Smoking cocaine, says CAMH, can also cause a potentially fatal condition called "crack lung," which has symptoms ranging from severe chest pains and breathing problems to fever. The amount of cocaine used, and how often people use the drug, has an effect on whether people get addicted." What long-term impacts can cocaine have?Īccording to Health Canada, long-term use of cocaine can lead to erratic behaviour, psychosis, sleeping and eating problems, impotence, heart problems, nose and sinus problems, breathing problems and birth defects. "However, any method of taking cocaine can lead to addiction.
How addictive is crack cocaine?Īccording to CAMH, smoking crack, "with its rapid, intense and short-lived effects, is the most addictive" method of taking cocaine. Other potential effects of cocaine are nausea and vomiting, elevated body temperature, shaking and muscle twitching, severe agitation and hallucinations. Some effects of short-term use of cocaine, according to Health Canada, can range from dry mouth, dilated pupils and rapid breathing, to loss of appetite, anxiety and paranoid thinking. "When cocaine is used with alcohol, the liver produces cocaethylene, a powerful compound that increases the risk of sudden death beyond the risk of using cocaine alone," says CAMH.
Seizures or heart failure as a result of an overdose, which can occur even after consuming a small amount of the drug.Thickening and constricting of blood vessels, cutting the flow of oxygen to the heart.The list of potential effects cocaine and crack cocaine can have on a person is long, and can vary depending on the amount taken, how often it is smoked and any medical or psychological conditions a person may have.Īccording to CAMH, people may use cocaine occasionally without harming themselves, but the drug can be "very dangerous, whether it’s used once or often." It also, according to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, boosts the same brain chemicals that make people feel good when they drink, eat or have sex. How does it affect the body?Ĭocaine is well-known for creating feelings of euphoria, alertness or extra energy. National Institute on Drug Abuse.Ī high from smoking crack could last five to 10 minutes, says the institute, compared to 15 to 30 minutes for a high from snorting cocaine. When crack is heated and inhaled, the vapours are absorbed through the lungs and into the bloodstream, according to the U.S. The word "crack" comes from the distinctive sound heard when the substance heats up. Crack cocaine is usually smoked, often in a glass pipe, although it can also be injected. (WikimediaCommons)Ĭocaine is injected or snorted. To turn cocaine (pictured in the sealed bag) into crack, it is sometimes mixed with baking soda.
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