PSY 630 CRITICAL REVIEW

Pharmacological Aspects of Cocaine

Lana Eliot

Psychology 630

Professor Benton

September 19, 2018

Pharmacological Aspects of Cocaine

General Description of Cocaine

Cocaine that is also popularly known as coke, blow, crack, rock, or now. It is made from the leaves of the coca plant, which was initially grown in South America. The drug is among the strongest addictive stimulants (Simon & Kreek, 2016). In most cases, this drug is abused since it is used for recreational purposes despite being illegal in the country. The drug has an appearance of white, fine, and crystal powder. Mostly, the drug is mixed by the street dealers with different things such as talcum powder, cornstarch, or flour to raise the level of their profits. They may also mix it with other drugs such as the stimulant amphetamine, or synthetic opioids, including fentanyl. Its users tend to inhale it in the form of smoke, snort, or dissolve it into other liquids and inject it directly into their veins (Simon & Kreek, 2016). The drug has various mental effects such as felling of agitation or happiness as well as inability to understand the reality(Simon & Kreek, 2016). Nonetheless, the drug is used by health care providers for various medical purposes. In particular, cocaine is used as an anesthesia during various surgeries. While cocaine has a wide concept, this paper will focus on its pharmacological aspects. In particular, it will address the effect of the drug on neurotransmitters, receptors, route of administration, its half-life, doses, side effects, drug interactions, and contraindications.

Pharmacological Aspects

Cocaine has an effect on neurotransmitters. The drug tends to disrupt neurotransmission process that involves communication between the brain and the neurons (Graziani, Nencini & Nisticò, 2014). Therefore, it affects the way people think, feels, and behave. Essentially, the functioning of the central nervous system particularly brain is altered by the use of cocaine for a long period. Most effects of cocaine on brain resemble those impacted by other stimulants such as caffeine and amphetamines.

On the other hand, when cocaine is used as an aesthetic during surgeries it has similar effects to those of other local anesthetics, for example, it stabilizes the potent membrane. Additionally, the metabolism process of dopamine, norepinephrine, serotonin, and acetylcholine are altered by cocaine (Graziani, Nencini & Nisticò, 2014). The drug has the capacity to cause convulsion among its users. However, under other conditions, the drug does not portray any anticonvulsant feature. The drug is also associated with the blocking of norepinephrine reuptake (Graziani, Nencini & Nisticò, 2014). Besides, it inactivates epinephrine and norepinephrine. The drug also similarly affects the catecholamine systems as amphetamines. The serotoninergic mechanisms are also affected by the drug. For instance, cocaine tends to block the synaptosomal uptake of tryptophan in the body (Graziani, Nencini & Nisticò, 2014). This blockage delays the conversion of tryptophan to serotonin despite an increase in the activities of tryptophan hydroxylase in the body.

Additionally, cocaine has an effect on the receptors. The neuron releases dopamine into the synapse in a normal communication process (Navarro et al., 2013). The dopamine then tends to bind to a unique protein, which is known as the dopamine receptors that are in the neighboring neuron. Dopamine serves as a chemical messenger in this process thus transporting signals from one neuron to another. The dopamine is removed from the synapse by another specialized protein known as the transporter so that it can be ready to be recycled (Navarro et al., 2013). The abuse of drugs interferes with this normal process of communication in the body. For example, cocaine tends to bind to the dopamine transporter thus hindering the process of removing dopamine from the synapse after use. As a result, the level of dopamine in the synapse accumulates thus releasing an amplified signal to the neurons that receive the information. Besides, the accumulated cocaine results in a pleasurable impact of cocaine in the body.

Cocaine has a short half-life. Therefore, the drug does not remain in the blood system for a long period after use especially if a person is only using cocaine. The half-life of a drug can be described as the period that is required to reduce the levels of the certain drug in the system by half of their initial concentration. Cocaine`s half-life is relatively short. In most cases, it takes an hour or less for the concentration of cocaine in the body to be reduced by half. Cain can rarely be detected in the urine in a period of 24 to 48 hours after using it. However, this duration will depend on the amount of cocaine that an individual had taken. In the body, cocaine is primarily broken down by the liver thus breaking it into smaller compounds that are discharged from the body easily.

Furthermore, cocaine is associated with both short-term and long-term side effects. The short-term effects of cocaine include feeling energetic, euphoric, talkative, and mentally alert (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2016). Additionally, it makes the user hypersensitive to sound, sight, and touch. An individual`s need for food and sleep may be reduced temporarily by the drug. Individuals using cocaine performs easy tasks well faster and easily after consuming it. However, some people might find it challenging to perform some easy tasks. The drug has a short-term effect on the physiological aspects. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2016), the drug results in constricted blood vessels, the rise in body temperature, dilated pupils as well as an increase in blood pressure and the heart rate.

References

Navarro, G., Moreno, E., Bonaventura, J., Brugarolas, M., Farre, D., Aguinaga, D., ... & Ferre, S. (2013). Cocaine inhibits dopamine D2 receptor signaling via sigma-1-D2 receptor heteromers. PloS one, 8(4), e61245.

Graziani, M., Nencini, P., & Nisticò, R. (2014). Genders and the concurrent use of cocaine and alcohol: pharmacological aspects. Pharmacological research, 87, 60-70.