Cocaine is a stimulant drug extracted from coca leaves, a plant with the scientific name " Erythroxylum Coca" , which although it is an illegal drug, continues to be consumed by some people who wish to obtain a feeling of euphoria and confidence. Cocaine is consumed by users in several different ways, such as inhaling the powder, injecting the diluted or smoked powder, in a form called crack .
Despite the desirable effects that lead many users to consume cocaine, this drug also has many side effects and is therefore a health threat.
Effects of cocaine on the body
The effects that lead users to use cocaine are euphoria and the feeling of power it causes. Many people who use the drug report increased agitation and a feeling of mental alertness, increased sexual desire and sensory perception. When under the influence of drugs, these people believe that they have absolute power and say that they feel more self-confident, more dynamic, with the power of the word, with strength, power, omnipotence, beauty and seduction.
However, in some cases, cocaine does not cause these pleasurable symptoms, the most reported sensations being the need for isolation, anxiety or even panic.
Possible side effects and health risks
However, after inhaling, injecting or smoking the drug, and feeling this initial excitement, after some time, the user is invaded by a painful depression, feeling of fatigue, insomnia and lack of appetite. In addition, with the continuous use of the drug, the person can no longer feel the euphoria that he felt initially, and a feeling of despondency and displeasure may occur, which leads the person to consume again and develop a condition of dependence.
Cocaine use can also cause other undesirable side effects, such as nausea, vomiting, anxiety, panic attacks, agitation, irritability, paranoia, chest pain, increased blood pressure, increased heart rate, respiratory problems and kidney failure. Increased blood pressure and heart rate can lead to death from heart failure.
Symptoms such as agitation, irritability, extreme anxiety and paranoia can lead the user to have aggressive and irrational behaviors, as well as leading to the occurrence of psychotic illnesses.
In addition, depending on the route by which the drug is consumed, effects such as:
- Inhaling powdered cocaine: damage to the mucosa and membranes lining the nose; Crack smoking: breathing problems and loss of voice; Injecting cocaine: abscesses and infections due to the sharing of contaminated syringes, such as Hepatitis C and HIV.
The use of cocaine in excess can also cause tremors and convulsions, with the possibility of a collapse in the central nervous system, with consequent respiratory failure and / or ventricular fibrillation, cardiac arrest and death.
Overdose is also a risk associated with the use of cocaine, which can happen in people who administer cocaine in the vein, and can wash to death from seizure, heart failure or respiratory depression. Know how to identify the symptoms of overdose .
