Cocaine in the Blood Stream

Cocaine’s effects are relatively brief, but the presence of cocaine in the blood can cause both immediate damage and various types of long-term harm.

How Does Cocaine Affect Our Blood?

When a person uses cocaine, the drug can boost their blood pressure by increasing the individual’s heart rate and constricting their blood vessels. This can lead to several short-term effects, some of which can be pleasurable and others that can be quite dangerous. 

Short Term

The short-term affects of cocaine in the blood can include:

• Dilation of the pupils
• Elevated body temperature
• Sudden, dramatic increase in energy
• Boost in self-confidence
• Loss of appetite
• Anxiety and paranoia
• Impulsivity and recklessness

The short-term effects of cocaine are typically intense but brief, and they can be followed by a physical and psychological “crash.” To maintain their high and avoid the crash, a person may feel compelled to use the drug multiple times in a relatively short period. This behavior is sometimes referred to as going on a cocaine binge.

Cocaine binges can quickly lead to addiction, which is characterized by an inability to control the amount and frequency of one’s drug abuse. When someone becomes addicted to cocaine, their continued use of the drug can cause a variety of negative (and potentially irreversible) long-term effects.

Long Term

The following are examples of the long-term risks that are associated with the continuous presence of cocaine in the blood:

• Heart damage, including blocked arteries and a weakening of the heart muscle
• Lung damage, including an increased risk of pneumonia and asthma
• Damage to the liver and kidneys
• Frequent nosebleeds
• Disrupted sleep patterns
• Diminished cognitive functioning
• Impaired decision-making skills
• Psychosis
• Increased risk of stroke

Please note that the short- and long-term effects of cocaine do not follow a predictable pattern. For example, it is possible for someone to experience devastating outcomes – including overdose and death – the first time they use this drug. Of course, the longer someone continues to use cocaine, the greater their likelihood becomes for incurring serious damage.

How Long Does Cocaine Stay in the Bloodstream?

Once you’ve used cocaine, how long will the drug remain in your bloodstream? 

On the surface, this looks like a straightforward question that should have a clear and concise answer. Unfortunately, this surface appearance is a bit misleading. Let’s delve into why this is the case, and how we can find an accurate answer (or answers).

First, it’s important to clarify a person’s purpose for asking about cocaine in the blood. Are they trying to determine how long they will continue to feel the effects of cocaine, or do they want to know how long a drug screening can detect evidence of prior cocaine use?

If it’s the first reason (how long will they feel effects), the answer can vary depending on how much cocaine they used and what method they used to ingest the drug:

• If you snort cocaine in a powder form, you will usually begin to feel effects within about five minutes. These effects will typically last no more than 20 minutes.
• If a person has been smoking the drug, the effects will begin to become evident almost instantaneously – typically within about 10 seconds. As with those who snort cocaine, people who smoke the drug can expect to continue feeling the effects of one dose for up to 20 minutes.
• The experience of dissolving cocaine into a solution and injecting it is similar to what occurs if you smoke the drug. You will likely feel the onset of effects within five to 10 seconds, and you can expect them to last for about 20 minutes.
• If someone swallows cocaine, it can take 15 minutes or longer before they start to feel effects – but these effects may endure for up to an hour and half.

If someone’s question about cocaine in the blood is related to testing positive on a drug screen, the timeframe will be much longer. 

The half-life of cocaine is about 50-60 minutes. It usually takes four to five half-lives before the concentration of a drug has reached the point at which it is no longer clinically relevant. For cocaine, this will occur about five hours after a person’s last dose.

However, drug screens don’t only test for the presence of a specific substance. They also detect metabolites, which are byproducts that the body produces while it is processing and eliminating the substance.

While a measurable amount of cocaine in the blood will usually only be present for about five hours, a standard blood test will likely detect metabolites (and thus return a positive result) for up to two full days after someone last used cocaine.

Contact Phoenix Rising About Treating Cocaine Addiction

When you are struggling with untreated cocaine addiction, it can feel as though there is no escape from this life-threatening condition. If you are currently in this situation, or you know someone who is, please know that help is available. With the right type of cocaine addiction treatment programs, you or your loved one can stop using cocaine and start living a much healthier and more hopeful life.

Phoenix Rising Recovery offers a full continuum of personalized care for adults whose lives have been disrupted by cocaine addiction. We also offer dual diagnosis programming for patients whose struggles with addiction are accompanied by anxiety, depression, and other co-occurring mental health concerns.

Treatment options at our center include detox, residential care, a partial hospitalization program (PHP), an intensive outpatient program (IOP), and traditional outpatient care. In each of these programs, you can expect to receive customized services and comprehensive support from a team of highly skilled and compassionate professionals.

To learn more or to schedule a free assessment for yourself or a loved one, please visit our Contact Us page or call us today.