Cocaine Hydrochloride

A Cocaine Hydrochloride is a tropane alkaloid that is a hydrochloride salt.

• AKA: [math]\displaystyle{ C^{17}H^{22}ClN^{O4} }[/math], Benzoylmethylecgonine.
• Context:
  • It can block the enzyme that breaks down dopamine.
  • It can be extracted from the leaves of two coca species native to South America (Erythroxylum coca and Erythroxylum novogranatense).
  • It can be an addictive stimulant drug, and considered to be a Schedule II Drug.
  • It can include Physical Effects of: fast heart rate, sweating, and dilated pupils, high blood pressure or high body temperature.
  • It can be used as a synthetic local anesthetic.
  • It can range from being a water-soluble hydrochloride salt to being a water-insoluble cocaine base.
  • …
• Example(s):
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• Counter-Example(s):
  • Atropine Hydrochloride.
  • Scopolamine Hydrochloride.
  • Amphetamine.
  • Modafinil.
  • Methylphenidate/Ritilin.
  • Methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV),
• See: Quinine, Stimulant, Local Anesthetic, tropane alkaloid.

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References

2022

• (Wikipedia, 2022) ⇒ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cocaine Retrieved:2022-9-28.
  • Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechua: kúka) is a stimulant drug obtained from the leaves of two Coca species native to South America, Erythroxylum coca and Erythroxylum novogranatense. After extraction from coca leaves and further processing into cocaine hydrochloride (powdered cocaine), the drug may be snorted, heated until sublimated and then inhaled, or dissolved and injected into a vein. Cocaine stimulates the reward pathway in the brain. Mental effects may include an intense feeling of happiness, sexual arousal, loss of contact with reality, or agitation. Physical effects may include a fast heart rate, sweating, and dilated pupils. High doses can result in high blood pressure or high body temperature. Effects begin within seconds to minutes of use and last between five and ninety minutes. As cocaine also has numbing and blood vessel constriction properties, it is occasionally used during surgery on the throat or inside of the nose to control pain, bleeding, and vocal cord spasm. Cocaine crosses the blood-brain barrier via a proton-coupled organic cation antiporter and (to a lesser extent) via passive diffusion across cell membranes. Cocaine blocks the dopamine transporter, inhibiting reuptake of dopamine from the synaptic cleft into the pre-synaptic axon terminal; the higher dopamine levels in the synaptic cleft increase dopamine receptor activation in the post-synaptic neuron, causing euphoria and arousal. Cocaine also blocks the serotonin transporter and norepinephrine transporter, inhibiting reuptake of serotonin and norepinephrine from the synaptic cleft into the pre-synaptic axon terminal and increasing activation of serotonin receptors and norepinephrine receptors in the post-synaptic neuron, contributing to the mental and physical effects of cocaine exposure. A single dose of cocaine induces tolerance to the drug's effects. Repeated use is likely to result in cocaine addiction. Addicts who abstain from cocaine experience cocaine craving and drug withdrawal, with depression, decreased libido, decreased ability to feel pleasure and fatigue. Use of cocaine increases the overall risk of death and intravenous use particularly increases the risk of trauma and infectious diseases such as blood infections and HIV. It also increases risk of stroke, heart attack, cardiac arrhythmia, lung injury (when smoked), and sudden cardiac death. Illicitly sold cocaine is commonly adulterated with local anesthetics, levamisole, cornstarch, quinine, or sugar, which can result in additional toxicity. In 2017, the Global Burden of Disease study found that cocaine use caused around 7300 deaths annually world-wide.

2021

• (NIH, 2021) ⇒ https://nida.nih.gov/publications/research-reports/cocaine/what-cocaine
  • QUOTE: Cocaine is a powerfully addictive stimulant drug. For thousands of years, people in South America have chewed and ingested coca leaves (Erythroxylon coca), the source of cocaine, for their stimulant effects., The purified chemical, cocaine hydrochloride, was isolated from the plant more than 100 years ago. In the early 1900s, purified cocaine was the main active ingredient in many tonics and elixirs developed to treat a wide variety of illnesses. Before the development of synthetic local anesthetic, surgeons used cocaine to block pain. However, research has since shown that cocaine is a powerfully addictive substance that can alter brain structure and function if used repeatedly.

    Today, cocaine is a Schedule II drug, which means that it has high potential for abuse but can be administered by a doctor for legitimate medical uses, such as local anesthesia for some eye, ear, and throat surgeries. Dealers often dilute (or “cut”) it with non-psychoactive substances such as cornstarch, talcum powder, flour, or baking soda to increase their profits. They may also adulterate cocaine with other drugs like procaine (a chemically related local anesthetic) or amphetamine (another psychoactive stimulant)., Some users combine cocaine with heroin.

    People abuse two chemical forms of cocaine: the water-soluble hydrochloride salt and the water-insoluble cocaine base (or freebase). Users inject or snort the hydrochloride salt, which is a powder. The base form of cocaine is created by processing the drug with ammonia or sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) and water, then heating it to remove the hydrochloride to produce a smokable substance.

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