Long-Term Effects of Cocaine Use

There is no safe way to use cocaine! The health risks become much worse when combined with alcohol or other drugs. Alcohol and cocaine combined produce cocaethylene, which intensifies cocaine's effects and may increase the risk of sudden death. Cocaine's many dangers include:

Neurological Effects

• Headaches.
• Convulsions.
• Seizures.
• Coma.

Heart Disease

• Altered heart rhythm.
• Chest pain.
• Very high or very low blood pressure.
• Heart attack.
• Endocarditis -- Heart infection
• Stroke.
• Sudden death.

Lung Damage and Disease

• Difficulty breathing.
• Chronic bronchitis.
• Ruptured lung structures.
• Collapsed lung.
• Respiratory failure.

Psychological Damage

• Irritability and mood disturbances.
• Auditory hallucinations (imaginary sounds that seem real.)
• Formication - The sensation that insects are crawling under the skin.

Reproductive System Damage

• Sexual dysfunction in both males and females.
• Menstrual cycle disturbances.
• Infertility in both males and females.

Danger During Pregnancy

• Miscarriage, premature delivery, or stillbirth of pregnancies.
• Addicted newborns.
• Low birth weight, smaller head size, and shorter length in newborns.
• Deformities in newborns of addicted mothers or addicted fathers.

Other Damage

• Burns in mouth and on hands from smoking.
• "Tracks" - puncture marks on arms or wherever injections are made.
• Infections and sores associated with injection tracks.
• Incontinence (inability to control urination and/or bowel movements.)
• Allergic reactions to cocaine or the additives in street drugs.
• Brain infections - both bacterial and fungal, sometimes leading to abcesses.
• Weight loss and malnourishment due to decreased appetite for food.
• Gangrene (rot) of bowels and other body parts from lack of bloodflow.
• More risk-taking behavior, including unsafe sex.
• Increased risk of HIV/AIDS and hepatitis, either from unsafe sex or using infected needles.