate
- Worsening psychomotor performance deficits and impairments
- Increased levels of cocaine in the blood by up to 30%
The researches below also prove that alcohol contributes to the slow elimination of cocaine in your body:
- Cocaethylene (the by-product of combining cocaine and alcohol) stays in your system longer than cocaine after a study in humans was conducted.
- An experiment using dogs confirmed that there is a 20% decrease in rate in terms of flushing out cocaine in the body.
- Finally, there is an experiment using rats that concluded that regular alcohol consumption contributes to the slow elimination of cocaine even if you only used it once.
Takeaway
Cocaine is already bad in itself. Mixing it with alcohol can produce more fatal effects. If you want to treat your addiction, it’s not too late.
Seek help from a drug rehabilitation center. They offer programs where you work with a therapist to adjust your behavior and thought process. You can even undergo a medical detox to facilitate quicker treatment.
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