MEDICAL NEWS TODAY – Cocaine comes from the leaves of the coca plant, native to South America. The addictive substance is an alkaloid called cocaine hydrochloride. Cocaine hydrochloride causes many different effects on the body.
In the short term, cocaine does not affect bowel movements. However, some people may have nausea.
The long-term effects of using cocaine depend on how a person takes the drug. For example, using cocaine by mouth can cause severe bowel decay from reduced blood flow to the intestines. However, people do not usually have diarrhea with bowel decay.
People may use cocaine, not knowing exactly what is in it. Street dealers may lace pure cocaine powder with fillers. This allows them to stretch their drug supply and increase profits.
These fillers may cause undesirable side effects or interfere with cocaine’s effects. It is unclear if cocaine or other substances in the drug make people need to use the bathroom.
How cocaine affects the body
People usually snort cocaine in a powder form or rub it on their gums. Others may inject it directly into a vein or smoke it. The effects of the drug can last 15–60 minutes. However, the duration depends on how a person takes cocaine and how much they use.
Cocaine stimulates the central nervous system by increasing the levels of the chemical messenger dopamine. Dopamine is closely related to the brain’s reward system.
Eventually, the brain’s reward system will adapt and become less sensitive to the effects of the drug. The person will need to take higher doses of cocaine to experience the same “high.”
Cocaine also causes an intense feeling of happiness and energy. It can also cause other effects, such as:
- mental alertness
- hypersensitivity to sights, sounds, and touch
- irritability
- paranoia and distrust in others
- constricted blood vessels
- dilated pupils
- increased body temperature
- increased blood pressure
- fast or irregular heartbeat
- shaking
- restlessness
