Forms of Cocaine
This chemical form of cocaine is water-soluble.
Hydrochloride salt
How do people inhale cocaine?
Users inhale cocaine by smoking it.
What short term neurological effects come from cocaine?
Headaches, seizures, strokes, and even comas.
What are the effects if someone smoked cocaine?
The lungs can be damaged and bring in or worsen asthma.
What happened ever since the year of 2009?
Cocaine use has remained stable.
Cocaine base
What is oral use?
It is when a user rubs cocaine onto their gums.
How does cocaine affect people at first?
They have intense levels of euphoria and energy and become more talkative and mentally alert.
What are the effects if someone sniffs cocaine?
The user can lose their sense of smell and have nosebleeds, problems with swallowing, hoarseness, and an inflamed, runny nose.
How many drug misuse or abuse related emergency department visits had involved cocaine?
Over one in three, or 40% of all drug misuse or abuse-related emergency department visits had involved the use of cocaine. The use of cocaine was involved in 0.5 million visits to emergency departments due to people misusing and abusing the drug.
These are the four ways that cocaine is used.
Oral use, intranasal use, intravenous use, and inhalation.
What is intranasal use?
It is when a user inhales powdered cocaine through their nostrils.
What are the short term physiological effects of cocaine?
It constricts blood vessels and increases the size of pupils, temperature within the body, the heart and blood pressure rate.
What are the effects if someone injects cocaine?
Users can have puncture marks that brings in a huge risk for getting deadly illnesses such as HIV and allergic reactions which can lead to even death.
What did the 2015 Monitoring the Future survey report?
It had reported a significant 30-day frequency decline of the use of powdered cocaine among young teens.
What are the two ways hydrochloride salt is used? (Give names)
Intransanal use and intravenous use.
What is intravenous use?
It is when a user dissolves cocaine into water, which is then put into an injection to the bloodstream.
How does the user's behavior change? (Include further details)
Their behaviors become more erratic, violent, and bizarre. They go through mood swings of restlessness and irritability which can lead to anxiety attacks, panic attacks, and paranoia. This can lead to the user having tremors, vertigo, and muscle twitches.
How does the brain change with cocaine?
It makes the reward pathway, having a decrease in sensitivity to natural reinforcers with the cost of stress circuits being more hypersensitive.
In 2014, what young teens were reported of cocaine use? (Show percentage)
1.1% of high school seniors, 0.8% of sophomores, and 0.5% of high school seniors have been reported of the use of cocaine.
What are the two ways the water-insoluble cocaine base is used? (Give names)
Oral use and inhalation.
How does the use of cocaine range?
Occasional use to compulsive use.
What kind of complications are placed in the body due to cocaine? (Include symptoms)
Gastrointestinal (nausea and pain in the abdomen), neurological (headaches, seizures, strokes, and comas), and cardiovascular (disturbances in heart rhythm and heart attacks).
How does the person's behavior change when cocaine is used?
It brings in intense pleasure and relief at the risk of an increase in anxiety, the tension of certain muscles, and other toxic effects. It also increases the levels of irrability, restlessness, and paranoia, which can lead to panic attacks and strong hallucinations.
How many people were reported of the use of cocaine in 2014? (Tell further detail)
There were 1.5 million current users of cocaine whose ages were twelve or older. Ages of eighteen to 25 years have a higher cocaine use rate in current times than any other ages.