The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reports that, in 2008, 1.9 million people were current users of cocaine, including crack cocaine; this number comprised 0.7 percent of the U.S. population. Crack cocaine is a highly addictive form of cocaine that is nearly always smoked, according the National Drug Intelligence Center (NDIC). It provides an immediate high, and is inexpensive to produce. However, MedlinePlus describes that when a cocaine user stops using cocaine, the user may experience very uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms.
Psychological
There are multiple psychological effects of crack cocaine withdrawal. MedlinePlus reports that the first sign of cocaine withdrawal is a "crash," which includes such psychological symptoms as anxiety, irritability, sleepiness and occasionally agitation and paranoia. A person going through withdrawal from crack cocaine may become very depressed, according to MedlinePlus, and feel intense cravings for the drug. The Center for Substance Abuse Research at the University of Maryland (CESAR) describes that psychosis may also result from withdrawal.
Physical
There are also physical withdrawal symptoms that occur when someone addicted to crack cocaine stops use of the drug, though there are many more psychological symptoms. Physical withdrawal symptoms of crack cocaine include fatigue and increased appetite, according to MedlinePlus. These symptoms are quite different from the withdrawal symptoms experienced during heroin or alcohol withdrawal. For example, there is no nausea, vomiting or shaking, which are typical withdrawal symptoms of alcohol and heroin.
Timing and Intensity of Symptoms
MedlinePlus reports that symptoms from withdrawal from crack cocaine, particularly the psychological symptoms, can last for months, especially for someone who has used crack cocaine heavily for a long period of time. According to CESAR, the highly addictive nature of crack cocaine use contributes to the intensity and frequency of withdrawal symptoms.
CESAR describes how crack cocaine produces an immediate high, but the euphoric feelings it causes are relatively short lived; thus, the crack cocaine user often repeatedly smokes crack cocaine to maintain the high. The body then becomes used to high levels of cocaine, causing the withdrawal symptoms to be particularly intense. Users of crack cocaine, according to CESAR, often keep using the drug on long binges only to avoid feeling the extremely uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms.
