How to Taper off Cocaine and Reduce Withdrawal

Have clear and concise consequences laid out that will be enforced if the loved one does not decide to enter into treatment and discontinue using cocaine after the intervention. Research treatment options and consider having something set up ahead of time. Addiction is a disease cocaine addiction treatment with several potential triggers and causes that ultimately affect the entire family unit. Genetics, trauma experienced at a young age, mental health issues, and someone’s individual biological makeup can all contribute to substance abuse and the potential onset of addiction.

• That’s called a „dopamine deficit state,“ and the cycle that leads us there can actually lead to depression, anxiety, irritability and insomnia.
• These medicines can reduce your craving for opioids and may help you avoid relapse.
• This might lower dopamine levels and cocaine cravings when it is released into the nucleus accumbens.
• In short, Lembke says, almost every behavior has become „drugified.“
• For example, a person withdrawing from alcohol can experience tremors (involuntary rhythmic shaking), dehydration, and increased heart rate and blood pressure.

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

“Withdrawal” is the term for the physical and mental symptoms a person with a drug dependence or addiction experiences when they suddenly stop or reduce substance use. In some cases, it will take a person’s body days, weeks, or longer to recover from cocaine addiction. When your entire lifestyle starts to revolve around drugs, most of your spare time is spent with other users, going to parties or friends’ homes to use drugs or other behaviors related to drug use. After finishing a treatment program, it can feel like second nature to return to these places and reconnect with friends from your past.

Preventing Drug Misuse and Addiction: The Best Strategy

“NAS” is the term for the symptoms a newborn may develop due to withdrawal when they stop receiving the substance after birth. Symptoms of cocaine withdrawal include depression, excessive sleep, increased hunger, and a general sense of unease. Cocaine Anonymous hosts meetings in person and online where people can share their experiences with cocaine addiction, connect with others, and get support. For example, a medical professional can prescribe medications to relieve muscle aches, mental health symptoms, or severe distress and agitation.

How Does an Intervention Work?

BetterHelp can connect you to an addiction and mental health counselor. Fatigue is caused by a combination of “crashing” after a cocaine high and from a long-term lack of sleep. Cocaine is a stimulant that causes you to feel alert and awake, so most people sleep less when taking it. Cravings are hard to control under even the best circumstances, and putting yourself back in the mindset you held while you were using makes staying clean even more challenging.

While cocaine overdoses don’t happen with the frequency of drugs like heroin, it’s important to consider this risk. In 2017, 14,000 individuals died from an overdose that involved cocaine usage. Cocaine is stereotyped as a white-collar drug for its prominence in the 1980s among investment bankers, who used it to stay awake long hours while working. However, in other forms, like crack cocaine or cocaine in a hard rock-like substance that can be cut with other materials, cocaine doesn’t enjoy the same reputation. Regardless of form, its effects are pleasing, but the risks are serious.

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• Coping with withdrawal may require hospitalization or inpatient care to ensure adequate supervision and medical intervention as necessary.
• If a person uses as much of the drug as they did before quitting, they can easily overdose because their bodies are no longer adapted to their previous level of drug exposure.
• Now I am a clinical psychologist, professor of psychology, and mother to three young kids who have a genetic vulnerability to addiction.
• Research shows it also blocks the euphoric effects of cocaine and could be effective for relapse prevention.
• So, preventing early use of drugs or alcohol may go a long way in reducing these risks.
• Long-term follow-up can help to prevent relapse and maintain sobriety.

Cocaine Withdrawal Timeline

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