What Happens When You Sniff Cocaine?

Cocaine is a euphoric stimulant - it can be smoked, sniffed, or injected. Cocaine is also known as coke, blow powder, and crack.

Cocaine has quite a long medical history. Prior to the invention of anesthesia, physicians used it as a pain reliever.

Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has classified cocaine as a Schedule II stimulant, meaning that using cocaine for recreational purposes is prohibited in the United States (and in most of the world). Cocaine can give you a brief rush of tremendous excitement. However, the risks of utilizing it outweigh the so-called benefits it provides in the short term. Today we will talk about what happens when you sniff cocaine to understand its outcomes at a deeper level.

What does cocaine do to your body?

Cocaine users experience a sense of alertness, power, and vitality. They are more likely to be confident and enthusiastic. However, anxiety, paranoia, and agitation are all possible symptoms, too. After the cocaine's effects have worn off, the period following might be physiologically, physically, or emotionally unpleasant.

Because cocaine is a muscle relaxer, snorting it can cause numbness in the throat and tongue, smoking it causes numbness in the mouth, and injecting it causes numbness in the injection site. The effects typically last 10 to 30 minutes - the speed with which these effects are felt is dependent on the manner of administration.

Cocaine boosts body temperature, blood pressure, and heart rate, therefore excessive usage can result in hyperthermia, strokes, and heart attacks, all of which can be fatal.

The coca leaf (Erythroxylum coca), the main constituent of cocaine, is a stimulator that affects the nervous system (CNS).

Cocaine generates a surge of dopamine in the body when it is ingested. Dopamine is a chemical messenger connected to rewarding and pleasurable experiences.

Cocaine's propensity for abuse is based on the accumulation of dopamine. The brain's neurochemistry can be altered as a result of the body's need to satisfy this newfound dopamine reward, leading to a substance abuse problem.

Short Term side effects of sniffing cocaine

Cocaine can act quickly, depending on the manner of administration—smoked, snorted, or injected, for example. The effects of cocaine on the brain include an increase in dopamine release, responsible for the feeling of “being high”.

Following use, the high sensation is characterized by a set of desirable consequences, including:

• Euphoria.
• Increased vitality.
• Exaggerated self-esteem; grandiosity
• Improved Mood.

Some people use the substance in an erroneous attempt to improve their performance or achieve some other aim.

Other people will abuse the chemical to stay alert, study, or complete a tough task because it temporarily reduces the desire for sleep. It's occasionally used as a weight-loss aid since it reduces hunger. Both of these scenarios have grim long-term outcomes – people may get tragically dependent and abuse these substances.

Its use, like that of other abused medications, is linked to unpleasant short-term side effects. Cocaine consumption can also lead to:

• Feelings of agitation.
• Anxiety and irritability.
• Panic.
• Paranoia.

Common symptoms you might experience after using Cocaine for the first time

Those sniffing cocaine for the very first time can experience some symptoms for a day or two. These symptoms include:

• Bloody nose
• Dizziness
• Muscle spasms
• Abdominal pain
• Stiffness in the back or spine
• Nausea
• Diarrhea
• Trouble breathing
• Insomnia
• Low blood pressure
• Restlessness or anxiety
• Paranoia
• Tremors
• Abnormal heart rhythms
• Chest pain
• Dilated pupils
• Inability to get or keep an erection

The symptoms of cocaine over dosage

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, you may experience symptoms such as:

• Anxiety or agitation to a high degree
• Extremely high blood pressure
• Sweating and high temperatures
• Hallucinations

The following are examples of serious consequences:

• Chest Pain
• Irregular heart rhythm
• Stroke\Seizures
• Breathing problems

If you or somebody else you care about consumes cocaine, you should be aware of its dangers. Aside from the negative effects on your wellness, income, and relationships, it can also result in a fatal overdose.

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) may keep someone alive until an ambulance arrives if they have a heart attack and have no heartbeat, aren't responsive, or aren't breathing.

Do the following to help decrease the severity of the overdose:

• If you can, shake or speak to the person to catch their attention, in order to keep them awake.
• Rub their chest with your knuckles while softly pushing them down.
• CPR should be performed.
• To aid breathing, turn them onto their side.
• Maintain a comfortable temperature for them.
• Never leave their side until the emergency services are on point.

When you use cocaine, you run the risk of overdosing. However, some factors can make overdosing much more likely. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, consuming alcohol while using cocaine can increase the risk. Cocaine has been combined with other narcotics in a majority of overdose incidents, making it even more hazardous.

Long Term Side Effects of Sniffing Cocaine

When the brain is repeatedly exposed to cocaine, the reward system becomes less receptive to natural reinforcers. Simultaneously, stress circuits become more sensitive, resulting in increased unhappiness and unpleasant moods when the drug is not taken, which are indicators of withdrawal. The user is more prone to pursue the drug rather than companionship, food, or other normal incentives as a result of these combined impacts. With continued use, tolerance may develop, requiring greater doses, more frequent cocaine use, or both to get the same amount of pleasure as before.

Cocaine delivery via different routes can have different side effects. Snorting cocaine on a regular basis can cause a loss of smell, nosebleeds, swallowing, sore throats, and overall inflammation of the nasal septum, resulting in a permanently irritated, runny nose.

Crack cocaine smoking harms the lungs and aggravates asthma. Individuals who inject cocaine develop puncture marks known as tracks, which are most typically found on their forearms, and are at risk of getting infectious diseases such as HIV and hepatitis C. They may also have allergic reactions to the drug or to cocaine additions, which can result in death in severe circumstances.

Several other internal body parts in the body are harmed by cocaine. It decreases blood circulation in the gastrointestinal tract, resulting in tears and ulcerations. Long-term cocaine usage can lead to a higher risk of stroke and seizures, as well as other neurological issues. Even after long periods of sobriety, former cocaine users are at significant risk of relapse. According to research, the recollection of cocaine exposure to cues linked with drug use can induce high cravings during periods of sobriety, leading to relapse.

Bottom Line

We are not advising anyone to use cocaine. However, if people still want to consume it, keep in mind that Cocaine usage is okay as long as you are doing it for fun purposes and not regularly. The short-term effects of sniffing, injecting, or smoking cocaine might seem like a good outcome, but the long-term effects of cocaine are not something you would want. That’s why make sure you are using cocaine with proper harm reduction strategies and in a safe and protected environment.