Cocaine Category: Stimulants

Also called: snow, C, charlie, coke, rock, dust, white.

How it’s used

Cocaine is a strong but short acting stimulant drug (‘upper’) which comes in a white powder. It can be used by dividing it into lines and snorting it up the nose with a tooter/snorter or straw. It can also be smoked or made into a solution to inject.

Short-term effects

Effects of cocaine start quickly but only last for up to 30 minutes
You may feel more alert, energetic, exhilarated and confident
Your heart and pulse rate speed up suddenly
Hyperactivity, dilated pupils, dry mouth, sweating and loss of appetite
Higher doses can make you feel very anxious and panicky
Increased sex drive

Long-term effects

Tightness in chest, insomnia, exhaustion and unable to relax
Dry mouth, sweating, mood swings and loss of appetite
You may become aggressive or even violent
You may feel depressed and run down
Damage to nose tissue
Digestive disorders, dehydration and anorexia
Kidney damage
If you use it often you may lose your sex drive
Injecting may cause abscesses
Smoking may cause breathing problems
Anxiety, paranoia and hallucinations, if you use a lot
Weight loss

Other dangers

Overdose can cause epileptic fit, stroke, breathing problems and heart attack
Damage to veins if you inject
Risk of HIV and hepatitis if you share needles
When you mix cocaine with alcohol, they combine to produce cocaethylene, which increases the risks of damage to the heart or heart attack
Extremely dangerous if you inject it with heroin, known as a ‘speedball’
Increased sex drive can lead to unsafe sex, with the risk of unwanted pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) or HIV
Debt – cocaine is an expensive habit and you may find yourself borrowing money to buy it

If you are pregnant

If you are pregnant, stop using cocaine now. Cocaine causes high blood pressure so you increase your risk of miscarriage, premature birth or placental abruption (afterbirth coming away from the womb). It can reduce the oxygen your baby gets through the placenta. Your baby may be smaller at birth, have birth abnormalities and a higher risk of cot death.

Addictive

Cocaine is very psychologically addictive so you find it hard to live without it. Your tolerance increases over time so you have to keep taking more to get the same buzz.

Withdrawal

You may feel tired, panicky, exhausted and unable to sleep, which can cause you extreme emotional and physical distress. This distress can lead to symptoms such as diarrhoea, vomiting, the shakes, insomnia and sweating. You may have long-term effects such as anorexia and depression. Once you stop using, you will have an intense craving for more.

How long does it stay in your system?

Cocaine shows up in a urine test for 2-4 days. (The length of time depends on the test used, the amount you take, if you have other medical conditions and your own metabolism. Please use this figure as a guide only)

What help is available?

Self-help support such as Narcotics Anonymous
Counselling or psychotherapy
Complementary therapies, such as acupuncture
Support from your doctor to withdraw or keep off coke
Residential treatment programmes (clinics)
Aftercare
One to one or group family support
Contact the Drugs Helpline 1800 459 459 to find out about options in your area

It is always safer not to use, but if you do, follow harm reduction information. See our cocaine campaign for more information.

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