How Much Cocaine Does it Take to Overdose? Recover By The Sea

Call 911 immediately if you believe someone has overdosed on cocaine. Also, the overdose process may lead to nerve cell “miscommunication” – an effect that can result in uncontrollable muscle movements such as shaking, jaw clenching, and teeth grinding. “Recreational use of cocaine promotes blood clots.” May 14, 2000. Adrienne Santos-Longhurst drug addiction blog is a freelance writer and author who has written extensively on all things health and lifestyle for more than a decade. Long-term cocaine use can cause auditory and tactile hallucinations, causing you to hear and feel things that aren’t there. Injecting coke can cause skin bruising and scarring and lead to collapsed veins.

Speedballs (cocaine and heroin) are exceptionally dangerous. When someone who has used cocaine becomes erratic or violent, it should be treated as signs of a how does increased alcohol tolerance affect a person cocaine overdose. Taking cocaine alongside alcohol or opioids is especially dangerous. Cocaine overdose occurs when you take too much cocaine at one time.

Cocaine overdoses can also result from unusually pure batches of cocaine entering the market. If you get used to cocaine heavily cut with baking soda or other fillers and then take the same size dose of pure, high-quality cocaine, the difference could potentially result in overdose and death. It’s very common for other substances to be mixed, or cut, with cocaine.

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The lethal dose of cocaine is 82.5 milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg). Cocaine’s immediate physical harm and potentially life-threatening effects originate from the multitude of systems it affects throughout the body. This means you need more of a substance to get the same effect you once did. Healthline does not endorse the use of any illegal substances, and we recognize abstaining from them is always the safest approach. However, we believe in providing accessible and accurate information to reduce the harm that can occur when using. Cocaine — aka coke, blow, and snow — is a powerful stimulant made from the leaves of the coca plant.

1. Also, the overdose process may lead to nerve cell “miscommunication” – an effect that can result in uncontrollable muscle movements such as shaking, jaw clenching, and teeth grinding.
2. That is, fatal cocaine overdose rarely involves just cocaine.
3. Whether you’re struggling with cocaine addiction or have a loved one who is, you don’t have to walk through the trials of drug addiction alone.
4. Once the high wears off, coke can leave you feeling depressed and extremely tired for several days.

Developing a drug addiction to cocaine depends on the individual, how you react, and how strongly your dopamine reward pathway latches on to the experience of a cocaine high. If you suspect a drug overdose has occurred, immediately summon medical assistance. But when blood vessels are constricted it’s much harder for the blood to transport oxygen where it’s needed. Changing your relationship with a highly addictive substance like cocaine can feel overwhelming, but you don’t need to do it alone. When you’re ready, there are resources you can turn to that will you help you on your journey. It’s popular for its stimulant effects, such as high energy and decreased appetite.

Cocaine Overdose Symptoms

These cardiovascular effects are by far the most dangerous. Other long-term effects of cocaine use may include malnutrition and movement disorders, including Parkinson’s disease. As a street (illegal) drug, cocaine is usually a fine, white, crystal powder.

In severe cases, a cocaine overdose can lead to serious complications such as stroke, heart attack, coma, and even death. As noted, seizures and convulsions can occur during a cocaine overdose, as the brain is susceptible to toxic levels of the drug. Likewise, blood vessels in the brain can rupture, so the user may experience a fatal aneurysm or hemorrhagic stroke. An overdose of cocaine overdose can also lead to acute bronchospasm as well as a number of other more severe lung conditions – such as pneumothorax (collapsed lung).

Recognizing an overdose

This happens when a person uses so much cocaine that it causes a life-threatening reaction or death. If the heart can’t get the oxygen it needs it will stop beating. Also known as a heart attack, cardiac arrest is a critical, life-threatening emergency that can cause sudden death or permanent disability, even with prompt medical attention. The user may suffer from severe chest pain or pressure as the coronary arteries that supply blood to the heart constrict. At this point, the heart is being deprived of both oxygen and blood and begins to work excessively hard – which can eventually result in a stroke or a heart attack.

Cocaine overdose can be life-threatening in some circumstances. By recognizing the risks and the symptoms of cocaine overdose, you can potentially save someone’s life. Cocaine-related overdose deaths are fentanyl withdrawal symptoms and timeline most likely to occur when cocaine is used in combination with other controlled substances such as opioids,  methamphetamine, or alcohol. Cocaine overdoses can have a variety of signs and symptoms.

Cocaine addiction, if left untreated, can be a devastating and life-threatening disease. People who regularly abuse cocaine build a tolerance over time, which compels users to increase their dose in order to achieve the desired effect. Tolerance can also lead to binges, which can significantly increase the risk of an overdose. The median lethal dose or LD50 of cocaine, which refers to the expected lethal dose for 50% of test subjects, is 96 mg per 1 kg of weight. While this might seem like a lot, there are a lot of variables that influence this metric, such as an individual’s age, cardiovascular health, drug tolerance, method of consumption, etc. Combining cocaine with alcohol and other substances also increases the risk of addiction.

Taking too much cocaine, even if it’s your first time, can cause an overdose. However, most cocaine overdoses result from mixing multiple drugs. But, if you use cocaine and drink alcohol at the same time the two drugs will combine in the body and form a compound known as cocaethylene. This substance has a very high liver toxicity and also increases the severity of the harmful, high-risk overdose conditions listed above. A cocaine overdose can lead to unpleasant symptoms such as paranoia, aggression, vomiting, temperature spikes, and seizures.

Some users – especially those who injected cocaine – are also at increased risk of developing blood clots in the lungs. Although the exact reasons for this risk are unknown, it is partially due to the increased risk for blood clots. Cocaine also lowers the seizure threshold, meaning it can make seizures more likely even if someone has not had a seizure before. Using too much cocaine at one time, known as an overdose, can be fatal. Out of all illegal drugs, cocaine is the most likely to lead to an emergency room visit. Almost 14,000 drug overdose deaths resulted from cocaine use in 2017.

Cocaine Overdose: Causes, Symptoms, And Treatment

Because of this, cocaine use contributes to tens of thousands of emergency visits and hundreds of deaths each year. When the interaction occurs, a signal is triggered, and the combination of these effects causes cocaine poisoning. Injecting it carries the highest risk of bloodborne infections, but you can also contract infections by smoking and snorting coke. Cocaine use carries a high risk of contracting bloodborne infections, including HIV and hepatitis C.

Once the high wears off, coke can leave you feeling depressed and extremely tired for several days. The short-lived high is also often followed by an intense desire to use more and difficulty sleeping. When snorted or gummed, coke needs to get through mucus, skin, and other tissues. It bypasses all that when you inject or smoke it, allowing it to enter the bloodstream almost immediately.

They will help safely guide you through detox while managing your withdrawal symptoms. That’s without even considering the potential risks that arise from sudden erratic or violent behavior. The amount of cocaine it takes to overdose is different for everyone. Due to the lack of regulation, there is no way to be sure that you’re taking a “safe” dose.