Crack is most commonly obtained by young adults from friends or by buying it on the street. They inhale the vapor produced by heating it in a pipe while smoking it. The heated pipes can occasionally cause burns on the lips or hands of those who use them.
Cocaine Effects
Its ingredients are unknown to the user, as is their quantity and potential for toxicity. There are multiple treatment options for crack cocaine addiction. If you or a loved one is currently addicted to crack, you have options.
Can You Overdose on Crack?: Overdose Symptoms
While it may seem obvious, using crack is the number one risk factor for overdose. A person can overdose their first time trying crack cocaine, especially if they are trying to “keep up” with a more experienced user. That day in February when Ellinwood helped Adam, she acknowledged how cyclical the process of substance use disorder is. There are failures in housing, in mental health resources and just an issue with access to services in general, she said. Just days can set someone back – especially while trying to make changes in other areas, like mental health or housing, Foley said.
Black Pennsylvanians are 50% less likely to receive naloxone, despite soaring overdose deaths, new study finds
A cocaine binge is when someone uses cocaine repeatedly in higher and higher doses. People may take the drug until they run out or become exhausted. Others dissolve the drug in water and inject it with a needle. When injected, it goes directly into your bloodstream for a very strong and near-instant effect. Our experts continually monitor the health and wellness space, and we update our articles when new information becomes available. Cocaine has many street names like snow, nose candy, coke, Big C, flake and blow.
Risks related to cocaine and crack use
Some of the cardiovascular complications caused by crack use include dysrhythmias, myocardial ischemia and infarction, cardiomyopathy, hemorrhagic and ischemic stroke. Crack cocaine has serious health risks, which is why treatment is so important. Detoxing the body of the substance and attending psychotherapy alcohol withdrawal timeline can help people with their long-term recovery from crack addiction. Potential short-term side effects include overdose, addiction (cocaine use disorder) and withdrawal. Long-term side effects may include serious and potentially life-threatening medical issues like heart failure, stroke or infections.
Administering Narcan to fellow users when they overdose is a typical day, she said. In what she calls a “ritual,” she administers the naloxone, splashes cold water on their neck and calls 911. The day Johnson and Ellinwood responded to Adam asleep on the sidewalk, they were two days into a new program with the fire department’s Behavioral Response drug rehab for pregnant women specialized prenatal treatment Unit. They have seen a rise in drug-related calls, mostly in densely populated areas and lower-income neighborhoods. Niesen wants to see the state commit to comprehensive drug checking services, which go far beyond drug test strips. Already, mass overdose outbreaks linked to medetomidine have cropped up in Philadelphia and Chicago.
More on Substance Abuse and Addiction
Cocaine is a very powerful stimulant that is used to produce feelings of euphoria and increased energy. Cocaine is extracted from the leaves of the coca plant and exists in the form of its hydrochloride salt (cocaine hydrochloride). Cocaine is generally snorted or injected, but tends to burst when heated. Crack is cocaine in its freebase form without the hydrochloride group. Crack can be obtained from cocaine hydrochloride by heating it with baking soda or ammonia and water.
If the liver is damaged or not functioning properly, it could cause a back-up of drugs in the body, causing an OD. A person whose liver isn’t functioning properly could have a longer overdose in addition to more frequent overdoses. If you stop persistent cocaine use abruptly, a potential case of acute ketamine withdrawal you will experience withdrawal symptoms, in addition to cravings for cocaine. Long-term cocaine use may cause a range of physical and mental effects. The psychological triggers that urge people to continue crack cocaine use can be nearly impossible to ignore.
Police, fire and the behavioral unit may not know the call is an overdose until they arrive on scene. In February, the fire department recorded 68 people treated with Narcan. More than half of naloxone administrations occurred in the downtown core of Spokane and surrounding areas, including the East Central Neighborhood. Overdose calls can range from six a day into the double-digits, she said.
- But it can also produce some not-so-pleasant psychological and physical effects.
- The Philadelphia Department of Public Health issued a public health advisory May 13 after 160 residents were hospitalized over a three- to four-day period.
- Many people start to build a tolerance after their first use of cocaine.
- Trey, who is “couch-surfing” between homes and temporarily living in a shed, said he once had a job at a local gas station for a month.
- NPS Discovery, a group that researches illegal drugs, reported finding medetomidine in Maryland as early as July 2022.
Another study also theorizes that individuals who have HIV and use crack cocaine may be at an increased risk for developing a hepatitis C infection, even if they are not using the drug intravenously. Once the person experiences this initial high, they may spend years trying to chase this feeling as tolerance to the drug effects develop rapidly. In these attempts, they may take increasing amounts, putting them at risk of overdose.
The chances of any overdose dramatically increases when more than one substance is used at a time. Crack’s brief intoxication and highly addictive nature lead to significant health crises as users continually dose over extended periods. Attending an inpatient program gives the person time away from their daily lives that could inspire or influence the person to begin using again. Inpatient programs block out the external factors that could trigger relapse by providing a safe and compassionate place to recover. If you suspect a loved one is addicted to crack, you might need to set up an intervention. Do not bombard the person with questions or pressure them to answer your questions.
Like most other medication, naloxone will start to lose its effectiveness after its expiration date. However, it may be strong enough to reverse an overdose if that is the only kit that is available. It can not hurt, so use it and continue to perform rescue breathing.