Commonly Abused Drugs
Review this page which describes the acute effects and the health risks of both legal and illegal drugs.
Commonly Abused Drugs
Cocaine
A powerfully addictive stimulant drug made from the leaves of the
coca plant native to South America.
| Street Names | Commercial Names | Common Forms | Common Ways Taken | DEA Schedule |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blow, Bump, C, Candy, Charlie, Coke, Crack, Flake, Rock, Snow, Toot | Cocaine hydrochloride topical solution (anesthetic rarely used in medical procedures) | White powder, whitish rock crystal | Snorted, smoked, injected | II |
| Possible Health Effects | |
|---|---|
| Short-term | Narrowed blood vessels; enlarged pupils; increased body temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure; headache; abdominal pain and nausea; euphoria; increased energy, alertness; insomnia, restlessness; anxiety; erratic and violent behavior, panic attacks, paranoia, psychosis; heart rhythm problems, heart attack; stroke, seizure, coma. |
| Long-term | Loss of sense of smell, nosebleeds, nasal damage and trouble swallowing from snorting; infection and death of bowel tissue from decreased blood flow; poor nutrition and weight loss from decreased appetite. |
| Other Health-related Issues |
Pregnancy: premature delivery, low birth weight, neonatal abstinence syndrome. Risk of HIV, hepatitis, and other infectious diseases from shared needles. |
| In Combination with Alcohol | Greater risk of overdose and sudden death than from either drug alone. |
| Withdrawal Symptoms | Depression, tiredness, increased appetite, insomnia, vivid unpleasant dreams, slowed thinking and movement, restlessness. |
| Treatment options | |
| Medications | There are no FDA-approved medications to treat cocaine addiction. |
| Behavioral Therapies |
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