According to the most recent World Drug Report, 0.4% of the global population aged 15–64 reported cocaine use in 2019—this corresponds to approximately 20 million people 5. The latest edition of the European Monitoring Centre for Drug and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) Drug Report states that it remains the second most abused substance in the European Union, second only to cannabis 6. Furthermore, despite the global COVID-19 pandemic, European authorities have intercepted at seaports growing amounts of cocaine in 2020 5. All the while, case reports detailing the harmful consequences of cocaine use abound 7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20.
Cocaine and heroin what is a drinker’s nose are both illegal drugs that have significant effects on the central nervous system. However, they differ in terms of their chemical compositions, origins, and mechanisms of action. It’s extracted from the leaves of the coca plant which is native to South America.
Benzodiazepines are useful in the treatment of subjects who, in addition to showing signs of myocardial ischemia, are anxious, tachycardic or hypertensive. Not only do benzodiazepines exert anxiolytic action, but they also attenuate toxic effects at the cardiovascular and cerebral level, by partial hospitalization program bay area reducing both blood pressure and cardiac output, which makes them a key first approach in treating cocaine acute intoxications 96,160. Of note, when the subject rejects benzodiazepines’ oral administration, the intramuscular or intravenous routes are recommended 89,160. When cocaine is consumed, an exacerbated dopaminergic activity along the mesocorticolimbic pathways occurs. Neurons from these pathways are located in the ventral tegmental area and project to other brain locations, including the nucleus accumbens 78. This could explain why the drug has such an addictive potential, since it is well acknowledged that the nucleus accumbens may have an important role in the rewarding and addictive properties of cocaine and other drugs 79.
Drug-associated cues and drug dosage contribute to increased opioid seeking after abstinence
- The present review aims to provide an informative overview of the available data on cocaine physicochemical properties and detection methods, pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics, effects and toxicity, patterns of abuse as well as its prevalence.
- For the current analyses, monthly observations of drug use, treatment participation, and criminal justice system interaction are based on the NHI.
- People often feel muscle aches, have trouble sleeping, feel nauseous, and anxious, and might vomit or have diarrhea.
- According to the 2000 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse,33 more males than females abused or were dependent on heroin (53%) or cocaine (58%), but more females abused or were dependent on meth (58%).
- Moreover, approximately 1–3% of cocaine metabolic products excreted in urine are those resulting from N-demethylation to a norecgonine base, such as NBE, in addition to EC 24.
Cocaine is a stimulant drug extracted from the leaves of the coca plant, native to South America. Cocaine is structurally composed of a benzene ring attached to a nitrogen-containing tropane ring, and an ester group, making it part of the alkaloid family. This structure is responsible for its potent effects on the human body, including increased energy, heightened alertness, and a sense of euphoria. Cocaine works by blocking the reabsorption of dopamine, a neurotransmitter related to pleasure and movement, leading to its intense, yet short-lived, stimulating effects.
Furthermore, cocaine can stimulate a cascade of reactions, including caspase-3 activation and cytochrome c release, leading to hepatocellular apoptosis 62. Heroin is an extremely powerful and highly addictive drug that belongs to the opioid class. It is derived from morphine, which is a naturally occurring substance extracted from the opium poppy plant.
Data Availability Statement
Consequently, oxygen supply to tissues decreases, with myocardial ischemia and acute myocardial infarction as possible outcome (Figure 5) 97,98. If you or someone you know is suffering from addiction, it’s crucial that you seek out professional support at a drug rehab centre as soon as possible. Professional rehabilitation centres offer a diverse range of treatment options for cocaine and heroin addiction to benefit everyone. It can lead to various short-term and long-term health consequences, including heroin addiction, overdose, and death. Over time, individuals who use heroin often develop tolerance, requiring higher doses to achieve the desired effects. Another significant difference between cocaine and heroin lies in the way they are typically administered.
2. Physicochemical Properties of Cocaine and Analytical Methods for Identification
Thus, studying long-term dynamic changes over the life course potentially allows for characterizing distinctive patterns of drug use trajectories and identifying critical factors contributing to persistence or change over the life span. Intravenous administration of cocaine hydrochloride, by dissolving the powder in an aqueous medium, is also used by consumers 53,54. Compared with the inhalation and intranasal routes, when cocaine is administered intravenously it takes twice as much time to reach the brain circulation and the peak plasma concentrations are higher and reached faster 53,54. One of the most employed methods of detection for cocaine are immunoassays, a fast method that allows a qualitative presumptive assessment of the drug in the biological matrix tested (e.g., blood, urine).
User Characteristics by Primary Drug Type
On the other hand, heroin is an opioid that induces a sense of relaxation, pain relief, and intense pleasure. It is usually injected, smoked, or snorted, and its effects can last for several hours. Both drugs carry significant health risks and can lead to severe physical and psychological dependence. The literature reports on numerous mechanisms to explain the toxicity of cocaine at the cardiovascular level. Firstly, by interfering with the reuptake of catecholamines and indirectly acting over α- and β-adrenergic receptors, cocaine can induce vasoconstriction of the coronary arteries and markedly increases oxygen demands by speeding up the heart rate does alcohol cause gallstones and stimulating contractility of the heart. Moreover, the induced increase of endothelin-1 (a vasoconstrictor) and reduction in the production of nitric oxide (a vasodilator) creates an imbalance that favours vasoconstriction 96.