Fact Sheet - Cocaine

• Cocaine is a strong central nervous system stimulant that interferes with the reabsorption of dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure and movement.

• Cocaine users may become more sensitive to cocaine’s anesthetic and convulsant effects without increasing the dose taken.

• According to the 2003 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), 2.6% of U.S. youth age 12 to 17 reported using cocaine at least once during their lives.

• In 1999, there were approximately 14,000 (13,912) admissions with a primary problem of cocaine for treatment funded by the Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse.

 

• Cocaine use has been linked to stroke, even in first-time users.

• The buildup of dopamine causes continuous stimulation of “receiving” neurons, which is associated with the euphoria commonly reported by cocaine abusers.

• Continued use of even low doses of cocaine may result in death because chronic users develop increased sensitivity to cocaine’s anesthetic and convulsant effects.

 

• Cocaine can be detected in blood and urine for about 5 hours after use.

 

• Intravenous drug abuse carries a high risk of stroke from cerebral embolism.

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