Cocaine Research Paper

Cocaine is a forceful addictive stimulant drug which causes many effects to the human body. It is processed from the Coca plant, usually inherited in South America. It may also be used for many medical purposes such a anesthesia for surgeries. As a drug used for illegal desires, it looks like an elegant, white crystal powder. Many dealers combine the powder with cornstarch, talcum powder, or flour. This is done to increase profits. It may also be mixed with another stimulant drug called amphetamine. Some popular nicknames for Cocaine are blow, coke, crack, rock, and snow. There are many ways to lure this drug in the body such as rubbing it into the gums or snorting it. Some liquify this substance and inject it directly into their bloodstream.
Some make a combination of cocaine and heroin and then inject it into the body, this is called a “speedball”. It can also be formed into a rock crystal. It will the get heated and produce a vapor which is then inhaled into the lungs. This is called crack, due to the fact that the crystal makes a crackling noise when heated. People that take cocaine usually take higher doses in a short amount of time to contain their high. An overdose with cocaine occurs when too much of the drug is taken. This may be either intentional or unintentional. Continuously using the drug may lead to addiction. The reward circuit gets used to cocaine and then keeps needing it. This causes a person to take a higher dose of cocaine just to get that same effect. This may lead to many effects such as depression, fatigue, increased appetite, unwanted dreams and insomnia or slower thinking. Cocaine does indeed affect the brain in many different ways.
One of the ways that cocaine affects the brain is by making the brain get excited and extremely happy. Cocaine’s effects show up almost right after a single dose is taken into the body and vanish between a few minutes and an hour. Small amounts of cocaine normally cause the person to sense euphoria, energy, talkative behavior, mental alertness, and being hypersensitive to sight, sound, and touch. The drug may also temporarily decline the need for food and sleep. Some users figure that cocaine aids them to achieve simple physical and intellectual tasks more rapidly, however others feel the complete
opposite.
The extent of cocaine’s euphoric effects rely on the administration. The quicker the substance is absorbed, the more intense the resulting high, but also the shorter its duration. Snorting cocaine produces a relatively slow onset of the high, but it may last from 15 to 30 minutes. In contrast, the high from smoking is more immediate but may last only 5 to 10 minutes.
Short-term physiological effects of cocaine use include constricted blood vessels; dilated pupils; and increased body temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure.
Large amounts of cocaine may intensify the user’s high but can also lead to bizarre, erratic, and violent behavior. Some cocaine users report feelings of restlessness, irritability, anxiety, panic, and paranoia. Users may also experience tremors, vertigo, and muscle twitches. Severe medical complications can occur with cocaine use. Some of the most frequent are cardiovascular effects, including disturbances in heart rhythm and heart attacks; neurological effects, including headaches, seizures, strokes, and coma; and gastrointestinal complications, including abdominal pain and nausea. In rare instances, sudden death can occur on the first use of cocaine or unexpectedly thereafter. Cocaine-related deaths are often a result of cardiac arrest or seizures. Many cocaine users also use alcohol, and this combination can be particularly dangerous. The two substances react to produce cocaethylene, which may potentiate the toxic effects of cocaine and alcohol on the heart. The combination of cocaine and heroin is also very dangerous. Users combine these drugs because the stimulating effects of cocaine are offset by the sedating effects of heroin; however, this can lead to taking a high dose of heroin without initially realizing it. Because cocaine's effects wear off sooner, this can lead to a heroin overdose, in which the
user's respiration dangerously slows down or stops, possibly fatally.