Can You Overdose on Cocaine?

What happens if a person uses more cocaine than they intended? Can you overdose on cocaine? 

Call Lake Avenue Recovery today at (508)794-4400 to learn more about addiction treatment in Massachusetts.

How Does Cocaine Affect Your System?

Cocaine is a stimulant, which means that it accelerates activity within the central nervous system (CNS). Examples of other stimulants include caffeine, nicotine, amphetamine, and methamphetamine (crystal meth).

In the United States, cocaine is classified as a Schedule II controlled substance. This category is reserved for drugs that have been determined to pose “a high potential for abuse, with use potentially leading to severe psychological or physical dependence.”

Common Effects

When a person uses a stimulant, common effects include increased energy and improved mental alertness.

Given the range of substances within the stimulant category, the intensity of these effects – and the likelihood that they will cause either immediate or long-term harm – can vary considerably depending on which drug a person uses use.

In the case of cocaine, other common effects include:

• Euphoric mood
• Heightened self-confidence and motivation
• Restlessness
• Increased heart rate and blood pressure
• Elevated body temperature
• Reduced appetite
• Diminished need for sleep

These effects typically begin to appear relatively soon after a person ingests cocaine, and they usually last for 15-30 minutes. To avoid the physical and psychological crash that can occur when they wear off, it’s not uncommon for people to use cocaine multiple times in a relatively short period, which is referred to as a cocaine binge.

Mechanism of Action

Cocaine’s effects are due in part to the drug’s ability to artificially increase levels of dopamine throughout a person’s CNS. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter, or chemical messenger, that is involved in several functions, including:

• Motivation
• Reward
• Pleasure
• Learning
• Movement 
• Mood
• Arousal
• Sleep/wake cycle

Usually, nerve cells release dopamine molecules into the synapses, or small gaps, that separate them from other nerve cells. When the dopamine molecules have delivered their message by activating receptors on the receiving cells, they are transported back to the originating cell, which reabsorbs them for future use.

Cocaine disrupts the process of transporting dopamine back to its originating cell. This leads to a buildup of the chemical throughout the CNS. The presence of additional dopamine has the effect of magnifying its message, which causes many of the effects mentioned in the previous section.  

Can You Overdose on Cocaine?

Can you overdose on cocaine? Yes, you can.

Discussions of drug overdoses often focus on heroin, prescription painkillers, and other opioids. But many other recreational substances, such as alcohol, cocaine, amphetamine, meth, and benzodiazepines, also pose a risk of overdose. 

Signs of Cocaine Overdose

Overdose occurs when you ingest more of a substance than your body can safely break down and eliminate. In a very real sense your body is being poisoned, which is why cocaine overdose is sometimes referred to as cocaine toxicity.

Signs of cocaine overdose can include:

• Profound confusion or disorientation
• Excessive perspiration
• Racing heart rate
• Dangerously high body temperature
• Rapid breathing
• Pain in the chest and abdomen
• Vomiting
• Seizure

Effects of cocaine overdose can include heart attack, stroke, coma, and death. 

How to Respond to a Cocaine Overdose

If you are with someone who exhibits the symptoms of cocaine overdose, call 911 immediately and remain with them until help arrives.

Cocaine Overdose Statistics

The danger of a catastrophic outcome after cocaine overdose may be greatest among people who have been engaging in polysubstance use, or using more than one drug at the same time.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA):

• Cocaine was involved in 29,449 overdose deaths in the U.S. in 2023.
• The 2023 total represented an 85% increase from 2019 and a 334% increase from 2015.
• Around 75% of these overdose deaths also involved synthetic opioids, usually fentanyl.

Though polysubstance use increases the danger, this does not imply that using cocaine by itself is somehow safe. As documented by the NIDA data, overdosing solely on cocaine can be fatal.

Other Dangers of Cocaine Use

Overdose is just one of many dangers associated with cocaine use. The longer or more often a person uses this drug, the greater their risk becomes of incurring significant physical, psychological, and social harm.

From a medical perspective, cocaine use can contribute to:

• Hypertension (high blood pressure)
• Arrhythmia (abnormal heart rate)
• Coronary artery disease
• Nasal damage
• Respiratory problems
• Liver damage
• Kidney damage
• Tears in the gastrointestinal tract
• Malnutrition

The psychological impact of cocaine abuse can include:

• Onset or worsening of various mental health disorders
• Anxiety and paranoia
• Psychosis
• Addiction

On the social/behavioral front, cocaine use can lead to:

• Diminished performance in school and/or at work
• Job loss
• Long-term unemployment
• Financial problems
• Conflicts with loved ones
• Lost relationships
• Arrest and incarceration
• Homelessness

The best way to avoid these and other dangers – including risk of overdose – is to never use cocaine. The second-best way is to stop using the drug immediately.

If you are unable or unwilling to curtail your cocaine use, even with the knowledge that continuing to do so can endanger your health or even threaten your life, that may be a sign of addiction. Untreated cocaine addiction can be devastating, but if you get the help you need, you can end this self-defeating behavior and begin to live a healthier life in recovery.

Learn More About Cocaine Addiction Treatment in Massachusetts

Lake Avenue Recovery provides compassionate, evidence-based services for adults who have become addicted to cocaine and other dangerous drugs. We also serve clients who have co-occurring mental health concerns.

Our treatment philosophy is based on the belief that every person deserves to receive customized care that addresses their unique needs. When you choose our center, you can rest assured that you will never been seen as “just another patient.” Here, you will be will be valued, respected, and empowered to take ownership of your recovery journey.

To learn more about how we can help you or a loved one, or to schedule a free assessment, please visit our Admissions page or call us today.