Cocaine

Cocaine is a highly addictive drug that is distributed in several forms. It’s a white powder that can be either snorted or dissolved in a liquid and injected. It can also be smoked.

This is a highly addictive and quite dangerous drug. If you’ve been taking cocaine, you should seek help through a rehabilitation program.

So, why is this drug so dangerous?

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, cocaine is a powerful stimulant that can be used for medical purposes.

Cocaine actually increases the levels of dopamine in the brain. This chemical controls pleasure and movement and the brain typically releases dopamine as a response to potential rewards. Then, it retreats back into the cell that released it, which shuts off the signal between nerve cells. When someone takes cocaine, dopamine is prevented from recycling, which causes excessive amounts to build up between nerve cells. This is what leads to the high feeling produced by cocaine.

Its side effects include extreme energy, mental alertness, irritability, hypersensitivity to sight, touch and sound, and paranoia.

Doctors say that use of large amounts of cocaine can lead to unpredictable and sometimes violent behavior.

The drug can affect your health in many ways, including dilated pupils, nausea, tremors and muscle twitches and restlessness. Like other drugs, it can increase your heartbeat and raise your blood pressure.

Cocaine has some other long-term health effects, depending on how it’s taken. For example, if you snort cocaine, you may lose your sense of smell and suffer from a frequent runny nose and experience difficulty swallowing. If cocaine is swallowed, you may suffer from significant bowel decay due to reduced blood flow. And if you inject cocaine, you’ll be at a higher risk for contracting HIV, hepatitis C and other blood-borne diseases.

A danger is that street dealers may mix cocaine with other things such as cornstarch or talcum powder or even flour to increase profits. They also may mix it with other, more powerful drugs that can result in a bad reaction.

This is a highly addictive drug. With repeated use, there are long-term changes in the brain systems which adapts to the excess dopamine. That’s creates the need for people to eventually take more frequent and stronger doses to achieve the same high _ or feel of relief from initial withdrawal.

What are the symptoms of withdrawal? Anyone coming off a cocaine high may feel depression, increased appetite, slowed thinking, bad dreams, insomnia, fatigue.

Behavioral therapy may be the best form of rehabilitation.

Remember this: A cocaine overdose can result in death.

If you have been arrested on drug charges, including possession of cocaine, you’ll want to have an experienced criminal defense attorney such as Michael Anzalone representing you in court. He understands New Hampshire’s drug laws and will work to get the best possible outcome for you.

Please call The Anzalone Law Firm in Nashua, New Hampshire, for a free consultation with Michael Anzalone. Our legal team will be here for you 24/7. You can count on us if you’re facing drug charges.