effects on the body, signs, dangers

Cocaine is a drug taken by more than a million French people according to figures published by the OFDT in January 2025. And more than 3 million have already tried it. Its consumption continues to increase. It arrived in France at the end of the 1980s. Its inhalation appeared in the mid-1990s.

What is cocaine?

Cocaine is a drug classified as a narcotic, the use and resale of which is prohibited by French law. Pure cocaine is extracted from the leaf of the coca bush plant, a South American plant. It is produced in Latin America: in Colombia, Bolivia and Peru. It can be diluted or “cut” with other substances. “Crack is a mixture of cocaine, baking soda and ammonia presented in the form of crystals or small stones” recalls the Office against Drugs and Crime. Cocaine is most often snorted through the nose in the form of a white powder or injected (into the blood), while crack is smoked (crack pipe).

The effects vary depending on the user, the context of consumption, and the quantity and quality of the cocaine. In the first minutes, taking cocaine causes:

• acceleration of breathing
• increased heart rate
• rise in body temperature
• an excitement
• a feeling of complete intellectual and physical power.
• excess confidence
• a boost of energy
• the feeling of being more lucid
• cocaine also stimulates sexual desire

What effects during the descent phase?

When the effects wear off, an unpleasant comedown or “crash” phase occurs. Gradually, the consumer becomes tired, depressed, sad, anxious, irritable. There is a mood inversion. This state can last 1 to 2 days during occasional use or at low doses, and 1 to 5 days during repeated use or at high doses. To avoid it, some consumers do not hesitate to take anxiolytic medications or alcohol, thus increasing the risk of polydrug use and dependence on other products.

What are the effects of cocaine on the skin?

The effects of cocaine on the skin relate to complications occurring at the injection site. Mainly of infectious origin, they can be acute, occurring on average within 48 to 72 hours following the injection (abscesses, ulcerations), or late, occurring beyond this time (local hyperpigmentation, scars).

Is cocaine a laxative?

Cocaine is often cut with laxatives, causing diarrhea, even though it is not a laxative itself. Rather, it tends to anesthetize the digestive system and the person no longer feels hungry.

What are the effects of cocaine on the eyes?

Cocaine causes pupils to dilate due to a delay or lack of pupil response to light. These symptoms can last longer than the subjective effects of the substance: from several hours to two days. They can also cause increased sensitivity to vision.

What are the effects of cocaine on teeth?

Cocaine has an anesthetic effect. When applied to the oral mucosa, it can decrease taste sensitivity in the order of bitter, sweet, salty and sour and increase the risk of dental caries. Applied to the gum, it causes inflammation of the latter which becomes red, can bleed, or even ulcerate (a type of mouth ulcer) and necrotize. Repeated over time, these applications can lead to damage to the underlying bone. Cocaine can also promote teeth grinding (bruxism), which ultimately leads to tooth wear or fractures of already decayed teeth. On the other hand, wear on the neck of the teeth can result from the consumption of cocaine and particularly crack either through its application in contact with the teeth, or through very vigorous inadvertent brushing described during withdrawal situations or during sensory hallucinations of tingling type.

What are the effects of cocaine on the brain?

Prolonged cocaine use can induce a reduction in the volume of certain areas of the brain, which can persist for several weeks after withdrawal. They result in disorders of attention and executive functions, especially in regular users, disorders of inhibition, judgment and difficulties in making decisions. These symptoms correspond to a sort of premature aging of the brain, but are in principle reversible with abstinence. It can also lead to strokes or multiple microstrokes, including in young subjects without pre-existing vascular malformations. It can also cause brain hemorrhages, headaches and seizures within 90 minutes of consumption.

What are the effects of cocaine on the heart?

Cocaine consumption weakens the heart and increases cardiovascular risk with each intake, regardless of the frequency of consumption, quantity or quality. It increases blood pressure, causes heart rhythm disturbances (irregular or very rapid beats), and increases the risk of myocardial infarction (especially during concomitant consumption of alcohol). Regular use can cause lasting damage to the heart muscle (cardiomyopathy) and narrowing of blood vessels (vasoconstriction) which forces the heart to pump more and can lead to heart fatigue. In the long term, there is a risk of heart failure.

How long do the effects of cocaine last?

The effects of cocaine do not last very long.

• When snorted, cocaine passes into the bloodstream within 2 to 3 minutes. The effects can last up to an hour.
• When injected, the passage into the blood is immediate and the maximum effect is reached in 10 minutes and lasts 30 minutes.
• When ingested orally, it takes 30 minutes for cocaine to pass into the bloodstream. The effects can last up to two hours.

What are the dangers of cocaine?

► During occasional use or in low doses, it causes a reduction or even a loss of appetite, sometimes sought after by consumers who wish to lose weight. It can also reduce the feeling of thirst and increase body temperature, risking dehydration, especially if associated with alcohol consumption.

► The excitement, hyperactivity and agitation it causes can cause insomnia and physical exhaustion. Dilated pupils, dry mouth, hasty speech, poor coordination of movements, and mood swings often identify users.

► The initially sought-after stimulating effects on the libido disappear at high doses and can even cause erectile dysfunction.

► A significant increase in heart rate and chest pain requires urgent medical attention due to the risk of heart attack (often linked to concomitant alcohol consumption).

► If consumption is repeated or in high doses, paranoid ideas with a feeling of persecution and megalomania may appear, as well as intense anxiety attacks. In some cases, cocaine causes sensory illusions, including olfactory and tactile hallucinations, mental confusion and delirium. Body temperature may also rise to the point of triggering a fever with tremors. All these side effects require emergency medical attention because they can endanger the life of the consumer.

Cocaine addiction can develop quickly, only after a few uses. It does not depend on the quantity or quality of the product, but rather on the state of the consumer, their environment and the effects they feel when they consume. It results in an irresistible impulse to consume again, called “craving”. This state is favored by the short duration of the effects of cocaine and the depressive state which follows the intake. Withdrawal symptoms when stopping are also a sign of dependence. They usually appear 2 to 4 days after stopping consumption and can last up to 10 weeks. The consumer feels:

• great fatigue or even exhaustion,
• anxiety,
• sleep disorders.
• a loss of control

These harms push him to increase the doses or take cocaine again to feel better. The vicious circle sets in. The consequences on one’s personal and professional life set in: financial problems, relationship problems, absenteeism from work, job insecurity, conflicts or legal problems for example. If symptoms of dependence appear, help from a health professional becomes necessary.

What are the treatments to stop being addicted to cocaine?

When dependence sets in, treatment by an addictologist is recommended, whether privately, in hospital or in a CSAPA (Centers for Care, Support and Prevention in Addictology). No specific treatment for cocaine addiction is currently available. An anxiolytic is often prescribed to limit withdrawal symptoms. Subsequently, several avenues are being studied such as methylphenidate, modafinil, baclofen, gabapentin, aripiprazole or N-acetylcysteine ​​are sometimes used. Psychological follow-up is always recommended.

How much does cocaine cost?

In 2022, the current retail price of cocaine in France will be between 50 and 70 euros per gram. Prices which fall over the years, making the drug even more accessible.