Cocaine is a powerful stimulant that can have devastating effects on the heart, even after a single use. While often associated with a temporary rush of energy and euphoria, cocaine places immense strain on the cardiovascular system, increasing the risk of heart attacks, arrhythmias, and long-term heart damage. The stimulant effects of cocaine mean that the drug comes with risks to specific body systems and structures, especially the heart.
The dangers of chronic cocaine use are significant, with potential long-term consequences, making seeking help for cocaine use critical for heart health and overall well-being. If you or someone you care about abuses this drug, seek the help you deserve with our cocaine rehab program at The Right Step Houston.
Understanding the Effects of Cocaine
People who use cocaine experience feelings of invincibility, high energy, lifted mood, confidence, and alertness. It’s a potent stimulant that floods the brain with neurotransmitters that increase heart rate.
Short-Term Effects
In the short term, cocaine creates intense mental and physical effects such as:
- Euphoria
- Hyperfocus
- Agitation
- Tremors
- Seizures
- High blood pressure
- Increased heart rate
Cocaine abuse constricts blood vessels, raises blood pressure, and forces the heart to work harder, which can lead to severe complications—even in young and otherwise healthy individuals.
Long-Term Effects
Long-term effects of cocaine use include:
- Mood swings, anxiety, depression
- Loss of job, financial security, relationships
- Damage to the lungs, brain, and heart
- Respiratory or heart failure
One of the most significant and potentially deadly effects of cocaine is on the cardiovascular system.
The Link Between Cocaine Use and Heart Issues
The heart is a muscle that works every minute, round the clock, and every day of your life. Because it works so reliably, people tend to forget about it until there’s a problem. Lifestyle has an impact on the heart, from the food you eat to the amount of exercise you get. Drug use is one of the most potentially damaging behaviors when it comes to heart health.
There are numerous lasting and potentially severe effects of cocaine on the heart and entire vascular system. The more you use cocaine, the more the cardiovascular system is taxed. Some of the ways cocaine can permanently affect your heart health include the following:
- Blood clots caused by cocaine abuse can lead to stroke or heart attack.
- A heart attack, or myocardial infarction, happens when cocaine reduces blood flow to the heart muscle.
- Hypertension, or high blood pressure, caused by cocaine, can damage blood vessels in the heart and throughout the body, which can lead to heart attack and stroke.
- Aortic dissection is linked to cocaine abuse and means that the inner lining of this major artery tears, causing a blood leak. Aortic dissection can lead to an aneurysm in the heart, which is often deadly if not caught quickly.
- Reduced oxygen to the heart due to cocaine abuse leads, over time, to a damaged heart.
- Blood vessel damage, known as arteriosclerosis, can be caused by cocaine use. The inner lining of the vessels is damaged, loses flexibility, and thickens. Arteriosclerosis is linked to heart attack.
Cocaine and the heart don’t coexist well. If you’ve been abusing cocaine for any period, you must get input from a cardiologist about whether your heart health has been affected. Whether your heart shows signs of damage or not, stopping the use of cocaine is the only safe, healthy course of action. Finding a cocaine addiction treatment program can help you with your recovery.
Connect with The Right Step Houston and Start Cocaine Rehab Today
It often takes a wake-up call for people to realize they have a substance use disorder (SUD). It may be a car accident from driving while intoxicated or losing a job due to behaviors related to substance abuse. Sometimes, it’s a health consequence, such as a heart attack, that leads to recovery and the improved health that comes with sober living.
The damage to your cardiovascular system will be permanent if you wait until heart symptoms related to cocaine abuse are permanent. Seek medical advice now and begin your rehab journey with The Right Step Houston today. Submit our online form or call 1.844.768.0169 to take the first step.