Medical Questions » Illegal Drugs Questions » Question No. 536
Question:My 20 year old daughter uses cocaine every weekend to help her party till dawn, and I can' t stop her. How dangerous is this?
Answer:The more refined version of cocaine known as ' crack' is the only form that can be smoked, and is ten times more potent than cocaine base, and is therefore more dangerous and is highly addictive. When smoked, sniffed or injected, cocaine works within seconds to cause euphoria (artificial happiness) and stimulates the brain to increase all sensations. After use, many people feel worse than before, hence thev want to repeat the artificial high. The more frequently it is used, the higher the dose necessary to achieve the same sensations, and the greater the risk of serious side effects. At 20, you cannot stop your daughter from doing anything, only advise her and counsel her to the best of your ability to be aware of the risks she is taking. Cocaine is also known as crack or coke. In medicine, derivatives of cocaine are used as local anaesthetics, but it is also a stimulant and a psychoactive drug that causes euphoria (artificial happiness), and it is for these purposes that your daughter is using the drug. Cocaine is used in many forms and may be smoked, injected or sniffed. Its effects may be much more serious if the person suffers from a psychiatric condition, and it may affect a person' s ability to drive a car, operate machinery, swim or undertake any activity that requites concentration. Obviously it should never be used in pregnancy due to an increased risk of organ malformation and heart disease in the baby. The common side effects of cocaine are damage to nostrils from repeated snorting, fever, headache, irregular heart rate, dilation of pupils, loss of libido (sex drive), infertility, impotence, breast enlargement and tenderness in both sexes, menstrual period irregularities, psychiatric disturbances and abnormal breast milk production, and it may lead to a desire for more frequent use or stronger drugs of addiction. Uncommonly it may cause high blood pressure, perforation of the nasal septum, difficulty in breathing, convulsions, stroke, dementia, heart attack, and rarely death. Cocaine also interacts with other drugs including other stimulants, antidepressants and medications acting on the brain. It also reacts with alcohol, heroin and marijuana. These reactions are all likely to make any side effects more serious. An overdose may lead to convulsions, difficulty in breathing, irregular heart rate, coma and death. If you think someone has taken an overdose of cocaine, seek urgent medical assistance.
       
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