Symptoms of Crack Cocaine Use

Crack is a solid form of cocaine. Unlike powder cocaine, it is smoked. According to WebMD, cocaine is the most abused drug in the United States. Symptoms vary greatly depending on users, but can be generally categorized into appearance, physical symptoms, behavior, social problems and medical issues.

General Appearance

• Someone who uses crack cocaine has no concern for his physical appearance, often times wearing ragged, dirty clothing. Burns on hands and mouth are usually noticeable.

Physical Symptoms

• A crack user who is coming off a high sweats profusely and has extremely dilated pupils. She may also be skinny or rapidly losing weight, but not always.

Behavior

• Crack users tend to have erratic behavior including rapid speech, extreme mood swings, and insomnia followed by extreme exhaustion.

Social Problems

• The life of a crack user becomes chaotic as he is unable to hold a job, experiences legal problems, and discards relationships in order to keep using.

Medical Issues

• Short-term problems from crack use include high blood pressure, insomnia, faster heart rate and decreased appetite. Crack can be a contributing factor in heart attacks and strokes and prolonged usage can lead to more serious problems, such as paranoia, hallucination and bowel gangrene.