Cocaine intoxication

Cocaine is an illegal stimulant drug that affects your central nervous system. Cocaine comes from the coca plant. When used, cocaine causes the brain to release higher than normal amounts of some chemicals. These produce a sense of euphoria, or a "high."

Cocaine intoxication is a condition in which you're not only high from using the drug, but you also have body-wide symptoms that can make you ill and impaired.

Causes

Cocaine intoxication may be caused by:

• Taking too much cocaine, or taking a too-concentrated form of cocaine
• Using cocaine when the weather is hot, which leads to more harm and side effects due to dehydration
• Using cocaine with certain other drugs

Symptoms

Symptoms of cocaine intoxication include:

• Feeing high, excited, talking and rambling, sometimes about bad things happening
• Anxiety, agitation, restlessness, confusion
• Muscle tremors, such as in the face and fingers
• Enlarged pupils that don't get smaller when a light shines into the eyes
• Increased heart rate and blood pressure
• Lightheadedness
• Paleness
• Nausea and vomiting
• Fever, sweating

With higher doses or an overdose, more severe symptoms can occur, including:

• Seizures

  Seizures

  A seizure is the physical changes in behavior that occurs during an episode of specific types of abnormal electrical activity in the brain. The term ...

  

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• Loss of awareness of surroundings
• Loss of urine control

  Loss of urine control

  Urinary (or bladder) incontinence occurs when you are not able to keep urine from leaking out of your urethra. The urethra is the tube that carries ...

  

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• High body temperature, severe sweating
• High blood pressure, very fast heart rate or irregular heart rhythm
• Bluish color of the skin
• Fast or difficulty breathing
• Death
  

Cocaine is often cut (mixed) with other substances. When taken, additional symptoms can occur.

Exams and Tests

If cocaine intoxication is suspected, your health care provider may order the following tests:

• Cardiac enzymes (to look for evidence of heart damage or heart attack)
• Chest x-ray

  Chest x-ray

  A chest x-ray is an x-ray of the chest, lungs, heart, large arteries, ribs, and diaphragm.

  

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• CT scan of the head, if head injury or bleeding is suspected

  CT scan of the head

  A head computed tomography (CT) scan uses many x-rays to create pictures of the head, including the skull, brain, eye sockets, and sinuses.

  

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• Electrocardiogram (ECG, to measure electrical activity in the heart)

  Electrocardiogram

  An electrocardiogram (ECG) is a test that records the electrical activity of the heart.

  

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• Toxicology screening (poison and drug) 
• Urinalysis

  Urinalysis

  Urinalysis is the physical, chemical, and microscopic examination of urine. It involves a number of tests to detect and measure various compounds th...

  

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Treatment

Your provider will measure and monitor your vital signs, including temperature, pulse, breathing rate, and blood pressure.

Symptoms will be treated as appropriate. You may receive:

• Breathing support, including oxygen, a tube down the throat, and ventilator (breathing machine)
• IV fluids (fluids through a vein)
• Medicines to treat symptoms such as pain, anxiety, agitation, nausea, seizures, and high blood pressure
• Other medicines or treatments for heart, brain, muscle, and kidney complications

Long-term treatment requires drug counseling in combination with medical therapy.

Outlook (Prognosis)

The outlook depends on the amount of cocaine used and what organs are affected. Permanent damage may occur, which may cause:

• Seizures, stroke, and paralysis

  Stroke

  A stroke occurs when blood flow to a part of the brain stops. A stroke is sometimes called a "brain attack. " If blood flow is cut off for longer th...

  

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• Chronic anxiety and psychosis (severe mental disorders)
• Decreased mental functioning
• Heart irregularities and decreased heart function
• Kidney failure requiring dialysis (kidney machine)
• Destruction of muscles, which can lead to amputation

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