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Signs & Symptoms of a Crack User

Crack, a form of cocaine, is a recreational drug that can have severe effects upon a user even over the short term. The addictive nature of the drug makes it difficult for many to escape after only short-term use, however. The longer the drug is used, the more severe the signs and symptoms of use will be, and death can eventually occur as a result.

  1. Physical Signs

    • Over time, a crack user's body begins to deteriorate. This is manifested in the overall weakening of the body. Many crack users experience severe weight loss. Coughing and lung infections are common due to the weak and damaged state that smoking crack leaves lungs in. When on a binge, crack users often neglect all personal hygiene and health, including eating. This can leave them extremely malnourished and prone to illnesses or infections.

    Mental Health

    • There are many mental symptoms that people who are using crack exhibit. These symptoms tend to worsen with increasing use. Restlessness and irritability are the mildest of these symptoms. As the addiction progresses, users can start to become paranoid and feel anxious. Those who suffer from the most severe mental symptoms will actually begin to hear things. They are diagnosed as paranoid psychotics as the result of their crack use.

    Personality Changes

    • Emotional health is tied to mental health, but does include some separate symptoms. An individual's personality is likely to change as a result of crack use. Depression is very common in long-term crack users. Users report how hard it is to feel happy when they are between highs, and state they are often depressed until they can use again. Dependency on any drug also changes a people's personalities, as they tend to become withdrawn and focused exclusively on their habit.

    Long-Term Signs

    • Some symptoms may develop in long-term crack users that signal that the addict has fallen very deeply under the spell of the drug. Conditions such lung cancer, according to UCLA professor Dr. Sanford Barsky, and emphysema (See References 5) may appear in long term users. Eventually, the weakness and damage inflicted on the body can lead to heart attack and stroke. The longer a user is on the drug, the less interest he will express in the other elements of his life. This includes things such as family, career and even sex.

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