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History The Origins of CocaFor over 4,000 years coca, Erythroxylon coca, has been used as a medicine and stimulant in what is now Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia. European explorers in the 16th century made note of its existence and how it was used. In South America inhabitants would chew the leaves as they were believed to elevate mood, help with digestions, and suppress appetites. Up to the mid 19th century coca growing and use had been restricted to the area of its natural habitat, the Andes mountain range of the northwestern region of South America. Coca did not find use in Western medicine until the late 19th century when American drug companies began to explore that part of the world for new medicines. At first considered a safe stimulant and nerve tonic, coca's addictive and destructive properties became apparent within 30 years of its introduction as a pharmaceutical product. Reemergence of CocaineWhen cocaine reappeared in the 1970s it was touted as the champagne of drugs because it was expensive, high status, and said to have no serious consequences.
The price dropped steadily, and by the mid 1980s, six million Americans used it on a regular basis. Cocaine was gradually rediscovered to be highly addictive and dangerous, a fact driven home by the death of college basketball star Len Bias in June 1986.
Today, groups in Colombia produce 70 to 80 percent of the world's cocaine, which is made from locally grown coca plants and from cocaine base imported from Peru and Bolivia. It is estimated that Colombia produces 400 million dollars worth of cocaine each week. Medical Use Cocaine: A Schedule II SubstanceCocaine is listed as a Schedule II controlled substance because it has medical use, but also has a high potential for abuse. Early Medical UsesCocaine was known for its quick numbing abilities.
For this reason many early medicines such as toothache drops, nausea pills, and pills to ease sinus pain emphasized its pain relief qualities. Cocaine as an AnestheticCocaine still has limited use in medicine today as a local anesthetic. It is occasionally used in medical procedures as a topical anesthetic for skin lacerations, nose or throat surgeries, and dental procedures. Forms Coca LeavesThese are leaves from a coca plant grown in Colombia. Coca and ColaIn the late 1800s cocaine was used as a primary ingredient for flavor in Coca Cola.
In the early 1900s cocaine in its crude form was removed. Today the extract of the coca leaves, a de-cocainized version, is manufactured in the United States and used in the flavoring for Coca Cola.
The crude cocaine that is left over is used by select pharmaceutical companies for medicines.
CocaineMedically reviewed by Last updated on Oct 5, 2018.Common or street names: coke, C, blow, snow, flake; the base form is called freebase or crack What is cocaine?Cocaine (C 17H 21NO 4) is a powerfully addictive, psychoactive, stimulant drug. On the street it is usually sold as a fine, white powder.
The powdered, hydrochloride salt form can be snorted or dissolved in water and injected. Use in any form is illegal in the U.S. When used as recreational drug.Freebase is cocaine hydrochloride that is processed with ammonia and heated to remove the hydrochloride salt. This ‘freebase’ form is not water-soluble; the powder can be heated and its vapors smoked due to the lower melting point. Diethyl ether is used to process freebase and is highly flammable and volatile, often leading to lab explosions and bodily injury such as burns.
It produces a much more intense 'rush' than snorting the drug and can be extremely addictive due to the quick high and repeated use. People who use this drug in any form may 'binge' - taking the drug repeatedly within a short time and at increasingly higher doses - to maintain their high. Crack cocaine ('crack') is another form that is processed into a rock form using baking soda and may contain a high percentage of impurities. The term 'crack' refers to the crackling sound heard when it is heated prior to smoking. Crack abuse in the U.S.
Rose in the mid-1980's and is considered the most addictive form of the drug.Learn More: Where does cocaine come from?Cocaine originates from coca leaves, and has been used for centuries in a variety of cultural applications. The pure drug is extracted from the Erythroxylon coca bush, found primarily in the South American countries of Peru, Bolivia, and Colombia. Coca-leaf infusions or teas have been used to combat altitude sickness and boost energy in many native tribes of South America.The early use was not just limited to South American countries. In the U.S., it was found as an active ingredient in many elixirs and tonics used in the early 1900's and was even found as in Coca-Cola products at that time. How is cocaine used medically?It is available in the U.S. As a prescription, and for some eye, ear, and throat surgeries, but is infrequently used because of safer alternatives, such as lidocaine or benzocaine. A nasal solution is used for the induction of local anesthesia of the mucous membranes when performing diagnostic procedures and surgeries on or through the nasal cavities in adults.In the U.S.
Cocaine for is classified as a, meaning it has a high potential for abuse but can be administered by a physician for legitimate medical uses. Methods of cocaine abuseMost commonly abused by:. snorting up the nose. smoking. injection. rubbing onto the mucous membranes.Cocaine hydrochloride (HCL) is water soluble due to the HCL salt and can be injected; it is also snorted in powder form.
When purchased on the street, is usually ‘cut’ with adulterants such as baking soda, talcum powder, lactose sugar, or other local anesthetics such as lidocaine or benzocaine. This increases the weight and allows the seller to make more profit on the street. Other more dangerous adulterants, such as methamphetamine or synthetic opioids, including, may also be used to cut the drug. Cutting cocaine with other illicit drugs can be especially harmful as the user is not aware of the added drug and an accidental overdose can occur.Most often the powder is snorted, and the drug is laid out on a mirror, plate or other flat surface, separated into ‘lines’ and snorted nasally through a straw, rolled-up dollar bill or other inhaling device. The cocaine is absorbed into the bloodstream through the nasal tissues. The effect, or ‘high’ with snorting may last 15 to 30 minutes, but does not occur as quickly as smoking or injecting it. Alternatively, smoking crack or injecting cocaine may have a rapid and more intense effect, but the ‘high’ only lasts 5 to 10 minutes, often with an intense 'crash', which leads to repeated use to sustain the high, an action called ‘binging’.
Effects of cocaine useThe effect is described as euphoric with increased energy, reduced fatigue, and heightened mental alertness. Users may be talkative, extraverted, and have a loss of appetite or need for sleep. The psychoactive and pleasurable effects are short-lived without continued administration.Biologically, the effect occurs in the midbrain region called the ventral tegmental area (VTA). Neuronal fibers from the VTA connect to the nucleus accumbens, an area of the brain responsible for rewards. Animals studies show that levels of a brain chemical (neurotransmitter) known as dopamine are increased in this area during rewards. Normally, dopamine is released and recycled in response to these rewards. The use of cocaine can interfere with this process, allowing dopamine to accumulate and send an amplified ‘reward’ signal to the brain, resulting in the euphoria described by users.Some users report feelings of restlessness, irritability, and anxiety.
A tolerance to the high may develop - many addicts report that they seek but fail to achieve as much pleasure as they did from their first exposure. Some users will increase their doses to intensify and prolong the euphoric effects. While tolerance to the high can occur, users can also become more sensitive to the anesthetic and convulsant effects without increasing the dose taken.
This increased sensitivity may explain some deaths occurring after apparently low doses.Use in a binge, during which the drug is taken repeatedly and at increasingly high doses, may lead to a state of increasing irritability, restlessness, and paranoia. This can result in a period of paranoid psychosis, in which the user loses touch with reality and experiences auditory hallucinations.
Metabolism of cocaineCocaine is metabolized primarily in the liver, with less than 1% of the parent drug being excreted in the urine. The primary metabolite is benzoylecgonine and it is detectable in the urine for up to eight days after consumption. Health hazardsThe immediate physical effects of cocaine use include constricted blood vessels, dilated pupils, and increased temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure. Sources. Monitoring the Future Study: Trends in Prevalence of Various Drugs for 8th Graders, 10th Graders, and 12th Graders; 2014 - 2017. Accessed October 3, 2018 at. Cain MA, Bornick P, Whiteman V.
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5, 2018 at. National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). What are the short-term effects of cocaine use? Accessed Oct. 5, 2018 atFurther informationAlways consult your healthcare provider to ensure the information displayed on this page applies to your personal circumstances.