Cocaine
What’s Really in Cocaine? Dangerous Cutting Agents Used to Extend Profit
Did you know that cocaine is sometimes used for legitimate medical purposes, primarily as a topical anesthetic? Most people don’t know this, because cocaine is mostly used as a recreational drug. When sold to […]
Cocaine and the Nervous System
Commonly known as “coke,” “blow” and “snow,” cocaine is a drug made from the leaves of the coca plant. It can be used medically as a topical anesthetic, but is most widely used recreationally […]
What Happens to Your Body When You Overdose on Cocaine?
Cocaine is a powerfully addictive stimulant drug that can be snorted, smoked or injected. It causes an intense high that doesn’t last very long, triggering an intense compulsion to obtain another dose. If you […]
When Women Become Addicted to Cocaine
By Cynthia Sass Per the 2014 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, more than 1.5 million people use cocaine. More than 600,000 of those people are women.
Prescription Drugs Cause More Overdose Deaths Than Heroin and Cocaine Combined
With the prescription drug abuse epidemic still in full force, it might not come as a surprise that the latest statistics show that prescription drugs cause more overdose deaths than heroin and cocaine combined. […]
Cocaine Users Less Likely to Anticipate Consequences of Actions
People affected by cocaine addiction may have an unusual inability to anticipate the personal and social costs of their addiction-related behavior, if recently reported findings from a group of American researchers are correct.
Here’s Why Cocaine Addicts Often Gain Weight After Treatment
People in treatment for cocaine addiction gain weight because the drug triggers a lasting preference for fatty foods, according to recent findings from a team of British researchers. Weight gain is a common complication […]
Can Coffee Help Cocaine Addicts Stay Clean?
Coffee may be able to ease the symptoms of cocaine addiction, particularly in women, a new study has revealed.
How Does Delay Discounting Affect the Behavior of Cocaine Addicts?
Delay discounting is a term psychologists and psychiatrists use to describe the human tendency to favor tangible short-term rewards over potentially greater long-term rewards. The same term applies to the human tendency to weigh […]
Laser Light Reveals How Cocaine Cuts Blood Flow to Brain
Use of the stimulant drug cocaine is linked to increased risks for experiencing a potentially fatal change in blood vessel health known as a stroke. However, researchers have not previously known how this drug […]
Cocaine Adulteration and Risks for Dangerous Infection
Manufacturers of the illegal street drug cocaine commonly cheapen or adulterate their products with other substances in order to save money and make their drug supplies go farther. Since roughly 2003, one of the […]
Cocaine Use and Ischemic Stroke
Ischemic stroke is a type of stroke that occurs when something blocks the flow of blood in a blood vessel leading to the brain. It differs from another form of stroke, called hemorrhagic stroke, […]
Are There Different Paths to Cocaine Addiction?
Cocaine addiction is the fairly common result of repeatedly using some form of this plant-based drug for extended periods of time. In most cases, people who get addicted to cocaine first get involved in […]
Cocaine Use Results in New Brain Growth That Increases Drug-Seeking Behaviors
A recent study provides evidence of the changes in the brain that follow cocaine use. The study shows that cocaine can trigger rapid growth of new brain cells in mice that impact learning and […]
Do Impulsive Cocaine Users Develop Unusual Brain Changes?
Cocaine is a potent stimulant drug of abuse known for its ability to substantially alter the brain function of heavy and/or habitual users. Some cocaine users have a personality trait called impulsivity, which makes […]