Cocaine Cutting Agents - Serenity Lane

Cocaine is popular. In 2019, close to 5.5 million people in the U.S. used cocaine. This has impacted Oregon as well. Based on data from 2015-2016, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration estimated that 2.5% of people 12 years of age and older in Oregon had used cocaine during the past year.

Cocaine is well-known, especially in its white powder form, but what is actually in that powder? Especially recently, illicit substances have been mixed with cocaine and unfortunately have caused more accidental deaths. Let’s discuss what cocaine is “cut” (diluted) with, why those materials are dangerous, and options for treatment for cocaine addiction.

What Is Cocaine?

Table of Contents

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• What Is Cocaine?
• What Are Cocaine’s Effects?
• Long-Term Effects of Cocaine
• Cocaine Cutting Agents
  • Cutting vs. Lacing
• Cocaine Addiction Treatment
  • Cocaine Detox
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
• What Does “Residential” and “Outpatient” Mean?
  • Residential Rehab
  • Outpatient Treatment
• Start Your Recovery Today at Serenity Lane

One of the most popular substances, cocaine is a type of stimulant. Cocaine has been around since the 1850s and comes from South American coca leaves, which have been chewed for centuries for their stimulant effects. Cocaine has famously been used as an ingredient in past forms of Coca-Cola but also has been used as an anesthetic for certain surgeries.

Cocaine is a Schedule II substance. This means that it is an addictive substance but can be given to people by doctors for medical purposes. Cocaine is used in three different ways (smoked and injected are two of them), but the most popular form of cocaine (white powder known as cocaine hydrochloride) is usually snorted.

What Are Cocaine’s Effects?

Cocaine’s effects are usually felt within a few minutes and leave within an hour. Cocaine side effects can be felt even if taking a small amount of the substance for the first time. Some of the short-term effects may include:

• Extreme happiness and energy
• Hypersensitivity to sight, sound, and touch
• Paranoia — extreme and unreasonable distrust of others

The strength of the high depends on how the substance is taken. For example, a cocaine injection will produce a much stronger high, but it will disappear in a much shorter time span, whereas snorting cocaine will have a high that lasts 15 minutes to half an hour. The short-term physiological (biological) effects can include:

• Constricted blood vessels
• Fast heartbeat
• Muscle twitches
• Nausea
• Dilated pupils (dark centers of the eyes are enlarged)

Long-Term Effects of Cocaine

There are long-term effects of cocaine use as well. One of the major long-term effects is tolerance. People who regularly use cocaine start gaining a tolerance for it and take it in higher doses more frequently to produce the same high they got when they first started using the substance.

These higher amounts of cocaine can lead to increased paranoia, restlessness, panic attacks, and can even cause psychosis. Psychosis is a state where the person loses their sense of reality and begins to have hallucinations (seeing and hearing things that aren’t there).

Snorting cocaine long-term can cause:

• Loss of smell
• Nosebleeds
• Runny nose

Long-term cocaine use damages the organs in the body as well. Cocaine can lower the blood flow in the intestines, which could lead to ulcers and tears in the system. It also has effects on the cardiovascular system. Many people with cocaine use disorder (CUD) have reported having chest pains that feel like a heart attack, and there is an increased risk of stroke and ruptures of the aorta (the main artery).

There are also neurological (brain) issues that come with long-term use of cocaine. Brain bleeding can occur, along with bulges in the blood vessels of the brain. It can also cause long-term issues with attention, memory, and making decisions, and there have been issues with motor functioning.

Cocaine’s effects can be increased by other additives called cutting agents.

Cocaine Cutting Agents

Cutting agents are substances used to dilute, or “cut,” cocaine. Cutting agents are usually used so dealers can give less product for the same price, or so a person can get a more significant high. Cutting agents vary, and some are household items. The most common cutting agents are other chalky substances, such as:

• Baking powder
• Talc
• Chalk
• Meat tenderizer

Dealers add these types of cutting agents to make more money by doubling the product, but there are also cutting agents used to produce a more potent high. These illicit substances include:

• Methamphetamine
• Amphetamines
• Heroin (the combination of cocaine and heroin is known as a speedball)

Another common cocaine cutting agent is fentanyl. Fentanyl is a very potent opioid that can cause a high with a small amount. Dealers will cut cocaine with fentanyl because of this fact, but it’s more accurate to say they “lace” their cocaine with fentanyl.

Cutting vs. Lacing

Cutting and lacing are similar. They both involve using another item to make more of a product, but lacing is a bit different. Lacing is adding an illicit substance to get a better high instead of diluting it for a better price. One of the most common drugs cocaine is laced with is fentanyl due to its strength.

Fentanyl-laced cocaine is dangerous. Laced cocaine can cause an overdose even quicker than regular cocaine. This is made more dangerous by the fact that many people using the laced cocaine don’t know that it is laced. This can cause people to overdose and/or become addicted to the substance without even knowing what is causing the addiction.

Fentanyl-laced cocaine is also dangerous because someone may not know which substance caused an overdose. A fentanyl overdose can look like this:

• Smaller pupils
• Difficulty breathing
• Dizziness
• Confusion

A cocaine overdose looks like this:

• Seizures
• Higher blood pressure
• Hallucinations (seeing things that aren’t there)
• Heavy breathing

By the time someone figures out what caused the overdose, it may be too late.

Cocaine Addiction Treatment

Addiction is hard and recovery can be harder, but Serenity Lane can make the journey easier by offering treatment for cocaine addiction. The first part of most treatment plans is detox.

Cocaine Detox

Detox is the process of getting rid of all the cocaine in your body. This can be a physically, mentally, and emotionally draining process, which is why we offer medically supervised detox. Our team of counselors will be able to give you advice and companionship during detox, and our medically trained staff will be there to provide you with medical support, including medications if needed. We understand that you will feel overwhelmed, so we will do everything we can to lighten that feeling.

The physical part of detox will be cocaine withdrawal. This includes the uncomfortable symptoms that come from stopping cocaine use. There are three stages of cocaine withdrawal: the “crash,” withdrawal, and extinction.

The “crash” is the first phase of withdrawal. This starts almost immediately after stopping cocaine use and is marked by:

• Anxiety
• Irritability
• Increased appetite
• This phase lasts about a day and up to a week, and then the withdrawal phase begins.

The withdrawal phase of cocaine withdrawal lasts for about 10 weeks, and the symptoms of this include:

• Fatigue
• Dysphoria (general feeling of discomfort)
• Nightmares (unpleasant dreams)
• Depression

The final phase will be extinction, which is the longest phase.

Extinction is about 28 weeks and is marked by occasional cravings for cocaine and some feelings of discomfort. The cravings typically come from environmental cues.

During this entire process, Serenity Lane will be here to help you, not only by providing you support but by giving you the tools and coping skills needed to recover successfully. You will learn those skills in therapy.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

Cognitive behavioral therapy is often known as the gold standard of therapy. The client will analyze their negative thinking patterns and reevaluate them in light of reality. CBT is known for having “homework.” These are activities done outside therapy sessions and are dependent on the needs of the person. For example, homework for someone with social anxiety could be saying “Hi” to someone they don’t know.

CBT aims to change thinking patterns and behavioral patterns. To change thinking patterns, CBT uses these strategies:

• Gaining a better understanding of the motivations of others
• Learning to develop self-confidence
• Using problem-solving skills to cope with situations

The behavioral strategies that CBT uses are:

• Facing one’s fears instead of avoiding them
• Learning to relax one’s mind and body
• Using role-play to prepare for interactions with others

CBT works best when the client shares all of their feelings. This can be difficult, but it will help you get the most out of therapy in the long run.

Serenity Lane also offers group therapy and contingency management/motivational therapy, which uses a prize-based system that rewards healthy habits like abstaining from substance use. All of these therapies will be offered according to your treatment plan, and that plan can either be residential or outpatient.

What Does “Residential” and “Outpatient” Mean?

These are treatment options that Serenity Lane offers. Both of these treatment options will be discussed before the detox process. Every client is different, so what works for one client may not work for another. Let’s discuss residential treatment first.

Residential Rehab

Also called inpatient treatment, residential treatment is a form of treatment where the client will live at the treatment facility for a period of time. This form of treatment is best for those who are severely addicted to cocaine and have a much higher physical dependence on it. Residential treatment offers different perks such as recreational activities and a fitness center as these can help build clients' self-esteem more.

There are two forms of residential treatment: short-term rehab and long-term rehab. Short-term residential treatment lasts a few weeks up to a month and is more intensive because of the shorter time frame. That way, clients can get what they need from treatment within that short time frame.

Long-term residential treatment is mainly for clients with a very high physical dependency, and the length of the program depends entirely on the needs of the client. This treatment focuses more on integrating clients back into society and taking more time to teach coping skills and interpersonal communication.

Outpatient Treatment

When you still have to provide for your family, treatment can feel even more difficult to balance with other aspects of your life. This is why Serenity Lane offers two types of outpatient treatment.

In Level I outpatient programming, clients meet for an hour and a half a week to work on stress management and coping with early recovery. Our Level II intensive outpatient program meets for three hours three days a week. This is also ideally what will occur after a client finishes inpatient treatment. This treatment plan offers many of the same services that our inpatient program does, including different forms of therapy. Our outpatient treatment services are now also offered virtually, in order to offer our clients more flexibility.

Start Your Recovery Today at Serenity Lane

Addiction is hard, but we know you can make it through. We are here to help our clients live their best lives by empowering them to overcome addiction. With locations throughout Oregon, our treatment facilities offer customized programs, evidence-based therapies, and a team of medically trained staff who will be here to support you every step of the way. Call (800) 543-9905 to learn more about treatment options.