Cocaine

Cocaine is an illegal Class A drug. it can make you feel confident, excited and alert on the way up, and paranoid, aggressive and anxious on the way down.

Cocaine is a stimulant drug produced from the leaves of the coca plant. The leaves are mashed together with various solvents and other substances to extract the cocaine. This is turned into a white crystalline powder.

What else is in cocaine?

Cocaine is often mixed with other chemicals such as lidocaine, caffeine and sugars, which are used to bulk out the cocaine and mimic some of its effects. The purity of ‘street-level’ cocaine can vary enormously.

How is cocaine used?

Cocaine is usually sniffed up the nose through a small tube such as a straw or rolled-up bank note. In clubs, users might dip the end of a key into the bag of cocaine and sniff a small amount from the tip.

What are the effects of cocaine?

Cocaine speeds up your heart rate, breathing and brain activity causing enlarged pupils, raised blood pressure and body temperature. It can make you feel confident, exhilarated, excited and alert. But cocaine can also make you feel paranoid, edgy and anxious.

When cocaine is sniffed the effects start within a few minutes and will last approximately 40- 60 minutes, depending on how much you use, your mood, your size and how often you have used cocaine.

What are the problems with cocaine?

Physical health

Cocaine increases your heart rate and can cause it to beat erratically, constrict blood vessels, increase body temperature and increase the risk of a seizure or fit.

When cocaine is absorbed into the bloodstream through the lining of your nose, the drug shrinks the blood vessels and damages the lining of your nose. Symptoms include sneezing, runny nose, nasal congestion and nosebleeds.

Unlike alcohol or heroin, you can’t become physically addicted to cocaine. But, with regular use, you can develop a serious psychological addiction, which can be just as damaging to both your financial and mental health.

Mental health

When the effects of cocaine wear off, you can feel depressed, anxious and paranoid. The more you use, the more you are likely to experience bad feelings. If you stop using, these feelings normally go away.

Money problems

Building up a tolerance to cocaine can mean you use more to get the same effect. Spending increasing amounts of money on cocaine can leave you seriously in debt.

Mixing drugs

Taking more than one drug at the same time can cause unpredictable and potentially dangerous effects. For example, cocaine and alcohol when used together produce a substance called cocaethylene, which is more toxic than either substance alone.

Overdose

Signs of overdose can include heavy sweating tremors, confusion, hyperactivity, seizures, stroke, and irregular heartbeats. Risk of overdose increases if cocaine is mixed with other drugs including alcohol.

Reducing risks

The best way to avoid the risk associated with drugs is not to use drugs. But if you are using, or considering using cocaine, the advice below will help minimise the risks to your health.

Sharing straws or notes for snorting is risky. Viruses like hepatitis and herpes can be transmitted in snot and blood from the inside of the nose. If your nose is bleeding, take a break.

Don’t mix cocaine with other drugs, particularly alcohol. This can lead to dependence on several drugs and increase your risk of overdose.

Only buy what you are going to use during a session. Don’t buy ‘some for later’ as ‘later’ will only become ‘now’.

Find something to keep you busy that doesn’t remind you of cocaine. This could mean changing where you socialise or visiting friends that don’t use cocaine.

Cocaine will reduce your need to sleep or eat, which in turn can affect your physical and mental health. Try to eat a healthy diet and get enough sleep.

Cocaine and other drugs, such as illicit oxycodone, Xanax, and synthetic cannabis (spice), are increasingly mixed with synthetic opioids like fentanyl and nitazenes. These substances significantly increase the risk of overdose. If using cocaine, start with a small amount before taking more, and avoid using drugs alone so someone can help if something goes wrong.

CRACK COCAINE

What is crack cocaine?

Crack cocaine is cocaine that you can smoke. It starts as powdered cocaine that goes through a process that changes it into small, rock-like pieces that are known as ‘crack’. When you smoke it, you get a rapid, intense high as the lungs absorb it quickly.

What are the health risks of using crack cocaine?

Smoking crack cocaine can seriously damage the mouth, throat, and lungs. Common effects include breathing difficulties, wheezing, chest pain, shortness of breath and, in severe cases, respiratory failure. Smoking also impacts oral health, often causing sores, cuts, and blisters on the lips and inside the mouth.

Reducing risks

Preparation

The effects are intense but short-lived, which can leave you wanting more. So, aim to wait as long as possible between doses.

Using foil

If smoking from foil, use a fresh sheet each time. Clean foil is available from injecting equipment providers (IEPs or needle exchanges).

Using a pipe

If using a pipe, choose a clean glass pipe with a metal gauze. Avoid homemade pipes from cans or bottles, as they release harmful fumes when heated. Glass pipes are safer, more effective, and affordable. They can be found at headshops or online.

Burns

Let the pipe cool between uses, and keep the flame as far from the pipe as possible to reduce burns. Keep any burns clean and dry. Seek medical attention if they become red, hot, or inflamed.

Hydration and oral health

Smoking crack can dry out your mouth. Stay hydrated with small sips of water, use lip balm and brush your teeth twice daily to protect oral health.

Avoid sharing equipment

Sharing pipes can spread infections and bloodborne viruses, such as hepatitis C and HIV. Always use your own equipment and get tested regularly for bloodborne viruses.

Inhale safely

Avoid holding smoke in your lungs, as it can damage lung tissue without enhancing the effect.