Cocaine
The Drug and Poison Information Center (DPIC), located at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, provides timely information about drugs and related issues.
Cocaine (Snow, Blow, Coke, Powder, Cola, Yeahoos) is a potent nervous system stimulant that heightens alertness and the senses, and inhibits appetite and need for sleep.
The "high" seen with cocaine use includes euphoria, increased energy, intense feelings of pleasure, mental alertness that allows for heightened awareness of sights, sounds and touch, followed by a down period of depression and insomnia.
The adverse physical effects include those that are seen with the amphetamines. Large amounts, in addition to increasing the users "high", may lead to more bizarre and violent behavior.
Cocaine is highly addictive, especially in the form of crack cocaine, a solid form of freebased cocaine. Death from cocaine overdose occurs from convulsions, heart attack, hyperthermia (increased body temperature) or depression of the brain center that controls breathing.
