Cocaine is a stimulant drug with highly addictive properties that is derived from the coca plant. Also known as “coke,” “snow,” and “blow,” cocaine is a white, crystal-like powder that provides a euphoric high.
How Is Cocaine Taken?
Cocaine is ingested in a variety of ways. It may be consumed orally and rubbed on the gums, dissolved in water and injected, smoked, or snorted through the nose. Snorting cocaine involves inhaling the powder through the nose, where it is absorbed into the bloodstream.
Cocaine is commonly snorted through the nose because the high typically lasts for 15 to 30 minutes, which is longer than that of other routes of administration. Because the cocaine high is relatively short-lived, cocaine users may go on binges where they consume large amounts of the drug over periods of time in an effort to maintain a consistent high.
While snorting cocaine causes a sought-after high, it has numerous downsides. Dangerous effects of snorting cocaine can include unpredictable and violent behavior, paranoia, tremors, and increased heart rate, blood pressure, and body temperature. Individuals who snort cocaine are also at risk of both developing an addiction and overdosing.
Why Is Snorting Cocaine Dangerous?
“Snorting cocaine even one time can result in an overdose.” Snorting cocaine can be dangerous for a number of reasons. While snorting cocaine causes short-term pleasure, repeated abuse can lead to the development of a debilitating addiction. Cocaine is addictive because of its significant effects on the brain. When a person uses cocaine, dopamine—the neurotransmitter responsible for the feelings of euphoria and rewarding sensations—becomes more active. This increase in dopamine activity can reinforce a compulsion for continued use—enticing users to take more of the drug to continue feeling its effects.
With chronic use, cocaine can cause long-term changes in both the reward system in the brain and in the orbitofrontal cortex—the area of the brain responsible for decision-making, flexibility, and insight. Cocaine can also affect the brain’s stress response, causing the stress circuits in the brain to become increasingly sensitive.This may contribute to an increased risk of future relapses. Animals who have been given cocaine in the past are more likely to seek it out when put under stress.
Over time, cocaine’s effects on the brain can lead users to compulsively take the drug despite its negative impact on their health and relationships.
Another danger of snorting cocaine is the risk of overdose. Ingesting a toxic amount of cocaine can cause sudden death. Snorting cocaine even one time can result in an overdose. Users with preexisting health issues and those who mix cocaine with other drugs (e.g. with heroin as a “speedball” or with alcohol) are especially at risk for overdose.
Side Effects of Snorting Cocaine
Cocaine use can cause a range of short-term physical and emotional side effects. These effects may be intensified when cocaine is combined with other drugs. Common side effects of cocaine use include:
- Large pupils.
- High body temperature.
- Increased heart rate.
- High blood pressure.
- Unusual behavior.
- Aggression.
- Irritability.
- Agitation.
- Panic.
- Anxiety.
- Paranoid thoughts.
- Tremors.
- Muscle twitching.
- Dizziness.
In rare cases, cocaine use can lead to serious (and sometimes fatal) medical complications, such as:
- Stomach pain.
- Nausea.
- Changes in heart rhythm.
- Coronary artery vasospasm.
- Angina (cardiac chest pain).
- Cardiac arrest (heart attack).
- Seizures.
- Stroke.
- Coma.
In particular, snorting cocaine has additional health effects, including:
- Diminished sense of smell.
- Runny nose.
- Stuffy nose.
- Difficulty swallowing.
- Frequent nose bleeds.
- Chronic sinus infections.
- Nasal crusting.
- Nasal septum perforation, where the nasal septum develops holes.
- Nose Damage from Cocaine
- Cocaine use initially irritates the nose, leading to dryness and stuffiness. Chronic use can cause severe complications, though. These may include:
- Cocaine nose bleeds
- Sustained use increases the risk of a nosebleed from coke. A nose bleed coke occurs due to the nasal lining being damaged by cocaine abuse.
- Cocaine nose scabs
- Nosebleeds from cocaine use can lead to scab formation, causing discomfort and obstructed breathing.
- Cocaine nose holes (nasal perforation)
- A coke nose hole may appear as a result of chronic cocaine abuse. A hole in nose from coke may be the result of restricted blood supply that can lead to septal perforation, causing tissue death and holes in the septum.
- Deviated septum
- Cocaine use can result in a deviated septum, leading to airflow restrictions and nasal deformation. With a deviated septum, cocaine use becomes even more likely to cause health issues.
- Saddle nose deformity
- Nose collapse from coke may manifest due to the collapsed nasal bridge, resulting from prolonged cocaine abuse and triggering a saddle-shaped nose.
- Hard palate damage
- Blood supply restrictions can lead to hard palate damage, causing complications with eating, speaking, and breathing.
- Cocaine sinus infections
- Reduced blood flow weakens the immune system, increasing the risk of severe sinus infections and potential sepsis.
- Other long-term effects
- Chronic cocaine use can lead to pain, foul odors, loss of smell, lung infections, snoring, nasal blockages, and dryness in the nose
The effects of snorting cocaine can be extremely dangerous, and users can suffer fatal complications on the first use.
Do You Know What You’re Snorting?
While cocaine has the potential to cause numerous detrimental effects on its own, its risks are heightened when it is laced with other substances. Many cocaine users attain the drug from illegal street dealers, who may tamper with its purity by “lacing” it with other substances in order to enhance the high and/or make a better profit. Snorting cocaine laced with other substances may pose serious dangers for users.
Cocaine may be laced or cut with a variety of substances, such as:
- Sugar.
- Flour.
- Salt.
- Talc.
- Boric acid.
- Microcrystalline cellulose.
- Cotton fibers.
- Starches.
- Over-the-counter medications, such as aspirin and antihistamines.
- Prescription drugs, such as lidocaine, a local anesthetic, and antibiotics.
Cocaine has increasingly been laced with levamisole, a drug primarily used as an anti-parasitic in veterinary applications. Use of levamisole as a cocaine adulterant chemical has increased substantially since its use was first detected. In samples tested in 2001, levamisole concentration was below 1%; by 2009, samples of cocaine had an estimated 10% concentration of levamisole. The DEA also reported that, in 2009, 69% of the cocaine entering the U.S. was cut with the substance. Levamisole looks similar to cocaine, allowing it to blend in and trick users into believing they are consuming pure cocaine. Cocaine combined with levamisole may cause:
- Agranulocytosis, a serious blood disorder that can result in severe immune system suppression and resultant infections.
- The development of bullae, painful fluid-filled sacs on the face, stomach, chest, back, and legs.
- Vasculitis, a condition that involves widespread blood vessel inflammation, muscle and joint pain, and fever.
Cocaine may also be laced with fentanyl, a powerful prescription opioid medication that is approximately 50 times more potent than heroin.
Consuming drugs like cocaine mixed with fentanyl can significantly increase a person’s risk of experiencing a fatal overdose. Fentanyl can cause respiratory depression, a condition that involves inadequate breathing and may lead to death.
