Essay on COCAINE-INDUCED PSYCHOSIS

Cocaine’s mode of action has been shown to involve the dopamine receptors. This paper will discuss how cocaine affects dopamine receptors, the mode of addiction, how cocaine affects the frontal brain metabolic activities, as well as the role of excitatory amino acids in cocaine’s mechanism. I will also discuss how cocaine affects another system through its mechanism on the brain—the renin angiotensin system.

While some outstanding medications, for example, cocaine had been a staple fixing in a few items, including the first incarnation of Coca Cola which was then known as Cocaine Cola and used for migraine help, there was not boundless recreational medication use. Drug utilize had a tendency to be used by people in expressions of the human experience who wished to enhance innovativeness (Schmalleger, 2009).

Crack cocaine has been popular since the 1970s and mid 1980s. Crack cocaine is not a new drug; this drug is obtained from coca plant which grows mainly in South America. For many years, the native South American Indians chewed its leaves to develop strength and increased energy. By the 1800s, the cocaine was secluded from its leaves and used as a medicinal drug. By the late 1800s, it was used as an anesthetic and to avert surgical hemorrhage. The next century, people recognized crack cocaine an addictive narcotic and its non-medical use of the drug was ended by the Harrison Narcotics Act in 1914 (“How crack cocaine works?”).

It wasn’t until the mid-1800s that a PhD student in Germany created an isolated cocaine alkaloid that would be used as the first anesthetic. Albert Niemann, the student who perfected cocaine purification process, noted many properties of drug. One journal esteemed its bitter taste and temporary numbness the pharmaceutical caused. By the late 1800s, the drug’s known applications became increasingly popular. Cocaine became the go-to cure for everything from epidurals to tooth aches. When combined with alcohol, the resulting cocaethylene generated a potent concoction with potent effects, making cocaine

Cocaine originated from South America, from coca leaves. Originally, the coca leaves were chewed by workers to decrease fatigue, improve endurance and have a greater resistance to the cold. This was to benefit the workers so they could work longer hours and be more productive. In 1855 the active ingredient in cocaine was isolated from the leaves, and in 1880 it was used as a local anesthetic (Nunes,2006). It was also used in coca cola. In 1855, coca cola was a soda beverage that contained sixty milligrams of cocaine for every eight ounces of the beverage. The idea behind this was to give people energy and a sense of well being (Nunes, 2006). By the late 1880s Sigmund Freud was using cocaine regularly and was even recommending it to others.

The coca leaf does not yield the potency to deliver any type of overwhelming effect. The coca leaf in natural form gives the similar effect that a well caffeinated cup of coffee would (Arts and Entertainment Network). It wasn’t until Albert Niemann, a German scientist, extracted and processed the coca leaf ingredients, would it become a potent drug. In 1860, Niemann would rename the results of his extraction, cocaine (Arts and Entertainment Network).

Cocaine usage is not as popular today as it was back in the 1900s but it continues to be abused as it was then. The drug has become addictive to those that used the drug intravenously, and free base (smoking crack). It has been said that individuals who try cocaine by inhaling, injecting, snorting would become addicted by using it for the first time. The individuals try to capture the pleasure or that high he/she first got when using the drug, the psychological effects of cocaine, addiction and dependence reports “only about 10 to 15% of those who initially try cocaine intranasally become abusers” (Gawin, 1991, p.1584).

Cocaine Hydrochloride in the early 20th century was used in many ways. Some may say that small doses were added to the drink Coca Cola, that’s where the name come from. I feel as if this is true because Coca Cola is slightly addictive. The original formula of coca cola did have 25mg of cocaine per 100ml of drink. That formula was used as a stimulant for headaches. Cocaine Hydrochloride was an ingredient in patent medicines, tonics, elixirs, and fluid extracts. With the right amount it could save and cure you but if you were given more than needed you would get addicted. Doctors knew what would happen to a patient if they were given to much therefore they created something called the Harrison Narcotic Act of 1914.

One of the most detrimental and addictive narcotics in the world today is cocaine. Cocaine dates back as early as 3000 BC. Ancient Incas used the coca leaves to counter the effects of living in thin mountain air. Native Peruvians in the 1500’s chewed the plant strictly for religious ceremonies. Andean Indians are believed to chew the leaves of the coca plant to increase their energy for work while decreasing their hunger and pain. It wasn’t until 1859 when a German chemist Albert Niemann successfully extracted the narcotic from the coca leaf. In the 1880’s, it was freely prescribed by physicians for “maladies as exhaustion, depression, and morphine addiction and was available in many patent medicines” (“Cocaine”), until users and doctors began to realize its dangers and side effects. While it was not fully understood at the time, cocaine has many devastating and lasting effects on the user.

Cocaine, a narcotic drug that took the entire world by storm in the 1980’s, has continued to find it’s way into countries all over the world. The drug is a highly addictive stimulant that is extracted from the leaves of the Erythroxylon coca bush, which is indigenous to the Andean highlands of South America. It comes in two main forms, powder and crystalline, also known as “crack” (“Cocaine Use and Its Effects”). Although the short term effects of cocaine seem somewhat harmless, the long term effects are devastating and have ruined the lives of many users. The short and long term effects of cocaine can be seen on Ishmael Beah, and his companions in the novel A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah.

This is because cocaine enters the brain via the bloodstream and blocks the dopamine transporters that typically bring dopamine back into the presynaptic terminal. This causes dopamine to remain the synaptic cleft and cause repeated action of the receptors on the postsynaptic neuron, which causes the pleasurable feeling. Cocaine, though it feels good at first, can cause the brain’s chemistry to change detrimentally as tolerance develops. This happens because cocaine’s impact on dopamine is much more pleasing that any natural stimulus that produces dopamine. Because of this, continued use causes the brain to begin to produce less dopamine naturally and reduce the number of receptors so that the brain’s ability to feel pleasure is decreased. This tolerance, which can receive additional reinforcement from a regular use environment via a physiological anticipatory response, causes the user to need more cocaine to achieve the same high, increasing the risk for overdose. Immediately after the drug wears off, the user has a feeling of “crashing” as the euphoria goes away, not to return until more cocaine is provided. As withdrawal sets in, users feel anxious, agitated, fatigued, and a lack of pleasure because their reward system has been changed. This change occurs because cocaine has targeted impact on the reward areas of the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and the Nucleus Abduces

If you do believe this than you are correct, Cocaine was in Coca Cola! It was in it from 1886 through 1929, but at the time no one knew if it was bad or good. It was used as medicine at the time. From 1900 to 1929 people's opinion about cocaine, but the coke company continued to put it in because it helped keep its flavor and trademark. The main reason that cocaine was in coke was because it was a market strategy to make more money, they stopped putting cocaine in coke on 1929.

Brady and colleagues (1991) carried out an investigation that focused on 55 individuals whom had been admitted for treatment of DSM-III-R cocaine dependence. It was found that 53 per cent of the individuals interviewed reported experiencing cocaine related psychosis. Of the 53 per cent of individuals who had reported cocaine-induced psychosis 90 per cent reported experiencing paranoid delusions (which was found to be directly linked to cocaine use). The researchers also found that individuals experienced hallucinations with 83 per cent reporting auditory hallucinations, 38 per cent visual hallucinations, and 21 per cent tactile hallucinations. Multiple other studies have reported similar findings in relation to the psychological effects of

The drug Cocaine alters chemical levels in the brain which can lead the user to have the ‘feel good’ factor.

For short-term use, cocaine can provide extreme happiness, enhanced sensitivity to sound and touch or mental alertness. People takes cocaine as it can provide energy on their work but a long-term use of cocaine may lead to malnourishment, irritability, restlessness, paranoia and auditory hallucination (NIDA, 2016; Roncero, C., et al., 2013). Also, cocaine abuse may have other complications such as nosebleed because of snorting, difficulties in swallowing and easily infected by HIV or hepatitis C through needle injection and the misjudgment on having unsafe sex (NIDA, 2016). On the other hand, long-term use of cocaine may lead to addiction and a stronger dosage will be taken when they have any withdrawal symptoms. For instance, symptoms of depression, fatigue and increased appetite. Nowadays, still no medicines were approved for treating the addiction on cocaine and thus the treatment of cocaine addiction is