Crack cocaine is cheap to make and is a very addictive stimulant drug. It produces an instant high and is widely abused, often leading to severe physical or psychological addiction, reports the National Drug Intelligence Center. Crack cocaine is sold in chunks. This drug is typically smoked. It is a Schedule II substance. Crack cocaine use often leads to sudden death. This drug kills immediately sometimes and often also kills gradually, as the drug overtaxes the body.
Irritability & Restlessness
Crack cocaine use often results in irritability, restlessness, paranoid behavior and also an aggressive change to your personality. Use of this drug often stimulates out-of-control or violent behavior.
Increase in Dopamine
Dopamine levels in the brain increase when crack cocaine is smoked, notes the National Institute on Drug Abuse. This brain chemical creates a feeling of euphoria as its levels rise. This ecstatic feeling is why crack cocaine is so addictive.
Paranoia
Paranoia arises with the abuse of crack cocaine. You may experience paranoid psychosis; crack cocaine induces a detachment from reality and auditory hallucinations.
Respiratory Problems
Respiratory difficulties are a common side effect of crack cocaine use. Lung damage, coughing, difficulty breathing and internal bleeding often result from crack cocaine use.
Cardiac Problems
Cardiac issues are common with crack cocaine abuse and may be life-threatening. The heart races during crack cocaine use; heart attacks are common with the use of this drug. Heart damage may occur immediately with the use of crack cocaine.
Depression
Crack cocaine use also results in depression; when the high ends, a crash occurs, and the mood changes to bleak. Crack cocaine leaves you with moods that bounce from high to low; this creates vulnerability and an intense need for more of the drug.
Stroke and Seizures
Stroke and seizures are a very serious side effect of crack cocaine use. This drug may rapidly destroy cognitive abilities via a stroke. It also causes the body to malfunction during intense seizures and convulsions.
Fever
Temperatures rise when crack cocaine is used. This drug may cause dehydration due to a fever.
Blood Vessels Constrict
The blood vessels constrict when crack cocaine enters the bloodstream. This drug restricts blood flow through the body, due to blood vessels that tighten up when crack is used.
