In 2008, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, 1.1 million Americans had abused crack cocaine. Cocaine is a powerful stimulant that can be smoked, injected or snorted. Crack cocaine is cocaine that has been mixed with baking soda or ammonia to form a rock of cocaine that is smoked and highly addictive. Crack cocaine users display certain addiction behavior and medical symptoms.
Neurological Symptoms
Crack cocaine affects the release of large amounts of dopamine in the brain. Dopamine is the neurotransmitter or chemical in the brain that signals pleasure and works on the brain’s reward center. The addict quickly develops an intense craving for the pleasurable effects that the altered reward center receives. After smoking the drug, the user feels talkative, mentally alert and particularly sensitive to light, sound and tactile sensations. Crack addicts usually don’t feel hungry and are particularly energetic. The high is short-lived--the quicker the absorption, the shorter the high, according to Narconon. Crack cocaine is absorbed quickly. Highly energetic speech, grandiose ideas and difficulty concentrating are symptoms that addicts may display. Addicts may also behave erratically.
Physiological Symptoms
The immediate effects of use are increased blood pressure, dilated pupils and increased temperature. Addicts may complain of dizziness, muscle twitches and tremors. With increasing dosage, they can act restless, irritable and anxious. Paranoia may predominate in their thinking. The most severe physiological effects are heart attack or seizures. Heart attacks occur because of the significant vasoconstrictive properties of cocaine. The small coronary arteries of the heart constrict and cannot get blood to the heart muscle, and the heart muscle dies. Other addicts may have seizures followed by respiratory arrest and die.
Medical Symptoms
Crack cocaine addicts are not limited to smoking crack for their high. They may also inject or snort cocaine. Addicts who inject cocaine may have puncture marks or “tracks" in their forearms. Intravenous users may also develop an allergic reaction to the compounds that they mix the cocaine with. Snorting cocaine can significantly damage the nasal septum, damage the ability to smell, cause hoarseness and cause a chronically inflamed, runny nose. Abdominal pain and bowel gangrene can occur in users who ingest crack. Crack cocaine addicts may complain of chest pain and look very thin.
