While many people start using cocaine for the intense feelings of euphoria and energy that it seems to generate. Cocaine in any of its forms is a very powerful brain stimulant that creates these feelings by causing the release excessive amounts of chemicals like serotonin and dopamine into the brain. While the person continues to satisfy his addiction he may feel fine, it is only when he makes the decision to stop that he will have to cope with the cocaine withdrawal symptoms, which can at times be quite unpleasant.
The biggest problem with drugs like cocaine is that because coke not only stimulates the release of dopamine, but it reduces the body’s ability to absorb it takes more cocaine over time to achieve the same high. This ever increasing need only serves to make the symptoms of cocaine withdrawal that much more severe. Even at this the withdrawal symptoms are nowhere near as hard to cope with as those from drugs like heroin or even alcohol as the recovering addict generally does not have to go through the periods of vomiting or the shakes.
The most common symptom of course is better known as the “cocaine crash”, this is the craving for another dose of cocaine and it depending on how long a person has been using cocaine and how much they have been using it can be very severe. The person is also going to have to cope with symptoms such as fatigue, depression, restless behavior and a feeling of anxiety or paranoia. They may also experience a period of malaise when they just do not feel like doing anything at all. Many patients say that they experience some very unpleasant and vivid dreams.
Long periods of irritability and increased appetite along with the associated weight gain are very common in most recovering addicts. As the drug begins to release its grip the recovering addict may spend long periods of time feeling sleepy and napping. The bad news about cocaine withdrawal symptoms is that everyone will go through some or all of them and they can last for months and can lead to the person trying to “self medicate” using other drugs to help them get past their addiction. This can lead to an all new addiction problem.
The good news is that if the addict perseveres, it is quite possible and in fact the norm for them to overcome their addiction and the withdrawal symptoms will eventually go away and never return. Fortunately there are support groups, treatment centers and many other programs to help the addict to overcome his addiction and get his life back on track.