Cocaine Bullshit-free advice on cocaethylene and first time coke deaths

[adamn]

Hi there, i don't really like Coke, makes me feel shitty the next day. But I was wondering out of curiousity how likely it is that people take it with alcohol and create cocaethylene and how likely it is that someone would die on their first time?

I can't find any info on the net that isn't by the government or any other unbiased source.

 

[brutus]

Cocaethylene is much more toxic than alcohol or cocaine when used alone. It's also dangerous to mix CNS depressants with CNS stimulants due to a number of factors such as stress on your heart. Cocaethylene is horrible for your body. No one can say for sure the likelihood of someone dying from the first time combining coke and alcohol, but there's been a few deaths of people that have died after consuming the two substances for the first time together.

 

[cj]

I used to mix coke and alcohol all the time with no adverse effects.

 

[brutus]

^ That doesn't mean that it's safe.

 

[pbuilder]

Cocaethylene is much more toxic than alcohol or cocaine when used alone. It's also dangerous to mix CNS depressants with CNS stimulants due to a number of factors such as stress on your heart. is horrible for your body. No one can say for sure the likelihood of someone dying from the first time combining coke and alcohol, but there's been a few deaths of people that have died after consuming the two substances for the first time together.

I thought this was a total myth... They don't play tug-o-war with your heart from my understanding but rather just settle at a median. I've actually read it is safer, which would make sense as the first thing they administer for rapid heart beat in a hospital is a benzo.

 

[NeighborhoodThreat]

Alcohol + stimulants is a special case however. It is well-known that mixing stimulants and opioids or stimulants and benzodiazepines, for example, is safe. Alcohol is a bit more complicated.

Either way, cocaine + ethyl alcohol = cocaethylene, which, as has already been mentioned, is more cardiotoxic than cocaine by itself...regardless if the whole "CNS stimulants + CNS depressants is a tug of war on your heart" theory is true or not - mixing alcohol and cocaine is still dangerous.

A lot of people drink alcohol on cocaine and that doesn't mean its safe. Just play it safe when combining these two drugs.

 

[brutus]

Comorbid abuse of cocaine and alcohol is a common occurrence. Cocaethylene, the ethyl ester of benzoylecgonine, is an active metabolite formed as a result of simultaneous use of these substances. In humans, the concurrent ingestion of cocaine and alcohol, with resulting cocaethylene formation, has been associated with enhanced subjective euphoria, increased heart rate and increased plasma cocaine concentration. These findings suggest that cocaethylene may play a role in the morbidity and mortality associated with concurrent cocaine/alcohol abuse. This placebo-controlled, double-blinded study examined the behavioral and physiological effects and pharmacokinetics of intranasal cocaethylene administration in humans (n = 8), using cocaine as a comparator. Cocaethylene administration resulted in a euphoria similar to that produced by cocaine, although the effects differed significantly over time. Subjects were unable to distinguish between equimolar doses of cocaine and cocaethylene, although cocaethylene appeared to be eliminated more slowly than cocaine. Cardiovascular effects of cocaethylene and cocaine were similar. These findings are considered in light of the epidemiology and possible consequences of cocaine and alcohol abuse.

_source

 

[pbuilder]

Alcohol + stimulants is a special case however. It is well-known that mixing stimulants and opioids or stimulants and benzodiazepines, for example, is safe. Alcohol is a bit more complicated.

Either way, cocaine + ethyl alcohol = cocaethylene, which, as has already been mentioned, is more cardiotoxic than cocaine by itself...regardless if the whole "CNS stimulants + CNS depressants is a tug of war on your heart" theory is true or not - mixing alcohol and cocaine is still dangerous.

A lot of people drink alcohol on cocaine and that doesn't mean its safe. Just play it safe when combining these two drugs.

I'm aware of the dangers of cocaine and alcohol, what I bolded appears to be a vague statement that isn't talking about coke + alcohol, but rather all stim and depressant combos.

 

[NeighborhoodThreat]

Indeed. Let's stay on topic

wiggi's post above yours is gold.

 

[cj]

^ That doesn't mean that it's safe.

true but nothing is 100 percent safe.

 

[Swimmingdancer]

^Of course nothing is 100% safe, I thought what wiggi meant was that a particular person doing something risky and not dying doesn't mean it can't kill you. When you say I did it all the time and I was fine, people on here might assume that means that it's not dangerous, or that they will have the same results as you. People have definitely died from using cocaine while drinking alcohol.

There is a consensus that cocaine + alcohol is much more likely to kill you than either cocaine or alcohol alone. As wiggi said, we can't know the precise likelihood of someone dying from their very first time combining cocaine and alcohol though, there is no data on that.

Cocaethylene has been found in high levels in the blood of victims of fatal drug overdose, in fact more fatalities involving cocaine have detectable levels of cocaethylene than do not. When cocaine and ethanol are taken together, effects are both stronger and longer, and heart rate is significantly increased, compared to administration of cocaine or ethanol alone [source]. This subjects the heart and liver to a prolonged period of stress - some of the recorded deaths from cocaine+alcohol occur up to 12 hours after use.

The main causes of sudden death from cocaine use are central nervous syndrome seizures and hyperthermia, or cardiotoxicity.

Different sources have different statistics on the likelihood of sudden death from cocaethylene in comparison to cocaine alone, saying it is anywhere from 2 times as likely to cause death to 30 times as likely. Most say around 15-20 times.

A study on acute cocaine/ethanol administration in mice says:

In the combined cocaine-ethanol group, the total frequency of death was significantly increased (86%) as compared to the cocaine group (40%). [Source]

This report says:

TThe most commonly recited effect of cocaethylene, as given in a 1990 New Scientist article, asserts that “When cocaine and alcohol are taken together, the combination is 21 times more likely to kill people with severe heart problems than cocaine on its own.” Whilst this statistic has been disputed, there is broad consensus that the effect of cocaethylene increases the risk of cardiac problems and other possible effects such as seizures and liver damage. It has also been linked to an increased risk of violent and impulsive behaviour.

*check that last report out for a whole bunch more good info on combining cocaine and alcohol.

 

[BlueHues]

Yeah, I always thought this whole cocaethylene thing seemed kind of like '80s anti-drug propaganda....I never did an independent study, so I don't know, but I'd say a good percentage of regular cocaine users almost always mix the coke with alcohol. A lot of powder cocaine dealers seem to their business around bars/pubs.
IME, it more applies to using cocaine when you're falling down, about to pass out drunk.....That's when I've experienced a lot of weird cardiac shit....
I hate people who just quote other sources and claim to know exactly what they're talking about....You're just going on second hand information....Anyone could die at any time......
Nobody can use cocaine with a guarantee of safety under any circumstances...Be careful and limit your intake of both substances.

Or better yet, don't use drugs that have the potential to be harmful/fatal.
Len Bias...