system. Cocaine prevents dopamine from being recycled in the body. This reduction in the recycling of dopa- mine causes the signal between nerves to be blocked. This reinforces the addiction behavior. As the brain continues to adapt to the high dopa- mine levels, it causes people to have a stronger and more frequent need to obtain a more significant high. Short-term effects of cocaine addic- tion could include excess happiness and energy, alertness, irritability, and extreme paranoia. Other health effects caused by cocaine include constricted blood vessels, dilated pupils, nausea, high blood pressure and temperature, irregular heartbeat, including tremors and twitching. Depending on the method of use, cocaine can have different effects on the body. Snorting cocaine can cause loss of smell, nosebleeds, and prob- lem swallowing. Smoking cocaine can cause cough, asthma, and respi- ratory distress. Rubbing cocaine on your gums reduces blood flow and can cause severe bowel decay. Inject- ing cocaine can put someone at risk for contracting bloodborne illnesses, skin infections, and collapsed veins. Short-term effects of cocaine addiction could include excess happiness and ener- gy, alertness, irritability, and extreme paranoia.
“Narcotic addiction will be a major problem in the U.S. shortly. But I maintain that we MDs should know more about than the addicts them- selves,” wrote Dr. Edwin Katskee, as he suffered from a cocaine overdose, where he later died.
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