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JOIN FREE GROUP The Short & Long Term Effects of Cocaine
Cocaine is a highly addictive stimulant drug that produces many short-term and long-term effects. By better understanding cocaine and its complications, caregivers may be in a better position to begin a conversation with the user about addiction treatment to get the help that they need to get healthy again.
Specific long-term effects of cocaine are associated explicitly with the way the method of ingesting cocaine;
Method of ingestion impacts the effects of cocaine
People use cocaine in different ways. They may inject with a syringe, snort, smoke or eat it. The method used to ingest cocaine affects the time that it takes for it to reach its highest concentration in the user’s bloodstream and the length of time of the drug’s effect;Time to reach peak concentration level in the bloodstream | Duration of effect | |
Smoking or injection | 1-5 minutes | 5-60 minutes |
Eating | 60-90 minutes | Up to 180 minutes (3 hours) |
Short-term and long-term effects of cocaine on the body’s organs
Cocaine abuse has detrimental effects on many organs within the body. For example, ongoing cocaine abuse can cause structures within the brain to physically change. Organ damage can trigger short-term and long-term effects that impact physical and mental health. Being young and healthy does not protect one from such complications, nor does it reduce the risk of an overdose.Short-term effects of cocaine
Brain | Lungs | Stomach and colon | Other |
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Long-term effects of cocaine
Long-term effects and other severe health conditions linked to continuous cocaine use include:Brain | Heart | Lungs | Stomach and colon | Other |
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Long-term effects of smoking crack (cocaine) | Long-term effects of snorting cocaine (nose and sinus problems) | Long-term effects of injecting cocaine |
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Cocaine effects and complications for pregnant women and their baby
Pregnant women and their unborn children can also experience a wide range of short-term and long-term effects and complications due to the use of cocaine.Pregnant woman using cocaine | Cocaine side effects and complications in utero (unborn): | Cocaine side effects observed in the child after birth: |
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