Legacy Healing Center Blog

Cocaine has many long-lasting effects that can impact cocaine addicts for years.

The question is not only, what does cocaine do to the body but what is it made of, what are side effects of cocaine on the body and is it addictive?

Cocaine is a drug that is extracted from a native South American plant, the coca plant. It has been used throughout hundreds of years but today is known as a schedule II drug in the United States meaning that it is a drug with high potential for abuse.

Cocaine is highly abused in two chemical forms: injected or snorted and sometimes it is heated and smoked. Here we’re going to go over long and short term side effects of cocaine use as well as effects of cocaine on the body.

Short Term Effects of Cocaine on the Body

Cocaine may seem harmless at first because when it is used, the effects of cocaine on the body are immediate and don’t last very long. When cocaine is used in small amounts, the side effects of cocaine use can include talkativeness, alertness, euphoric feelings as well as hypersensitive to sights and sounds.

When it comes to what does cocaine do to the body while being used in small doses, it constricts blood vessels, dilates pupils and increases body temperature. It also can increase heart rate and blood pressure.

Another one of the major side effects of cocaine use is how individuals tend to lose the need for food and sleep while using the drug and this side effect can lead to dangerous consequences the more the drug is used.

Oftentimes, the effects of cocaine on the body wear off quickly but on certain occasions there can periods of dangerous behaviors. When cocaine is used in large amounts individuals may develop erratic and violent behavior and may even feel irritable, anxious or panic.

There can also be severe complications because of cocaine use both in short term and long term use. Cocaine can affect cardiovascular health creating disturbances in heart rhythms and even a heart attack.

Cocaine is often used in addition to other drugs and alcohol making the effects of cocaine on the body even stronger and possibly more dangerous.

When the body is repeatedly exposed to cocaine there can be noticeable effects on the body. Continue reading to learn more about the long term effects of cocaine on the body.

What Does Cocaine Do to the Body: Long Term Effects

When cocaine is used regularly, the appearance of tolerance is almost guaranteed to happen. This means that when someone uses the drug regularly, they must use more of it each time in order to feel the same pleasure as they originally felt.

Developing tolerance can oftentimes create dangerous situations for the user because it increases the risk of overdose.

On the other hand, when cocaine is used regularly and even in periods of binges, individuals risk damaging their brain and creating lasting psychological effects. Side effects of cocaine use, especially in higher doses can lead to severe irritability, restlessness, panic attacks paranoia and even psychosis.

When drug use, especially with stimulant drugs, begins early in adolescence, the brain can become more vulnerable to drug use later in life because of the feelings felt during the first uses in adolescence.

What does cocaine do to the body when it is snorted? Because of the main way that cocaine is used, through snorting, there can be certain negative side effects on the body.

This can mean that the individual experiences more nosebleeds, difficulty swallowing or even lose their sense of smell due to irritation in the nasal canal.

The list of the way long term use of cocaine affects the body can continue and will only get worse after continued use. If you believe that you or someone you love is struggling with an addiction to cocaine, speak to them about getting help.

You can learn more drug abuse prevention tips at Legacy Healing Center or by calling us today at 888-597-3547.