Cocaine is an addictive stimulant drug made from the leaves of the coca plant that grows in South America. Although it has some medical uses, such as local anesthesia during surgeries, it is illegal to use it for recreational purposes. For those struggling with its use, Achieve Whole Recovery offers comprehensive care with cocaine addiction treatment in Denver, Colorado Springs, and Westminster. Cocaine is sold as a fine white crystal powder on the streets, which is often mixed with other substances like talcum powder or flour to increase profits. It can also be mixed with other drugs such as amphetamines or synthetic opioids like fentanyl.

Cocaine is commonly used by snorting it through the nose, rubbing it onto the gums, dissolving it and injecting it into the bloodstream, or smoking it. The drug affects the brain’s reward circuit by increasing dopamine levels, which causes the circuit to become less sensitive over time. This decrease often pushes users towards stronger doses for the same high, a cycle that our cocaine addiction treatment in Denver aims to break.

Short-term effects include feeling happy and energetic, mental alertness, hypersensitivity, irritability, and paranoia, while long-term effects depend on the method of use and can cause various health issues such as constricted blood vessels, dilated pupils, nausea, high blood pressure, and heart rate, tremors, and muscle twitches.

Long-term effects can also include respiratory and infectious diseases, bowel decay, and an increased risk of HIV, hepatitis C, and other bloodborne diseases. Cocaine can cause an overdose that can be life-threatening, and it has no specific medication to reverse the overdose. Supportive care is the standard method of cocaine addiction treatment for cocaine overdose, and for those seeking help, Achieve Whole Recovery provides treatment for cocaine recovery in Denver, Westminster, and Colorado Springs.

Cocaine can cause serious adverse effects, life-threatening symptoms, and even death when someone uses it in high quantities. Overdosing on cocaine can occur intentionally or unintentionally. People who mix cocaine with alcohol or heroin are at high risk of overdosing. The most common consequences of cocaine overdose include heart rhythm problems, seizures, and strokes. Cocaine overdose treatment involves managing symptoms, such as heart attack, stroke, or seizures, with the aim of restoring blood flow and oxygen-rich blood supply to the affected parts of the body. There is no specific medication for reversing a cocaine overdose.

Cocaine addiction can be treated using behavioral therapy. Examples of such therapy include cognitive-behavioral therapy, therapeutic communities, community-based treatment for cocaine recovery groups such as 12-step programs, and contingency management or motivational incentives where patients are given rewards for being substance-free. Currently, there are no government-approved drugs to treat cocaine addiction. However, researchers are testing some treatments that have been used to treat other disorders such as disulfiram, modafinil, bupropion, topiramate, buprenorphine, and in very selective cases, amphetamine salts.