What is cocaine?

Cocaine is an illegal, highly addictive drug made from the leaves of the South American coca bush.

It’s a central nervous system stimulant, which causes high levels of dopamine to be released. Dopamine is a brain chemical associated with pleasure and reward.

Cocaine is also known as:

• blow
• C
• Charlie
• coke
• crack
• nose candy
• snow
• stardust
• toot
• white dust
• white lady

Cocaine is typically snorted through your nose, but it can also be:

• injected
• rubbed into your gums
• added to food and drinks

It comes in 3 main forms:

1. cocaine hydrochloride
2. freebase
3. crack

Cocaine hydrochloride is a white powder usually mixed or 'cut' with other substances. It has a bitter, numbing taste.

Freebase (alkaloidal cocaine) is a chemically different white powder.

Crack cocaine is the same as freebase, but in the form of larger crystals. Freebase and crack are usually smoked.

What are the effects of taking cocaine?

People who use cocaine get a rush, making them feel:

• happy
• confident
• alert

Other psychological effects may include:

• feeling excited, energetic or restless
• feeling upset
• feeling numb
• changes to your sex drive
• loss of motivation
• difficulty concentrating

Some physical effects of taking cocaine are:

• have a fast heartbeat
• a loss of appetite
• headaches
• dizziness
• chest pain
• large pupils
• a high temperature

These effects start a few minutes after taking cocaine and may last from a few minutes to a few hours.

How cocaine affects you can depend on:

• how much you take
• how strong the cocaine is
• your size, height and weight
• whether you use cocaine regularly
• whether you take other drugs at the same time

What can go wrong with cocaine?

After taking cocaine, you may:

• take risks
• feel anxious or agitated
• ignore pain
• display unpredictable or violent behaviour

These effects can increase your chance of harm.

When coming down from cocaine, you may feel:

• irritable
• paranoid
• exhausted
• uncomfortable
• your mood swing

Laced cocaine

Sometimes cocaine batches are mixed, laced or ‘cut’ with other substances. These can have harmful effects, such as damage to your:

• liver
• heart
• brain

Mixed or laced drugs also prevent the user from knowing how much cocaine they are taking. This raises the chance of having an overdose or other harm.

Overdose

You can overdose on cocaine if you have too much, or if you use a strong batch.

A person who has overdosed may:

• have trouble breathing
• be very panicked, agitated or paranoid
• hallucinate
• have tremors
• feel nauseous (feel sick)
• vomit (be sick)
• have a high temperature

An overdose can cause:

• seizures
• a stroke
• a heart attack or cardiac arrest (where your heart stops beating — this is a medical emergency)

These can lead to a coma and death.

What long-term problems does cocaine cause?

People who use cocaine regularly can experience:

• mental health problems such as anxiety
• poor sexual performance
• lung conditions such as bronchitis
• high blood pressure
• seizures

They are at higher risk of:

• stroke
• heart disease
• kidney failure
• infectious diseases

If you are pregnant, cocaine can harm you and your baby. It can also increase the chance of complications like:

• miscarriage
• premature labour
• stillbirth

Some long-term users may develop psychosis, which makes you:

• paranoid
• experience hallucinations or unusual thoughts
• behave differently than usual

These effects usually disappear within a few weeks of when you stop using cocaine.

Long-term users are at risk of social and financial problems. Cocaine use has also been linked to criminal behaviour.

Find out more about how drugs and alcohol can impact your health.

Snorting cocaine

Snorting cocaine can also damage the lining of your nose, raising your chance of:

• nosebleeds
• nose infections
• sinus problems
• damage to your nose

Injecting cocaine

Injecting cocaine and sharing needles can place you at risk of infections:

• with a virus leading to HIV, hepatitis B or hepatitis C
• where bacteria get into your blood causing sepsis or an infection of your heart
• of your skin such as an abscess or cellulitis

Cocaine tolerance

If you use cocaine, you have a risk of becoming tolerant to cocaine. This means that you need to take higher doses of cocaine to get the same effect.

Doing this puts you at a higher chance of an overdose or having side effects.

Cocaine addiction and dependence

Cocaine is highly addictive. It is very hard to stop using cocaine once you are addicted. Addiction might make you crave cocaine and spend a lot of time thinking about the drug and trying to get it. This can impact your:

• home and work life
• relationships
• finances

You can also become dependent on cocaine. If you are dependent on a drug you will get withdrawal symptoms if you reduce or stop using it.

What are cocaine withdrawal symptoms?

People withdrawing from cocaine may intensely crave it. You may also:

• feel angry or upset
• have nausea and vomiting
• shake
• have muscle pain
• feel tired and weak
• feel hungry

Cocaine withdrawal can also:

• disturb your sleep
• make you feel anxious and depression
• lead you to have suicidal thoughts

These symptoms can last for months.

What if I use other drugs or alcohol with cocaine?

You should not take cocaine with other drugs, such as:

• tranquilisers
• alcohol
• cannabis (marijuana)
• heroin

Taking other drugs to cope with the side effects of cocaine can lead to dependence on several drugs at once.

Drinking alcohol and using cocaine can make the drug affect you for longer.

How can I stop using cocaine?

Getting off cocaine can be hard. It's important to speak with your doctor. They can help you manage withdrawal symptoms, and advise you on treatment options, such as:

• support groups
• counselling and therapy
• referral to an addiction specialist
• inpatient and outpatient treatment and support
• detox and rehabilitation

FIND A HEALTH SERVICE — The Service Finder can help you find doctors, pharmacies, hospitals and other health services.

Resources and support

You can find support and more information about cocaine through:

• The Alcohol and Drug Foundation website. They also have information about pill testing. Pill testing services can let you know if a drug is unusually strong or mixed with other substances.
• The Drug Help website or call the Alcohol Drug Information Service (ADIS) on 1800 250 015.
• The Turning Point website — Australia's leading national addiction treatment, training and research centre.
• The Touchbase website for Australians identifying as LGBTIQ+.
• Narcotics Anonymous Australia on 1300 652 820.
• Lifeline on 13 11 14.
• See 'What are the effects of taking drugs?' on the Department of Health website.

You can also call the healthdirect helpline on 1800 022 222 (known as NURSE-ON-CALL in Victoria). A registered nurse is available to speak with 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Support for injection behaviour

If you inject cocaine or other drugs, you can reduce your risk of blood-borne disease by attending a needle and syringe program (NSP).

Needle and syringe programs provide clean needles or syringes to people who inject drugs. It's sometimes referred to as 'needle exchange'.

The types of needle and syringe programs vary, from pharmacies to vending machines.

Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples

If you are an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person there is information and support available:

• The Alcohol and Drug Foundation has resources for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people.
• Your Room provides information for Aboriginal people in NSW who want to reduce harm from drug use.
• The Turning Point website has an Aboriginal alcohol and other drug support service based in Victoria.
• You can also visit the Alcohol and Other Drugs Knowledge Centre website.

Other languages

The 'Where can I get help when alcohol or drugs are a problem?' video is available in languages other than English. Find it at Health Translations Victoria.