Cocaine
Cocaine is a powerful stimulant that can trigger heart attack or stroke, even in young users. Learn its effects, risks, overdose signs, and treatment.
Also known as: Coke · Blow · Snow · C
Effects
- Short-lived burst of energy, alertness, and euphoria
- Raised heart rate, blood pressure, and body temperature
- Reduced appetite and need for sleep
- Anxiety, irritability, and paranoia
- A hard "crash" as the high wears off
Risks
- Heart attack, stroke, and dangerous heart rhythms - even in young, healthy people
- Strong addiction and intense cravings
- Seizures
- Overdose, increasingly worsened by fentanyl contamination
- Damage to the nose, lungs, or veins depending on how it is used
Overdose signs
- Chest pain or trouble breathing
- Seizures or convulsions
- Very high body temperature and heavy sweating
- Severe agitation, confusion, or paranoia
- Irregular heartbeat or loss of consciousness
Treatment
There are no FDA-approved medications for cocaine use disorder, but it is treatable. Behavioral therapies - especially contingency management, along with cognitive behavioral therapy and peer support - help people stop using and stay in recovery.
Cocaine is a powerful stimulant made from the leaves of the coca plant. It speeds up the brain and body, producing a short, intense high - followed by a crash that pushes many people to use again. That cycle is part of what makes it so addictive.
In an emergency
A cocaine overdose looks different from an opioid one: it is the body running too hot and too fast. Call 911 for chest pain, a seizure, trouble breathing, a pounding or irregular heartbeat, or a dangerously high temperature. No antidote reverses cocaine, so fast medical help is what matters. And because cocaine is increasingly cut with fentanyl, giving naloxone (Narcan) is still worth it if an opioid might be involved
- it cannot hurt.
How cocaine affects the body
Cocaine floods the brain with dopamine, which is what creates the rush - and why the comedown feels so flat. It also tightens blood vessels and pushes up heart rate and blood pressure. That strain is why cocaine can trigger a heart attack or stroke even in young, otherwise healthy people.
The risks add up
Beyond the heart dangers, regular use can bring on seizures, relentless cravings, anxiety, and paranoia. How a person uses it adds its own harms: snorting damages the nose, smoking it harms the lungs, and injecting brings the risk of infections and HIV or hepatitis C from shared needles.
Treatment works
There are no FDA-approved medications for cocaine addiction - but it is treatable. The strongest evidence is for behavioral approaches, especially contingency management, which rewards staying drug-free, alongside cognitive behavioral therapy and peer support. People stop using and rebuild their lives every day.
If you or someone you love is struggling with cocaine, call or text 988 (US) anytime, or contact SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357) for free, confidential treatment referrals.