Dependence, addiction and overdose risk
Dependence and addiction
The high from cocaine can be intensely rewarding but the experience is very short lived, producing an intense craving which can develop quickly into an addiction. Tolerance can develop very quickly, meaning the user must take more cocaine to achieve the same effect.
Heavy, frequent or long-term users can sometimes experience “cocaine psychosis”. Symptoms include aggression, severe paranoia, and hallucinations. These symptoms usually stop in the days after cocaine use stops, but some users need treatment for the psychosis.
Withdrawal symptoms occur when a dependent user decides to stop use or significantly cuts down the amount they are using. Cocaine withdrawal commonly occurs in three phases:
1. Crash: occurs immediately after the person stops using cocaine and especially after a cocaine binge session. Symptoms include:
- agitation
- depression and anxiety
- intense craving for the drug
- intense hunger
- problems sleeping
- fatigue and exhaustion.
2. Withdrawal: depending on history of use, this can last up to 10 weeks. Symptoms include:
- lack of energy
- depression
- anxiety, shaking
- intense craving for the drug
- angry outbursts
- nausea and vomiting.
3. Extinction: Even after withdrawal symptoms have ceased, sporadic cravings for cocaine may surface months or years after the user has ceased using cocaine.
Overdose
Because cocaine is highly addictive with short lived effects, users sometimes go on binge sessions resulting in overdose. Overdoses can lead to rapid heartbeat, raised blood pressure, heart attack, seizures, kidney failure, stroke and repeated convulsions. Death may result.
