In the long term, repeated crack cocaine exposure causes changes in neural pathways. Over time, brain circuits that are involved in stress, pleasure, and mood become increasingly sensitive. Without the drug, people who are addicted exhibit signs of withdrawal. Moreover, tolerance to crack cocaine can increase the risk of overdose. In addition, smoking crack damages the lungs, nose, and other bodily functions.
How To Get A Bell Ringer Smoking Crack Effects
Many users take crack cocaine in binges where they use the drug frequently and at high doses. In such cases, users may experience increased restlessness, irritability, panic attacks, paranoia, and psychosis. The longer people use crack cocaine, the more likely they are to experience paranoia, drug-induced psychosis, and other psychological and physiological effects.[2]
Even though cocaine and crack cocaine are both made from the same drug, they interact with the body differently. Unlike cocaine which is snorted or injected, crack cocaine is typically smoked. Since the drug is easily ingested through the nasal passageways, it produces a sudden and strong high. Cocaine, when snorted, may take 1 to 5 minutes to feel the initial effects and 20 to 30 minutes to reach its highest concentration. However, when crack is smoked its effects can be felt within a minute and its peak is typically reached within 3 to 5 minutes.
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Appropriate studies have not been performed on the relationship of age to the effects of bupropion in the pediatric population. However, children are more sensitive to the effects of this medicine than adults when used for treating depression. Use of bupropion to treat depression in children is not recommended. Safety and efficacy of bupropion to help stop smoking have not been established in children.
Cocaine (from French: cocaïne, from Spanish: coca, ultimately from Quechua: kúka)[14] is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant. As an extract it is mainly used recreationally and often illegally for its euphoric effects, but it is Schedule II in the U.S. and recognized for its medical value. It is primarily obtained from the leaves of two Coca species native to South America: Erythroxylum coca and E. novogranatense.[15][16] These medicinal herbs naturally contain cocaine and have a history of use among indigenous American peoples. After extraction from the plant, and further processing into cocaine hydrochloride (powdered cocaine), the drug is administered by being either snorted, applied topically to the mouth, or dissolved and injected into a vein. It can also then be turned into free base form (crack cocaine), in which it can be heated until sublimated and then the vapours can be inhaled.[12] Cocaine stimulates the reward pathway in the brain.[16] Mental effects may include an intense feeling of happiness, sexual arousal, loss of contact with reality, or agitation.[12] Physical effects may include a fast heart rate, sweating, and dilated pupils.[12] High doses can result in high blood pressure or high body temperature.[17] Effects begin within seconds to minutes of use and last between five and ninety minutes.[12] As cocaine also has numbing and blood vessel constriction properties, it is occasionally used during surgery on the throat or inside of the nose to control pain, bleeding, and vocal cord spasm.[18]
Cocaine is a central nervous system stimulant.[43] Its effects can last from 15 minutes to an hour. The duration of cocaine's effects depends on the amount taken and the route of administration.[44] Cocaine can be in the form of fine white powder, bitter to the taste. Crack cocaine is a smokeable form of cocaine made into small "rocks" by processing cocaine with sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) and water.[12][45] Crack cocaine is referred to as "crack" because of the crackling sounds it makes when heated.[12]
Subjective effects not commonly shared with other methods of administration include a ringing in the ears moments after injection (usually when over 120 milligrams) lasting two to 5 minutes including tinnitus and audio distortion. This is colloquially referred to as a "bell ringer". In a study of cocaine users, the average time taken to reach peak subjective effects was 3.1 minutes.[53] The euphoria passes quickly. Aside from the toxic effects of cocaine, there is also the danger of circulatory emboli from the insoluble substances that may be used to cut the drug. As with all injected illicit substances, there is a risk of the user contracting blood-borne infections if sterile injecting equipment is not available or used.
Acute exposure to cocaine has many effects on humans, including euphoria, increases in heart rate and blood pressure, and increases in cortisol secretion from the adrenal gland.[65] In humans with acute exposure followed by continuous exposure to cocaine at a constant blood concentration, the acute tolerance to the chronotropic cardiac effects of cocaine begins after about 10 minutes, while acute tolerance to the euphoric effects of cocaine begins after about one hour.[27][66][67][68] With excessive or prolonged use, the drug can cause itching, fast heart rate, and paranoid delusions or sensations of insects crawling on the skin.[69] Intranasal cocaine and crack use are both associated with pharmacological violence. Aggressive behavior may be displayed by both addicts and casual users. Cocaine can induce psychosis characterized by paranoia, impaired reality testing, hallucinations, irritability, and physical aggression. Cocaine intoxication can cause hyperawareness, hypervigilance, and psychomotor agitation and delirium. Consumption of large doses of cocaine can cause violent outbursts, especially by those with preexisting psychosis. Crack-related violence is also systemic, relating to disputes between crack dealers and users.[70] Acute exposure may induce cardiac arrhythmias, including atrial fibrillation, supraventricular tachycardia, ventricular tachycardia, and ventricular fibrillation. Acute exposure may also lead to angina, heart attack, and congestive heart failure.[71] Cocaine overdose may cause seizures, abnormally high body temperature and a marked elevation of blood pressure, which can be life-threatening,[69] abnormal heart rhythms,[72] and death.[72] Anxiety, paranoia, and restlessness can also occur, especially during the comedown. With excessive dosage, tremors, convulsions and increased body temperature are observed.[43] Severe cardiac adverse events, particularly sudden cardiac death, become a serious risk at high doses due to cocaine's blocking effect on cardiac sodium channels.[72] Incidental exposure of the eye to sublimated cocaine while smoking crack cocaine can cause serious injury to the cornea and long-term loss of visual acuity.[73]
Physical side effects from chronic smoking of cocaine include coughing up blood, bronchospasm, itching, fever, diffuse alveolar infiltrates without effusions, pulmonary and systemic eosinophilia, chest pain, lung trauma, sore throat, asthma, hoarse voice, dyspnea (shortness of breath), and an aching, flu-like syndrome. Cocaine constricts blood vessels, dilates pupils, and increases body temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure. It can also cause headaches and gastrointestinal complications such as abdominal pain and nausea. A common but untrue belief is that the smoking of cocaine chemically breaks down tooth enamel and causes tooth decay. Cocaine can cause involuntary tooth grinding, known as bruxism, which can deteriorate tooth enamel and lead to gingivitis.[80] Additionally, stimulants like cocaine, methamphetamine, and even caffeine cause dehydration and dry mouth. Since saliva is an important mechanism in maintaining one's oral pH level, people who use cocaine over a long period of time who do not hydrate sufficiently may experience demineralization of their teeth due to the pH of the tooth surface dropping too low (below 5.5). Cocaine use also promotes the formation of blood clots.[12] This increase in blood clot formation is attributed to cocaine-associated increases in the activity of plasminogen activator inhibitor, and an increase in the number, activation, and aggregation of platelets.[12]
Crack baby is a term for a child born to a mother who used crack cocaine during her pregnancy. The threat that cocaine use during pregnancy poses to the fetus is now considered exaggerated.[96] Studies show that prenatal cocaine exposure (independent of other effects such as, for example, alcohol, tobacco, or physical environment) has no appreciable effect on childhood growth and development.[97]However, the official opinion of the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the United States warns about health risks while cautioning against stereotyping:
Smoking freebase cocaine has the additional effect of releasing methylecgonidine into the user's system due to the pyrolysis of the substance (a side effect which insufflating or injecting powder cocaine does not create). Some research suggests that smoking freebase cocaine can be even more cardiotoxic than other routes of administration[123] because of methylecgonidine's effects on lung tissue[124] and liver tissue.[125]
Once someone tries crack cocaine they may find themselves using it in back-to-back sessions, also referred to as binging. The effects produced from crack use are very short-lived, usually only five to 15 minutes or so. 2ff7e9595c
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