Recognizing the signs of cocaine use can help you determine if a friend or family member may be using cocaine. Cocaine's effects appear almost immediately after a single dose and disappear within a few minutes or hours, according to Friends of Narconon. Because cocaine's effects are short-lived, users may begin to use more and more of the drug, resulting in potentially dangerous changes to the body.
Withdrawal Symptoms
If cocaine abusers don't take more cocaine after the effects of the previous dose decrease, they may exhibit several noticeable signs of withdrawal. Drugs.com reports that common cocaine withdrawal symptoms include sweating, fast heart beat, nausea, vomiting, shaking in the hands, difficulty sleeping, seizures, and feeling anxious or restless. Other symptoms may be seeing, hearing or feeling what isn't really there. While these symptoms don't necessarily always mean that your loved one is using cocaine, if you notice several of these in addition to other physical or behavioral changes, drug use may be to blame.
Behavioral Signs
Cocaine users may become so dependent on the drug that the entire focus of their lives becomes finding ways to obtain and use the drug. They may forget to shower, brush their teeth or wear clean clothes. You may notice drastic changes in your loved one's personality. Cocaine users stop participating in favorite activities or drop old friends and become involved with a new group of friends. Formerly dependable, hard-working people may become unreliable and may start skipping work or school. Using cocaine is expensive, and your loved one may need to find creative ways to finance his drug habit, such as selling possessions or stealing money from you or other people.
A cocaine user may become easily angered, have mood swings or threaten to hurt other people, according to Drugs.com. These behaviors may cause problems in relationships with family members, teachers or supervisors. Drug users may get into fights or accidents and experience legal trouble resulting from their conduct or driving under the influence of drugs.
Physical Signs
If your loved one is using cocaine, you may notice that her pupils are dilated and she seems irritable or anxious. Other potential cocaine abuse signs include paranoia, erratic behavior, fever, tremors, blinking or twitching muscles. Cocaine use can cause chest pain, vertigo, rapid breathing and heart rate, heart attacks, strokes, seizures, headaches, abdominal pain and nausea.
Regular use of inhaled cocaine may damage the nasal passages. If your loved one snorts cocaine, you may notice that her nose is runny and she has lost her sense of smell or has frequent nosebleeds. The National Institute on Drug Abuse reports that a chronic cocaine user may lose his appetite and experience significant weight loss and malnourishment.
