Cocaine Comedown

Cocaine Addiction and the Cocaine Comedown

Cocaine addiction provides one of the most intense feelings of euphoria and is considered one of the most powerful “uppers.” Those with substance abuse issues who prefer cocaine as their drug of choice often stay awake for days on end, riding the wave of a binge that seemingly has no end.

However, what goes up must come down, and the dreaded cocaine comedown eventually takes hold near the end of a cocaine binge. Ultimately, the fear of the cocaine comedown becomes one of the primary driving factors in cocaine addiction.

Long-term substance abuse involving cocaine becomes a constant chase for that exhilarating high that was experienced during the first initial uses. However, the chase is never-ending, and the perpetual attempt to escape the cocaine comedown becomes a losing battle as the negative effects of drug abuse eventually take hold.

If you or someone you know is experiencing challenges with cocaine addiction or avoiding the cocaine comedown, this article provides helpful insight and tips for combatting the psychological symptoms associated with cocaine addiction.

What Is the Cocaine Comedown?

When someone on a cocaine binge starts coming down, this process is known as a cocaine comedown. The term describes the various symptoms you experience after running out of cocaine. This is your body actively attempting to recover from the detrimental effects of the binge. One of the most important factors that your brain must regain is the impact of cocaine on its dopamine production.

Dopamine is produced by the brain when you perform various pleasurable activities, such as eating your favorite food or spending time with someone you love. When you use cocaine, the brain gets overloaded with an unnatural amount, which leads to the inability to produce normal levels on its own. After a period of abstinence, the brain may begin producing these chemicals in a more natural setting.

Unfortunately, the only way to achieve this is to power through the cocaine comedown. The psychological symptoms of this comedown begin only hours after the last dose is administered. So what happens during this period? What are some of the comedown symptoms experienced after a long period of drug abuse?

What Happens After a Binge: The Comedown Symptoms

Symptoms of a cocaine comedown normally begin a half-hour after taking the last dose. First, you might experience what’s known as the rebound effect. These are the physical symptoms passing and your body returning to normal after engaging in cocaine abuse. These round symptoms might include:

• An increase in your appetite
• Extreme fatigue and urge to sleep for long periods
• Feeling down in the dumps or depressed

After this period, the most significant physical symptoms of associated with this “cocaine hangover.” In reality, this is the period when cocaine users overcome the physical dependence of cocaine abuse.

The Physical Comedown Symptoms of a Cocaine Hangover

• Extreme physical exhaustion. You may feel like your body is ready to give fail.
• Intense headaches. Your eyes are likely sensitive to light. In addition, your pulse has been throbbing for an extended period which can lead to blood pressure headaches.
• Lethargic and slowed movements. It might feel like you’re moving in slow motion. Your body feels extremely heavy and bogged down.
• Your jaw becomes extremely sore. This is from the constant jaw grinding and biting your lip during the period of substance addiction or cocaine use.
• You’ll experience an extremely runny nose or intense nosebleeds from the dry, packed pieces of residue left in your nasal passages.

The Psychological Cocaine Comedown

Sometimes the psychological withdrawal symptoms are worse than the physical cocaine comedown symptoms. This is what’s known as cocaine withdrawal syndrome and can often be the most challenging of all withdrawal symptoms.

• You might experience delusional or completely irrational beliefs during a cocaine hangover.
• Hallucinations are also common after this period because of the lack of sleep.
• Intense difficulties concentrating are a significant byproduct when you attempt to overcome drug addiction. Your mind has been racing at a fast pace, and now that it’s slowed down, it’s difficult to function properly and maintain a sense of balance.
• Irritability and anxiety are prevalent during this period.
• Nightmares are another common side effect during the cocaine crash period. The central nervous system is heavily affected, leading to most of the symptoms mentioned above.

What Users Run the Biggest Risk of Cocaine Crash?

As the drug wears off and the cocaine crash intensifies, all of the symptoms mentioned above may continue for several days or weeks. The cocaine withdrawal period normally has a total time of about anywhere from seven to ten days. But who runs the most significant risk of experiencing these intense comedown symptoms?

Any user who prefers to abuse cocaine by smoking it or using crack cocaine has higher odds of going through intense cocaine withdrawal when the drug wears off. This is because smoking cocaine causes the most intense high, and the crack form of cocaine is a highly addictive drug.

In addition, users who inject cocaine will also experience the most intense side effects of cocaine withdrawal. They also are at risk for the most significant medical side effects.

How to Find Relief for Cocaine Comedown

Remember, for some people; it’s possible to experience cocaine comedown without being fully addicted to cocaine or experiencing cocaine withdrawal. If you or someone you know is going through an intense comedown after a cocaine high, use the following tips to help find relief:

1. Following a cocaine comedown or any cocaine use, you should take certain steps to speed up your recovery. Drink plenty of water and eat nutritious foods – fruits and vegetables are especially helpful to give your body the vitamins that it’s burned.
2. When you’re not sleeping, try taking a bath, calming down with peaceful music, and meditation. Avoid any type of illegal drugs or toxins. You’re trying to detox your body, not add to the mix.
3. If you’re having a difficult time refraining from subsequent use, you could be entering the initial stages of cocaine addiction. Are you beginning to feel like you need the drug to function daily? Does your body not feel the same without it? Does your mind not operate the same when you’re not high? If you answered yes to any of these questions, it’s important that you combat this problem before it becomes any worse.
4. The next step in this process if you continue cocaine use is more intense drug cravings and eventually full-blown withdrawal. If you’re using other drugs in combination, you’re likely already engaged in addiction.

Finding a Program for Cocaine Addiction Treatment

If you’re experiencing challenges with cocaine individually or mixing it with other drugs and having difficulties refraining from use, it’s important you start looking into a treatment program to help address your drug use.

Being in the beginning stages of addiction puts you in an ideal spot to overcome the habit before it becomes any more intense or severe. Finding the right facility for you before the problem goes any further will save you a significant amount of headaches in the future.

So how do you find the most appropriate treatment programs? This is a matter of personal preference. If you have specific needs regarding your job or family, you might require a facility that does outpatient or intensive outpatient. Otherwise, inpatient is likely your best option.

Contact Resurgence Texas today and find out exactly what we offer now!

Get Options for Substance Abuse Recovery Now

If you or someone you love needs help battling a cocaine abuse issue, Resurgence Texas provides multiple solutions to remedy the situation at our treatment center in Wimberley. We offer several types of treatment solutions and levels of care and have options for almost every type of client we take on.

For more information on our program and how we can help you overcome cocaine addiction, contact a member of our admissions team today!