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You are here : Healthopedia.com > Medical Encyclopedia > Diseases and Conditions > Cocaine Abuse: Symptoms & Signs
      Category : Health Centers > Addiction and Substance Abuse

Cocaine Abuse

Alternate Names : Cocaine Addiction

Cocaine Abuse | Symptoms & Signs | Diagnosis & Tests | Prevention & Expectations | Treatment & Monitoring | Attribution


What are the signs and symptoms of the condition?

The short-term symptoms of a normal dose of cocaine are as follows:

  • energetic, talkative, restless behavior
  • euphoria, or an intense high
  • increase in heart rate, temperature, and blood pressure
  • mental alertness, especially to sight, sound, and touch
  • temporary decrease in the need for food and sleep
  • In larger doses of several hundred milligrams or more, cocaine may cause these additional symptoms:

  • bizarre, erratic, and violent behavior
  • muscle tremors or twitches
  • paranoia
  • vertigo, or a sense that the room is spinning around
  • Following are some of the signs and symptoms of regular cocaine abuse:

  • auditory hallucinations, or hearing sounds that don't exist
  • inability to give up cocaine use, despite awareness of its real or possible negative effects
  • large amount of time spent in activities associated with getting cocaine
  • neglected daily routine
  • paranoid thinking and problems with reality testing
  • restlessness, anxiety, or irritability
  • tolerance to the drug so that more and more of the drug is needed to produce the desired effect
  • weight loss
  • Cocaine withdrawal may occur when the person voluntarily stops the drug or is unable to get a dose. Withdrawal symptoms include:

  • anxiety, irritability, and isolation
  • fatigue
  • headache
  • intense hunger
  • muscle tremors and cramps
  • nightmares and other sleep disorders
  • severe depression

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    Cocaine Abuse: Overview, Causes, & Risk Factors

     

    Cocaine Abuse: Diagnosis & Tests

    Author: Ann Reyes, Ph.D.
    Reviewer: Gail Hendrickson, RN, BS
    Date Reviewed: 07/06/01









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    Page Last Updated: 6th April, 2009