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Cocaine
Summary
Cocaine is a white powder. It can be snorted up the nose or mixed with water and injected with a needle. Cocaine can also be made into small white rocks, called crack. Crack is smoked in a small glass pipe.
Cocaine speeds up your whole body. You may feel full of energy, happy, and excited. But then your mood can change. You can become angry, nervous, and afraid that someone’s out to get you. You might do things that make no sense. After the “high” of the cocaine wears off, you can “crash” and feel tired and sad for days. You also get a strong craving to take the drug again to try to feel better.
No matter how cocaine is taken, it is dangerous. Some of the most common serious problems include heart attack and stroke. You are also at risk for HIV/AIDS and hepatitis, from sharing needles or having unsafe sex. Cocaine is more dangerous when combined with other drugs or alcohol.
It is easy to lose control over cocaine use and become addicted. Then, even if you get treatment, it can be hard to stay off the drug. People who stopped using cocaine can still feel strong cravings for the drug, sometimes even years later.
NIH: National Institute on Drug Abuse
National Institute on Drug Abuse
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Cocaine Smoking National Institutes of Health
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Cocaine-Related Disorders National Institutes of Health
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Crack Cocaine National Institutes of Health
Start Here
- Cocaine National Institute on Drug Abuse
- Cocaine DrugFacts National Institute on Drug Abuse
Images
- Cocaine Drug Enforcement Administration
Women
- Cocaine and Pregnancy Organization of Teratology Information Specialists
Encyclopedia
- Cocaine intoxication Medical Encyclopedia
Patient Handouts
- Cocaine withdrawal Medical Encyclopedia
- Substance use — cocaine Medical Encyclopedia
- Tips for Teens: The Truth about Cocaine Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
Find an Expert
- Drug Enforcement Administration Drug Enforcement Administration
- FindTreatment.gov Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
- National Institute on Drug Abuse National Institute on Drug Abuse
- Partnership to End Addiction Partnership to End Addiction
Diagnosis and Tests
- Drug Testing National Library of Medicine
- Drug Use Screening Tests National Library of Medicine
Teenagers
- Mind Matters: The Body’s Response to Cocaine National Institute on Drug Abuse
- What Are Cocaine and Crack? Nemours Foundation
Journal Articles
Statistics and Research
- Trends in the Prevalence of Marijuana, Cocaine, and Other Illegal Drug Use — National Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS): 1991-2019 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Treatments and Therapies
- What Is Substance Abuse Treatment? A Booklet for Families Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration