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Can you still live long after abusing cocaine for many years?

metalsman

Greenlighter
Joined
Mar 3, 2015
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I'm wondering if anyone else worries about their health, specifically the effects of cocaine to their heart. I worry about early death because of this. My doctor said that most of the bad effects of cocaine are the ones during use and soon after, not long term. But, other research says there is possible permanent damage to the cardiovascular system. I wonder if anyone out there is living into their seventies after using cocaine for a decade or more.
Thanks!
 
I'm wondering if anyone else worries about their health, specifically the effects of cocaine to their heart. I worry about early death because of this. My doctor said that most of the bad effects of cocaine are the ones during use and soon after, not long term. But, other research says there is possible permanent damage to the cardiovascular system. I wonder if anyone out there is living into their seventies after using cocaine for a decade or more.
Thanks!

Yes you can live long. Don't be afraid. Even people with permanent cardiovascular damage can live long. It depends on a lot of things. Stress, smoking, and eating unhealthy are bigger threats to your physical health than the past cocaine use is.

That said, you can die tomorrow. You don't think an amoeba traveled here on a space rock and evolved into you, now do you? Even if it did (lol), that would be very miraculous. Are you afraid that death is the end? We do have proof that it is not, in the form of prophecy. If you are afraid of dying, send me a PM.

It's not when you die. It's what happens next. Death can be a good thing. I just hope mine is quick, and after my kids are full grown.
 
Yes you can live long, on the other hand you might not. That's the best anyone can tell you without the appropriate screening.


My doctor said that most of the bad effects of cocaine are the ones during use and soon after, not long term. But, other research says there is possible permanent damage to the cardiovascular system


I haven't been able to find any research looking at persistent cocaine induced cardiovascular damage, did you read something in particular that suggests permanent damage?
 
Yes, like what everybody else said.
Unless you are into pushing the dosage envelope and also IV'ing it or have some pre-existing heart condition.
 
I been thinking about the same thing and would like to ask a question.

Ofc chronic cocaine use causes ventricular hypertrophy due to the stress it puts on the heart etc... But, how could that be bad? What would be the difference between chronic stimulant use induced cardiac hypertrophy and sports induced (athlete's heart, which is generally considered a benign condition)?
 
Usually excercise doesn't result in systematic vasoconstriction like stimulants do. Exercise doesn't interfere with heart rhythm either.
 
but the vasoconstriction is only happening while the stimulant is taking effect, no 'residual' blood-pressure problems from stimulant use right?

and also by interfering with heart rhythm you mean coke messing up the electrical system of the heart? because other stimulants don't do that

is there any difference in an hypertrophic heart of a (former) stimulant abuser and an athlete?
 
After years of being chronically on any medication that vasoconstricts, the intrinsic muscles of your blood vessels grow thicker, in order to more thriftily accommodate the constant commands they're receiving, through their catecholamine receptors, to contract. This smooth muscle hypertrophy is not reversible, and accounts in some part for the "hardening of arteries", and stubbornly high blood pressure, seen in long term smokers and people on chronic steroids.

With this increased systemic vascular resistance, your heart has to work harder to create a pressure head strong enough to perfuse the whole body (miles of blood vessels!), making it much more likely to distort or even eventually fail. And your odds of a vessel rupture and aneurysm are much higher, if you happen to have an inborn defect in the walls of any blood vessel -- that's like running a very high volume of water through a cracked hose.

So I guess it depends what you mean by cocaine abuse. If you're under the influence of cocaine all day every day for decades, I'd say your odds of dying are probably appreciably elevated, especially when you consider that most people who use cocaine (or amphetamines) in a pattern like this do not tend to be otherwise vigilant stewards of their body's health. (Why does an indefeatable superhero need to work out, quit smoking and drinking, and eat well, after all?) I'll grant that someone who otherwise optimizes their care of their health, for whom heavy coke use is nearly their only bodily vice, can probably significantly lower their risk of serious adverse health outcomes and early death. But probably not to the levels of someone who does all that good stuff and never touches coke.

On the other hand, I have reason to believe that very moderate, occasional use of drugs that vasoconstrict and raise systemic blood pressure is probably not all that dangerous for someone who is in otherwise excellent cardiovascular health. After all, your vascular muscle tone (and blood pressure, consequently) naturally fluctuate a lot over the course of a day or a week, in neurohormonal response to all sorts of natural stimuli. It's prolonged and frequent vasoconstriction that gets people into trouble.
 
I have read that in terms of statistical modeling of mortality, an ex-smoker's risk for death of fatal heart disease falls to that of a never-smoker in fifteen years (while controlling for relevant covariates). If some of the damage is permanent, how could this be? Also, is this analogous to the damage wrought by classical stimulants?

ebola
 
Honestly, the strss and worry you have about it is more likely to turn it into a self fullfilling prophecy. Stress can shave years off your life.
 
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