Cocaine and Crack

Cocaine can be snorted, injected and even smoked in some forms of the drug. In all cases cocaine is a strong central nervous system stimulant which affects the brain's processing of dopamine.

Cocaine is a powerfully addictive drug of abuse. Once having tried cocaine, a user cannot predict or control the extent to which he or she will continue to use the drug.

Photographs of cocaine and crack cocaine in several forms.

Overall cocaine use in the United States has decreased during the past 20 years, but new research shows that the decrease occurred among those who are highly educated, while use of the addictive drug among non-high school graduates did not decline.

An increase in abuse has been reported of a white-powder substance marketed as "bath salts" in convenient stores, specialty shops and on websites.

These books trace the political and cultural history of cocaine, the devastating effects it has had on the lives of those who abuse it and explore the most effective treatment and relapse prevention strategies.

Young people who use cocaine and end up in the emergency room with heart attack symptoms should tell the doctor about their drug use because some treatments for heart attacks can be deadly to someone using cocaine.

People who use cocaine and amphetamine may be at a higher risk of having a stroke, according to a study of three million hospital discharges in Texas.

Research into how cocaine affects the brain could lead to the development of medications to treat cocaine addiction by blocking the drug's rewarding effects.

Chronic cocaine users have elevated levels of serum CRP, which are associated with subclinical coronary atherosclerosis and cardiac abnormalities.

An Emory University School of Medicine study indicates that cocaine-dependent women experience reactions in the brain that are different from men, suggesting that gender-specific treatment strategies may be helpful.

Columbia cocaine producers are lacing their product with a medication to give it an extra kick, but the practice has turned deadly.

New research shows that meeting with an addiction peer counselor just once at the time of a routine doctor visit with a followup booster phone call can motivate abusers of cocaine and heroin to reduce their drug use.

New research shows that chronic cocaine abuse is directly related to dysfunction in areas of the brain involved in higher thought and decision-making.

Cocaine is a powerfully addictive drug of abuse. Once having tried cocaine, an individual cannot predict or control the extent to which he or she will continue to use the drug.

What are the medical complications of cocaine abuse? What are the long-term effects of cocaine use? Frequently asked questions about Cocaine.

Profile: commercial and street names, intoxication effects and potential health consequences of using Cocaine.

Some of the street names given to cocaine during the height of its popularity have become part of the American lexicon.

A common over-the-counter herbal supplement used mostly as an antioxident has been shown to reduce cravings associated with chronic cocaine use in research conducted at the Medical University of South Carolina.

A team led by researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital has used advanced imaging techniques to identify an unexpected structural difference in the brains of cocaine addicts.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is an effective treatment for cocaine addiction, but dropout rates range from 33 to 64 percent.

Boys exposed to persistent levels of cocaine in the womb are more likely to have behavioral problems like hyperactivity in their early school years, but girls exposed to similiar amounts were not likely to suffer from the same problems, research suggests.

American Heart Association report that during the first hour after using cocaine, the user's risk of heart attack increases dramatically.

The effects of the addictive drug cocaine result, in part, from altering the activity of a gene in the brain, report scientists from The Rockefeller University in the May Molecular Brain Research.

Children in non-parental care, especially those in the care of people who were not relatives, have better environments than those cared for by their parents and perform better in several developmental areas.

Reasearchers have found that prenatal exposure to cocaine can have an effect on the development of the heart and lasting, lifelong adverse effects, especially for males.

Cocaine use increases the risk of sudden heart attack and may also trigger stroke, even in users who otherwise are not at high risk for these sometimes fatal cardiovascular events.

A study by researchers from the University of Michigan and the Ann Arbor Veterans Affairs Medical Center suggests that chronic cocaine use may cause damage to brain cells that help produce feelings of pleasure, which may contribute, in part, to the high rates of depression.

A single exposure to cocaine activates different brain systems that can enhance both the pleasurable and unpleasant effects of psychoactive drugs, according to new research studies with rats.

Treatment for cocaine addiction, including HIV-risk-reduction counseling, may be an effective strategy for preventing HIV infection.

Treatment for cocaine addiction, including HIV-risk-reduction counseling, may be an effective strategy for preventing HIV infection.

Study results suggest that encouraging patients to adopt the 12-step philosophy and its associated behaviors may be responsible in part for the therapeutic success of combined individual and group counseling for cocaine addiction.

Baclofen used in conjunction with substance abuse counseling significantly reduced cocaine use in recovering addicts compared to placebo coupled with counseling.

A study shows that buprenorphine, an effective and well-tolerated office-based treatment for opiate addiction, may significantly reduce abuse of heroin and cocaine in people addicted to both drugs.

A diuretic commonly used to treat hypertension and congestive heart failure may improve brain blood flow in cocaine addicts, according to a study in the August 2003 issue of Drug and Alcohol Dependence.

New research shows that exposure to stimulant drugs such as amphetamine or cocaine can impair the ability of specific brain cells to change as a consequence of experience.

A preliminary clinical trial funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse suggests a drug used to treat epilepsy may offer a potentially effective treatment for cocaine addiction.

Disulfiram, a drug used to help selected patients with alcohol disorders remain sober, and cognitive behavioral therapy appear effective in reducing cocaine use, especially among cocaine users who are not dependent on alcohol.

Among those drugs that are abused, cocaine is considered one of the most powerful. Yet no effective medications exist to treat cocaine abuse, dependence or withdrawal.

Researchers have shown for the first time that long-term use of cocaine induces significant changes in gene expression in the human brain. Identifying such molecular markers may help identify new biological targets for developing medications to treat addictive disorders.

Researchers have shown that a chemical that occurs naturally in both the rodent and human brain, reduces some effects of cocaine when additional amounts are administered to the region of the brain that is associated with reward and addiction.