Because of cocaine’s effects on blood vessels and the heart, severe internal damage can occur. Learn how cocaine can cause internal bleeding and what to do if internal bleeding is suspected.
Cocaineuse is known to harmmany aspects of a person’s health. Not all damage from cocaine use is visible. Much of the physical damage caused by cocaine is on the inside of the body. Cocaine users might not even know that their bodies are injured. One of the types of damage cocaine can cause is internal bleeding, or bleeding on the inside of the body. Cocaine can cause internal bleeding in many different organs. Doctors recognize that cocaine can cause bleeding in the brain, stomach, intestines, lungs and spleen.
Article at a Glance:
When considering how cocaine use can cause internal bleeding, keep the following key points in mind:
- Cocaine use can cause bleeding in many different parts of the body, including the brain, lungs, GI tract and spleen
- Drug interactions between cocaine and drugs that increase bleeding risk may also contribute to internal bleeding
- Internal bleeding is serious and can be fatal
- Emergency medical attention should be sought if internal bleeding is suspected
Cocaine and Bleeding in the Brain
Bleeding in the brain is a potentially deadly effect of cocaine use. Not only does cocaine use increase the risk of brain bleeds and strokes, but brain bleeds from cocaine use are often more serious than other kinds of brain bleeds.
People with brain bleeds from cocaine use werealmost three times more likelyto die from the bleed than people whose bleeds were not linked to cocaine. In addition, even when cocaine users survived their brain bleed, the outcome was often poor. Cocaine users were less likely to have recovered fully by the time of their hospital discharge people with other brain bleeds. Signs of brain bleedingincludesudden-onset:
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- Weakness on one side of the body
- Confusion or problems with speech
- Loss of vision
- Severe headache
- Balance problems
Cocaine and Bleeding in the Stomach or Intestines
Cocaine can cause severe damage to the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. This damage includes not only bleeding but holes in the GI tract and the death of parts of the intestine. Doctors think that cocaine causes this damage by harming the blood vessels. Symptoms of GI damage can start anywhere fromone hour to 48 hoursafter cocaine use. Symptoms of GI bleeding and damage from cocaineinclude:
- Abdominal pain
- Nausea or vomiting
- Bloody diarrhea
Cocaine and Bleeding in the Lungs
Cocaine useis linkedto bleeding in the lungs. This type of bleeding may be common with cocaine use and can be fatal. A study of people who died from cocaine overdose showed thatmore than 70%of them had some degree of lung bleeding. Signs of bleeding in the lungs from cocaine useinclude:
- Coughing up blood
- Shortness of breath
Cocaine and Bleeding in the Spleen
In rare cases, cocaine use can cause the spleen to rupture. Cocaine has a dramatic effect on the spleen and can cause the organ to temporarily shrink by20%. Doctors think that cocaine may cause bleeding in the spleen because of blood pressure changes or because of blood vessel damage. Symptoms of a ruptured spleeninclude:
- Pain on the left side of the abdomen
- Pain in the left shoulder
- Confusion
- Dizziness
How Does Cocaine Cause Internal Bleeding?
Most people recognize cocaine as a drug that affects a person mentally. Cocaine is a widely-known stimulant that causes people to act energetically. Beyond the damage thatsnortingandinjecting cocainecan cause, it’s important to know how cocaine causes internal damage as well. When cocaine is consumed it stimulates thesympathetic nervous system (related to the “fight-or-flight” response that people experience) which limits blood flow and causes the heart to work harder. Such changes in blood flow can have negative effects within the body.These effectsinclude:
- Rapid spikes in blood pressure
- Burst aneurysms, which are weak bulging parts of an artery
- Inflammation and damage to blood vessels
Drug Interactions with Cocaine that Increase Bleeding Risk
Cocaine can also increase the risk of bleeding because of drug interactions. If someone takes certain drugs like blood thinners, using cocaine can be harmful. Cocaine stops the body from breaking down blood thinners, so it lasts longer than it should and increases the risk of bleeding.
Similarly, cocaine has an interaction with some non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Bleeding risk also increases when NSAIDs are mixed with cocaine. Just like with blood thinners, cocaine use leads to a higher bleeding risk by stopping the body from breaking down NSAIDs. NSAIDs include drugs like:
- Ibuprofen
- Meloxicam
- Naproxen
How to Treat Internal Bleeding from Cocaine Use
Internal bleeding is a medical emergency that can lead to death. If you suspect that you or a loved one has internal bleeding, for any reason, you should seek emergency medical attention right away. Internal bleeding cannot be treated at home. Delaying treatment can be fatal.
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