Signs and Dangers of Cocaine Tolerance
While someone may use a drug for the temporary short-term effects, they often don’t consider how this action will affect them further down the road. If you or a loved one are frequently using cocaine, it is important to understand the signs and dangers of cocaine tolerance.
What Is Cocaine Tolerance?
As an individual uses cocaine more frequently, they will become less sensitive to the short-term effects of the drug. Consequently, if they wish to feel those same effects, they will have to increase the amount of the drug dose in order to achieve the desired effect. This is because their tolerance to cocaine has gradually built up with higher and higher doses.
According to NCBI, tolerance can begin to develop after only one week of frequent cocaine use. How quickly and severely a person develops a tolerance depends on the dose, duration, and frequency of drug use. The more often you use cocaine and continue to build your doses, the higher your tolerance will rise.
Your tolerance also depends on how long you have been using cocaine. As such, long-time, frequent users will experience a much more severe case of drug tolerance.
What Are the Signs of Tolerance?
High sensitivity to stress is a sign of cocaine tolerance.
According to NIDA, users who have developed a cocaine tolerance report a loss of the pleasurable feeling that they desired to achieve by taking the drug. This is because cocaine induces the release of Dopamine in the brain, a chemical which is associated with the reward pathway.
This is typically released during happy or pleasurable moments in everyday life, but as a cocaine tolerance builds, an individual gradually becomes less sensitive to pleasure. The inability to experience pleasure even in everyday life is a sign that a cocaine tolerance has begun.
Another linked sign is the high sensitivity to stress that an individual with a tolerance may experience. Stress is one of the major causes for relapse because it is directly linked with the way that the drug chemically affects the brain.
It is another sign to watch out for if you believe that you or a loved one has developed a cocaine tolerance! If you believe this has occurred, just call 888-821-1257 Who Answers? to speak with a caring specialist about any questions or concerns you may have.
What Are the Dangers?
As tolerance builds and the intake amount increases, this also increases the risk of related health problems. Due to the chemical changes caused by the drug, an addiction may develop over time. There are also many psychological consequences to consider when increasing dosage, because of the alterations made in the brain.
Physical effects should also be a concern, as increased doses of cocaine can cause headaches, gastrointestinal complications, and malnourishment due to decreased appetite. On an even more severe level, cocaine-related deaths are often caused by heart attacks or strokes, and by increasing dosage you increase your risks of overdose.
As you or a loved are struggling with a cocaine addiction or just now building a tolerance, call 888-821-1257 Who Answers? to speak with a specialist about what the next steps should be towards improving your situation and returning you to health.
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Cocaine Street Names
- Cocaine is often referrd to by street names that borrow from characteristics of the drug, such as its color or texture. They are used to keep drug abuse secret.
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Long Term Cocaine Side Effects
- Cocaine is a powerful stimulant drug which causes significant health problems in the long-term. Cocaine abuse has also been linked to psychological problems, and can worsen or initiate mental health challenges.
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Symptoms of Cocaine Use
- A person who is using cocaine may appear to have lots of energy, be very talkative, and have rapid, erratic movements. Cocaine is a stimulant, and its effects are of the stimulating nature.
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