How Does Cocaine Affect the Heart?

Effects of Cocaine on the Heart

It is no secret that the use of stimulant drugs, such as cocaine has a significant effect on the heart’s functioning. As you consume cocaine, your heart rate and blood pressure become elevated, which poses a risk to the user for chances of a heart attack. While individuals are often aware of the potential dangers of cocaine addiction and use, the allure of an escape and the highly addictive components of cocaine draw users in fast and quickly take hold of their life. As your addiction progresses, users end up needing increasingly more cocaine to get the desired effect posing a significant risk to your overall well-being and your heart’s ability to function. But how does cocaine affect the heart? Keep reading to see the impact and how drug rehab can help.

If you or a loved one are struggling with addiction, call WhiteSands Alcohol and Drug Rehab today at 877.969.1993 to learn how we can help.

Short Term Effects of Cocaine on the Heart

So how does cocaine affect the heart? Cocaine use, even short-term use, can have damaging effects on your heart and its ability to function normally and effectively. Common heart disease or complications that can follow from cocaine use are:

Coronary Artery Disease

Cocaine use, whether short-term or long-term, has shown an increased chance of developing coronary artery disease (CAD). Patients experiencing CAD will create a narrowing of their blood vessels due to a buildup of plaque, and this increase in plaque leads to an increased risk of experiencing a heart attack. People with a cocaine addiction who have overweight concerns and eating irregularities run a higher risk of heart attack due to the additional physical health concerns that these issues can entail.

Chest Pain

As your heart rate becomes elevated from cocaine use, your heart is working into overdrive to continue functioning at a normal pace. This often will lead to heart complications such as spasms of the surrounding arteries, heart rhythm abnormalities, heart attack, or infections in the heart. These complications will often send messages to your body to warn you of the severity of these symptoms through experiencing chest pains.

Heart Arrhythmias

The use of cocaine regularly will affect your potassium and sodium levels within your heart, impacting your heart’s ability to function. The more cocaine you use, the more your heart rate increases, leading many users to feel like they have a heart attack. While this is often an onset of anxiety due to your cocaine addiction, at the moment, patients are left in a panic and concerned for their overall well-being.

Long Term Effects of Cocaine on the Heart

Prolonged cocaine use can significantly impact your heart’s ability to function effectively. The more cocaine you use, the more likely you will damage your natural blood vessels by restricting the blood flow through the blood vessels and arteries. This can be a solid precursor to increasing your heart attack or stroke chances.

Patients who continue to battle with cocaine addiction for several years and cannot stop their frequent use will have an increased chance of developing the chronic medical condition of congestive heart failure. When you live with congestive heart failure, your heart cannot pump enough blood to make it through your body, and over time, this poses a risk of serious complications such as organ failure.

How to Overcome Cocaine Addiction

You have tried to quit cocaine on your own for many years but still find yourself going back to using even with the best intentions. To give yourself the best chance of a life of sobriety and freedom, choosing a cocaine drug rehab and detox program will allow you the space and time to look within to what has been impacting your ability to remain sober. Through a medically supervised detox program during drug rehab, you will have the support of doctors and nurses to help you get through unpleasant withdrawal symptoms and have you remain at a comfortable level.

Drug rehab for cocaine addiction will give you support from therapists to understand the underlying reasons for your addiction. Addiction is often a symptom of other emotions and pains that you have been covering up or avoiding through the escape of drug use. Through therapeutic sessions, you will learn new means of coping through stressful or uncomfortable situations or emotions that will keep you focused on your sobriety while effectively processing these triggers or emotions.

Cocaine Detox and Rehab at WhiteSands

WhiteSands Alcohol and Drug Rehab offers a cocaine detox and drug rehab program ranked among the highest in Florida for the truly unique and individualized treatment program that we offer each of our patients. Through evidence-based therapy models, we work with our patients to gain perspective on the root causes of their addiction while teaching skills to prevent future relapse behavior or triggers. Healing from addiction requires a deep look at your lifestyle and how you can adjust and change it to form into the life in recovery you have always wanted. Please get in touch with us today to learn more details on how does cocaine affect the heart and how drug rehab can help.

If you or a loved one needs help with abuse and/or treatment, please call the WhiteSands Treatment at (877) 855-3470. Our addiction specialists can assess your recovery needs and help you get the addiction treatment that provides the best chance for your long-term recovery.

About the Author

Jackie has been involved in the substance abuse and addiction treatment sector for over five years and this is something that she is truly eager about. She has a passion for writing and continuously works to create informative pieces that not only educate and inform the public about the disease of addiction but also provide solutions for those who struggle with drug and alcohol abuse.