What are the health risks of cocaine use?

Cocaine is a stimulant drug that is highly addictive and has multiple negative health effects on the body and mind.

Repeated cocaine abuse causes long-term changes in the brain's reward system, leading to addiction problems as well as physiological and psychological health issues. This substance increases body temperature, dilates pupils and constricts blood vessels. It also increases heart rate and blood pressure and can cause headaches, gastrointestinal pain and nausea.

Here are some of the other health effects of cocaine use:

• Allergic reactions: Injecting cocaine can produce extreme allergic reactions as well as raising the risk of contracting a bloodborne disease such as HIV.
• Bowel gangrene: This is a condition that can be caused by reduced blood flow to the stomach as a result of ingesting cocaine.
• Heart attack and stroke: Cocaine-related deaths are often caused by heart attacks or strokes, which cause breathing to stop and are frequently fatal.
• Malnourishment: Cocaine tends to suppress the appetite, putting long-term users at risk for malnourishment.
• Nosebleeds: Snorting cocaine damages the tissues lining the nose, causing nosebleeds, chronic runniness, hoarseness, loss of smell and problems swallowing.
• Personality changes: Chronic abuse can lead to irritability, anxiety, paranoia and increased restlessness.
• Sexually transmitted diseases: Like many other substances, cocaine impairs a person's judgment, often leading to risky sexual behavior that an individual would not otherwise engage in.

If you or a loved one is struggling with cocaine addiction, contact the professionals at Fairwinds Treatment Center today. Fairwinds is one of the best addiction treatment centers in the United States, and was founded by the nationally renowned Dr. M.K. (Khal) El-Yousef over 25 years ago.

Dr. El-Yousef pioneered the dual diagnosis method of treatment, which involves therapeutic counseling in addition to clinical treatment, in an effort to heal patients suffering from the disease of addiction. Long-term recovery is possible, and our purpose at Fairwinds is to help our patients achieve that level of healing to pursue happier and healthier lives after treatment.