Cocaine Tolerance

How Does Tolerance To Cocaine Develop?

Each time a person uses cocaine, the amount needed to achieve the desired level of euphoria or “high” increases. Many researchers state cocaine tolerance starts with the first dose, and cocaine users take more and more trying to attain the same euphoric rush experience on the first use. Euphoria is directly connected to the body’s dopamine “reward” system.

This reward system makes the cocaine user feel very good. Each time cocaine is taken into the body, the brain releases a smaller amount of dopamine. To get a larger dopamine release to feel that large euphoria, the user has to take a greater amount of the drug. This is how cocaine tolerance develops and quickly becomes an addiction.

The psychological dependency produced by continued cocaine use is nearly impossible to overcome without drug addiction treatment, therapy, rehab, and counseling. Recovery from cocaine addiction also requires the person’s commitment to getting well and accepting a new lifestyle that embraces sobriety.

What Does Cocaine Tolerance Look Like?

Cocaine tolerance can develop as the need for more cocaine to achieve the euphoric effect. Cocaine is a compulsive and dangerous drug, and intense cravings for this drug can indicate problems. The insidious nature of cocaine abuse is that the more cocaine you use, the more cocaine you want.

During a cocaine binge, it takes more and more cocaine to squeeze out less and less dopamine, the chemical responsible for cocaine euphoria. Eventually, no dopamine is left, and the user has to wait several days before there is enough to get high again. However, tolerance to cocaine may not be obvious due to the tendency to mix cocaine and alcohol or other drugs such as heroin (speedball drug).

Cocaine Reverse Tolerance

Experiencing cocaine tolerance may also mean that individuals eventually experience the reverse effect with regular use, meaning that eventually, after a certain amount of use, they may take so much that they feel the intensity of the drug causing life-threatening effects.

According to research from the National Institute of Biotechnology Information (NCBI), “reverse tolerance” was produced in rats and mice by repeated exposure to either cocaine or amphetamine. The locomotorstimulant effect was studied in mice and convulsions in rats.

With cocaine abuse, a condition known as cocaine sensitization can occur in which a person experiences a form of “reverse tolerance”. Once the person has become tolerant to the effects of cocaine, it can have a reverse effect which can cause serious health problems such as cardiac arrest, respiratory failure, and cocaine overdose.

Cocaine Tolerance and Dependence

There is proof that cocaine is highly addictive after repeated use. People who consistently use cocaine may become dependent on it and tolerant to it, requiring greater doses to produce the same effects. Cocaine dependence can be either psychologically or physically based or both. People dependent on cocaine find that using the drug becomes far more critical than other activities in their life. They crave the drug and find it very difficult to stop using it.

Individuals who are psychologically dependent on this drug may feel an urge to use it when they are in specific surroundings or socializing with friends. Physical dependence happens when a person’s body adapts to cocaine and gets used to functioning with the cocaine present.

Cocaine Tolerance and Withdrawal

A person addicted to cocaine who has developed a physical and psychological dependence on it may experience cocaine withdrawal symptoms when quitting. During cocaine withdrawal, the former user will often experience many uncomfortable symptoms, such as paranoia, depression, fatigue, mood swings, anxiety, restlessness, agitation, or vivid, unpleasant dreams.

The psychological and physical symptoms of cocaine withdrawal will vary depending on many individual factors, such as the user’s cocaine tolerance, metabolism, length of cocaine addiction, the severity of addiction, and the presence of underlying mental health conditions or other addictions.

How Dangerous Can A Cocaine Tolerance Be?

How fast and severely a person develops a tolerance depends on the dose, duration, and frequency of cocaine use. The more a person uses cocaine and continues to build doses, the higher the cocaine tolerance will rise. Users who have developed cocaine tolerance report a loss of the pleasurable feeling that they desire to achieve by taking the cocaine. This is because this drug induces the release of dopamine in the brain, a chemical that is associated with the reward pathway.

Physical effects should also be a concern, as increased doses of cocaine can cause gastrointestinal complications, headaches, and malnourishment due to decreased appetite. On an even more severe level, cocaine-related deaths are often caused by strokes or heart attack, and by increasing dosage increase your risk of overdose.

Cocaine Addiction Treatment

First and foremost, if you think a loved one is abusing crack, you should research its drug and addiction to understand better what your loved one needs. Next, you must plan an intervention to provide your loved ones with options to battle their addiction in a safe and supportive environment. During this intervention, offer compassion and support instead of judgment.  Lastly, offer your support throughout the entire treatment process. In addition, crack overdose can have severe physical and psychological effects, so seeking treatment as soon as possible is essential. Inpatient drug rehab offers intensive care that can help you promptly get through the early stages of withdrawal.

Cocaine Detox Treatment

Medical crack detox is often considered the first stage of treatment. It will help you navigate the complicated process of crack withdrawal, but it doesn’t address patterns of thought and behavior that contribute to crack use. Various treatment approaches and settings can help provide the ongoing support necessary to maintain long-term sobriety after you complete crack detox.

Cravings are very common during detox and can be challenging to overcome. This often leads to relapse. Constant medical care provided during inpatient treatment helps prevent relapse. Clinicians can provide necessary medication and medical expertise to lessen cravings and the effects of crack withdrawals.

Psychotherapy 

Several different modalities of psychotherapy have been used in the treatment of mental health disorders along with addiction, including:

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) – is an effective treatment that involves changing both the patterns of negative thoughts and the behavioral routines which are affecting the daily life of the depressed person for various forms of depression.
• Dialectical Behavior Therapy – is a comprehensive mental health and substance abuse treatment program whose ultimate goal is to aid patients in their efforts to build a life worth living. The main goal of DBT is to help a person develop what is referred to as a “clear mind.” 
• Solution-focused therapy is an approach interested in solutions that can be quickly implemented with a simple first step leading to further positive consequences.