Rec Drugs and Blood Pressure

[silentscience]

Hi

I was wondering about party drugs and their effects on blood pressure and what that means. I know that most drugs ie. coke, mdma, ketamine, oxycontin etc will increase blood pressure quite a bit.

for people who use these drugs frequently, is there a large risk of cardiovascular disease? or is it a short enough time of raised BP to not be a concern?

I mean obviously if youre on drugs 24/7 there's other complications that can arise, but I was just wondering about this issue...

 

[dokomo]

The risk is a bit diffuse, and really depends on the individual drug. Drugs like cocaine are directly toxic to cardiac tissue and increase heart rate and blood pressure. This puts quite a strain on the heart and cardiovascular system. The toxicity is even worse if alcohol is used in addition.

Other drugs that affect blood pressure can be dangerous as well, but the type of danger depends on the extent of use. Normal, moderate recreational use will likely increase blood pressure temporarily, which does put strain on the cardiovascular system. This small increase isn't going to kill you today, but it does do some damage to the cardiovascular system. Smoking is a good example of how small increases in blood pressure can cause significant cardiovascular harm over time.

If one uses heavily enough, blood pressure can be increased to a level that can cause acute harm, although this is more common among drugs like cocaine, methamphetamine, and other stimulants.

If you're health-conscious but use drugs recreationally, I'd encourage you to monitor your blood pressure and keep it in mind when making decisions about use.