Cocaine Overdose

Can someone suffer from a cocaine overdose?

Yes, a person can suffer from a cocaine overdose. An overdose happens when someone abuses enough of a drug to produce serious adverse effects, life-threatening symptoms, or death. Cocaine overdose can be intentional or unintentional. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) [1], Drug overdose deaths involving cocaine rose from 3,822 in 1999 to 15,883 in 2019.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) [2], increasing numbers of overdose deaths among cocaine users might be related to tampered cocaine. Street dealers often combine cocaine with things like talcum powder, cornstarch, or flour to increase profits. They may also mix cocaine with other substances such as the stimulant amphetamine, or synthetic opioids, including fentanyl. Mixing synthetic opioids to cocaine is especially risky when people using cocaine don’t realize it contains this dangerous additive. 

What Causes a Cocaine Overdose?

The causes of cocaine overdose vary, but the chief among them is compulsive use. Compulsive use means an overwhelming urge or desire to use more of the drug than is intended and to use it for longer periods than intended.

These compulsions lead to toxicity (poisoning) during binges, a practice that is prevalent among cocaine users.

Binge use can extend over a period of days, compromising psychological and physical stability. Severe brain modifications occur along with interrupted basic needs such as food, sleep, and hydration.

Some variations in cocaine overdose potential occur according to the method of use, but severe and fatal overdoses can happen with all methods, including:

An unexpected and life-threatening overdose reaction can happen just after use or within minutes of use. In general, the quicker this drug is absorbed by the body, the greater the chance of cocaine overdose.

Combining cocaine with other drugs is common and increases the chance of harmful complications, including cocaine overdose. Some with co-occurring, partially treated, or untreated mental health conditions attempt to self-medicate with heavy cocaine use.

Others struggling from PTSD and chronic depression report symptom relief when using. Also, in some instances, schizophrenia patients report relief from symptoms of the mental illness as well as alleviation from some side effects of anti-psychotic medicine. All such users are at high risk for a cocaine overdose.

As with other substances of addiction, the body develops a tolerance to cocaine use and creates an increasing need for more use (amount and frequency) to achieve the desired intoxication effects. Over time, physical tolerance for cocaine continues to progress with increased use.

How Much Cocaine Can Cause an Overdose?

As a party drug, cocaine overdoses usually happen one of two ways:

1. Either the user ingests too much of the drug
2. The user uses more and more to maintain their high

Therein lies cocaine’s true danger. The high itself almost never lasts for more than an hour, so cocaine users tended to use it incrementally. When cocaine users do not realize the amount of drugs they’ve put into their bodies already, this is a recipe for disaster.

Just how much cocaine presents the risk of an overdose? Well, the answer varies based on individual or unique circumstances. According to the University of Arizona, a cocaine overdose may not be dose-specific, as there have been overdoses from single doses of a few hundred milligrams while others have used several grams of cocaine and not had a fatal reaction.

Method of ingestion — nasally, orally, or intravenously — plays a factor, as does the tolerance of the individual themselves. Cocaine should never be injected as this method requires the least amount to produce a lethal reaction, with as small as 20 mg. Notwithstanding the threats, most individual doses range between 10 and 150 mg each.

Mixing Cocaine with Other Drugs

The purity of cocaine can play a role in cocaine overdose, as some street drugs are mixed with other substances to increase profits. Mixing cocaine with other drugs, particularly alcohol, heroin, or Xanax, only intensifies the likelihood of a lethal overdose. Drug mixing should be avoided at all costs.

Cocaine and Alcohol

According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) [3], cocaine is particularly dangerous to use with alcohol, as the combination produces a powerful toxin in the body called cocaethylene. Cocaethylene is eliminated even slower from the body than cocaine and can intensify the cardiotoxic effects, for instance, by further increasing the heart rate and enhancing the concentration of cocaine in the bloodstream. Cocaine addiction is difficult to recover from, but it can be treated.

Cocaine and Xanax

Signs and Symptoms of a Cocaine Overdose

A cocaine overdose can result in permanent physical damage to the:

Along with physiological signs of overdose, dangerous psychological and behavioral symptoms also happen.

In the event of behavioral and psychological symptoms, the user’s safety may be compromised along with others in the immediate environment.

Physical Signs of Cocaine Overdose

Physical indications of a cocaine overdose include:

Psychological and Behavioral Signs of Cocaine Overdose

Psychological and behavioral signs of cocaine overdose include:

What Happens During Cocaine Overdose?

As a psychoactive drug and a stimulant, cocaine speeds up the body’s central nervous system (brain and spinal column). Cocaine toxicity can cause these common side effects of use to become more intense to the point that they become dangerous and life-threatening [4].

Stage 3

Finally, during the third stage of cocaine toxicity, individuals may experience:

The most severe cocaine overdose symptom effects include organ failure, seizures, and unresponsiveness. At this point, the individual’s life is at risk, and they need urgent medical attention as the body is beginning to shut down. However, if they receive the proper medical attention and survive, they may still have lasting effects.

When treating a cocaine overdose, time is of the essence. The immediate effects of cocaine can be felt after a few minutes, and the three stages of cocaine toxicity can intensify instantly, so it is crucial to act fast. In addition, if there are other substances in a person’s system, it is crucial to get help at the first sign of a cocaine overdose.

How is Cocaine Overdose Treated?

Unfortunately, there is no specific medication that can reverse a cocaine overdose. The medical intervention relies on treating the principal symptoms of the overdose. In a hospital setting, treatment starts by giving the person a sedative to lower their blood pressure and to prevent heart attack. Medications such as benzodiazepines are used to accomplish this. Giving these drugs also lessens the chance of a stroke.

Following recovery, it is important that one avoids overdosing again in the long term. The tremendous stress an overdose puts on vital organs leaves them susceptible to future damage and trauma. Given cocaine’s very addictive nature, this is easier said than done. Sometimes, the best support is preventative care. Seeking out the proper treatment efforts can put you or your family members on a path free of the fear of overdoses altogether.

What to do if Someone Experience Cocaine Overdose

If a loved one is showing signs of a cocaine overdose, it is crucial to act fast. Being able to recognize cocaine overdose signs and symptoms and knowing how to respond when a loved one overdoses on cocaine could make all the difference.

Call 911

Stay on the Phone

Turn Them on Their Side

Remove Immediate Dangers

Stay Calm