Does taking cocaine cause arrhythmia?

pepito · Newbie Joined: 15 Dec 2006 Posts: 5

Hi, good people. A close friend of mine is taking cocaine. I am trying to talk him out of it, but I don’t have much success. I would like to know if taking cocaine can cause arrhythmia. I ask this because I know he had some heart problems. I would really appreciate your replies.

ikey · Newbie Joined: 12 Aug 2004 Posts: 8

Hi to you too. Cocaine is very bad for your health. You should try to talk your friend into rehab. I know it won’t be easy. As far as I know, cocaine can cause some fatal arrhythmias. This can be caused by other inhalants. Therefore, your friend should be careful, especially if he has a history in heart illness. I am not familiar with the details. You can talk to a doctor in the nearest health center. He will know where to find the nearest rehab center. I hope everything will be all right. Good luck!

anatrue · Newbie Joined: 26 Sep 2008 Posts: 6

I have my own personal experience taking cocaine and at one point I simply ingested too much in addition to smoking pot and ended up with whats called superventricular tachycardia. This hurts like hell and can last up to an hour but for me I think it only lasted a few minutes or so. Things were going from blurry to white so it's impssible for me to clearly judge how long I was going through this. However, for months after that I had constant chest pain and pretty much some type of post traumatic stress syndrome. I wouldn't ride a bike or walk fast because it would make my heart beat faster and I was scared I'd go back into the tachycardia again. It's been about three years now that I've been off cocaine, credited only to myself, and I still experience arrythmias and palpitations. I've had echocardiograms done but they show no damage. Still, at least two to three time a day, my heart will...the only way i can describe it is like trying to start a car. It starts to turn but just won't and coughs and flutters. They last for a couple seconds and it feels like my heart is sinking but they go away. I'm not going to sugar coat anything with your friend because I spent years addicted to cocaine and lost my whole life so let me give you one more example of what cocaine does to your body. If he or she snorts it, ask to look at the razor blade (if thats what they use). You'll see after only a few days, it becomes covered in rust. You gotta think if cocaine will do that to metal, imagine what it does to your internal organs. Cocaine numbs your whole body and is the best thing in the world at the time to disable any stressful thoughts or feelings. My guess is that your friend had or has an issue now or from years passed that he or she can't or won't come to terms with and found that cocaine leveled out or disregarded the pain, if only for a minute or two. But once you've figured out that you can make the pain go away, it's hard to stop using the coke and face reality. But it's possible of course. Don't bombard your friend with accusations or try to tell him or her that their life is over and whatever you do, don't yell. You will only make things worse. Your best bet is to stay calm and try to find the root of the problem. Sometimes it's all in their head and someday they'll have to figure it out in their own. Or perhaps this is just some sort of temporary experimentation and your friend will just get sick of it and move on to the next drug of choice. It's hard to say what people will do when you're riding the D train and part of the drug culture. I spent too many years there and it's pretty cool living life for real and not trying to cover up all the bullshit that comes with it. Good luck to you and your friend,
Liz

Does taking cocaine cause arrhythmia?

LIFEFORM SOCIAL COMMUNITY NETWORK