Since cocaine disrupts the normal flow of these neurotransmitters, physiological changes emerge that are detrimental and ultimately destructive to the user’s psychological and physical health. Vital to mediating behavioral, cognitive and motor functioning, the frontostriatal is dependent on dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine to work properly. Cocaine addiction has been shown to promote neuroadaptive changes in several brain systems, including the frontostriatal, a collection of neural pathways connecting the frontal lobes and basal ganglia.
tremors, shaking and spasmsĪs tolerance to cocaine’s effects builds and users require more of the drug to get high, severe addiction sets in and starts controlling all aspects of the user’s life. Feelings of invincibility and fearlessness or grandiosity.Physical and Psychological Effects of Cocaine and Crack Cocaine The powerful sense of euphoria following the initial bout of nausea passes quickly, leaving the addict to immediately start craving another injection. Upon injection, crack cocaine reaches the brain in a few seconds, giving the user such an exhilarating, intense rush that it often causes injectors to vomit uncontrollably. The term “crack” cocaine refers to a crackling, popping noise made by crack rocks being lit and smoked.Īddicts also inject crack cocaine by crushing rocks and mixing them with water. Once cooked, crack cocaine turns into a yellowish rock-like substance that can be broken into small pieces and smoked in a pipe. Users cook crack cocaine to remove hydrochloride and make it smokeable. Crack cocaine may also be cut with amphetamines, ammonia or procaine (a cheap anesthetic) to enhance its stimulating effects. Drug dealers lace or cut the powder with baking soda, cornstarch or other white powdery substances to increase profits. Once snorted, cocaine is rapidly absorbed by capillaries leading directly into the bloodstream.Ĭrack cocaine is a cheaper version of cocaine. Cocaine addicts typically snort cocaine powder after cutting it into one or more lines.
The Difference Between Cocaine and Crack CocaineĬocaine is a white powdery substance containing cocaine-chloride, a chemical derived from the coca bush. In fact, cocaine is so addictive that users experiencing withdrawal symptoms report feeling high just watching someone else inject or snort cocaine. The addictiveness of cocaine is attributed to its powerful effect on the brain’s mesolimbic reward pathway, which controls feelings of pleasure, reward and motivation.
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