Cocaine vs Meth: Which Stimulant Is Stronger and More Addictive?

If someone is abusing methamphetamine, they will often exhibit a wide range of physical, psychological, and behavioral symptoms. But, people tend to develop an addiction lsd overdose lsd overdose treatment signs and symptoms learn more to methamphetamine more quickly. Is there a difference between methamphetamine vs. amphetamine? Find out how these drugs compare and how that difference can affect you.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse reports that the high from both drugs are short-lived. Both drugs are powerfully addictive, and both can lead to overdose. With meth, your adolescent may experience chest pains, respiratory difficulties, and continuous fever. Psychological changes include psychosis, anxiety, and severe depression. In contrast, cocaine might cause paranoia, irritability, and tremors.

Regardless of the nuances, the use of both meth and cocaine has risen to epidemic proportions. Lakeside-Milam recognizes the dangers of stimulant drugs and has designed programs specifically for those combatting this addiction. At our Washington treatment centers, we provide evidence-based treatment for substance use disorders.

1. They may even experience bouts of insomnia that last for days or weeks at a time.
2. Crack cocaine looks like opaque or yellow rocks that vary in shape and size.
3. When you smoke these illicit drugs together, the combination of substances can cause a severe reaction.
4. Its powder form can be snorted, dissolved in water, and injected.
5. Cocaine makes the brain not to reabsorb dopamine, meaning it builds up in the brain thus stepping up the excitatory effects.
6. While they share a few similarities, there are also some important distinctions between them.

For that reason, surrounding yourself with medical professionals is important. Once someone tries for the first time, they may want more of it due to the desirable “high” it produces. Once that wears off, the second hit of meth will be weaker due to the brain being able to release a specific amount of dopamine at once. The more often someone does meth, the potency of it will seem weaker, meaning the brain has become tolerant of the drug. While cocaine and meth are different in many ways, long-term use of either drug can wreak havoc on almost every area of your body. If you or a loved one are addicted, you should always seek support for meth or cocaine addiction from a professional treatment program.

However, the drugs will remain active in your system for their full duration of action. This can mean other effects like sleeplessness, alertness, hypervigilance, and anxiety. As the drugs wear off, you may experience uncomfortable comedown symptoms like insomnia, panic, and paranoia. It only takes about an hour for it to be reduced to half of its concentration in your blood. Meth has a half-life that is much longer—as much as 10 to 12 hours after your last dose. However, that doesn’t mean the euphoric effects of meth will last very long.

Which Is Worse: Coke or Meth?

It can also be taken orally or dissolved into a solution and injected. Cocaine is a stimulant that is derived from the coca plant, which is native to South America. The drug typically appears as a white powder or as small crystals or rocks. Before we discuss what is the difference between cocaine and meth, it can be valuable to take a few moments to discuss each of these substances separately. Our addiction specialists at Spring Hill Recovery Center are available to provide more information about the addiction treatment process and treatment programs in New England.

How Addictive is Meth or Crack?

Under this specific definition, cocaine does not qualify as a narcotic. A controlled substance is a drug regulated by the government. Confusion regarding the definition of “narcotic” how family can play an important role in addiction recovery may stem from different legal definitions of the term. American law enforcement agencies enforce local, state and federal laws which may define narcotic in different ways.

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An addiction to one or both these stimulants can feel impossible to overcome, but there is always hope. Stimulant drugs excite the body’s central nervous system, which controls automatic and life-preserving functions such as breathing, heart rate and blood pressure. Stimulants can make people feel more awake, energized and focused. Treatment is your only option if you’re losing a battle to cocaine or meth addiction. The withdrawal symptoms are severe enough to push you into a deep depression and suicidal thoughts.

Meth and crack are equally dangerous and harmful to your health. Both illicit substances can cause serious health issues, overdose, or death. There are many similarities between the signs of amphetamine abuse and the signs of methamphetamine abuse. But, there are also key differences of which you ought to be aware.

The crystal meth’s ability to rapidly bring about high dopamine levels in the user’s brain produces the “rush,” “flash,” or the euphoric feeling. These two drugs increase dopamine levels by keeping it from being reabsorbed back into the brain’s cells. Meth forces the cells to release more dopamine so levels run considerably higher than with cocaine. This accounts for why a meth “high” lasts so much longer than cocaine’s effects.

Sunshine Behavioral Health strives to help people who are facing substance use disorder, addiction, mental health disorders, or a combination of these conditions. Cocaine is a stimulant drug that is typically mixed with fillers like talcum powder, sugar, or corn starch. However, the body quickly develops a tolerance, which means that individuals will need to increase their dosage or frequency of use to achieve a similar effect. Since they’re both stimulant drugs, treatment for both types of addiction is similar. Treatment programs help you make it through detox and provide behavioral therapies designed to help you learn to manage daily life without the need for the drug. If you or someone you know struggles with a meth or cocaine addiction, it’s never too soon to seek out the needed treatment help.

Not surprisingly, meth withdrawal tends to be more intense than cocaine withdrawal. Meth and cocaine are two of the most dangerous drugs of abuse. Both substances work by stimulating the central nervous system so they produce similar effects. However, when you drill down a little farther, there are significant differences between meth vs coke. Keep reading to find out about their similarities and differences along with some pointers on what to do if you become addicted. If someone that you care about has become addicted to cocaine or meth, please know that help is available.

Meth’s intense effects can also mean more intense side effects like paranoia, sweating, and panic. Your brain then produces less dopamine naturally, which makes it difficult to feel pleasure from activities that don’t involve drugs. Meth, on the other hand, is a synthetic drug made from a variety of chemicals. These substances act as decongestants and appear in numerous cold medications. The survey found that the average meth user in 2016 was a white male with some college experience who did not hold a full-time job. The average cocaine user was a white male with a college degree and a full-time job.

The primary difference is that methamphetamine is able to enter the brain quicker than other amphetamine drugs. For people who abuse meth, the sense of euphoria and other effects are quick and intense. Long-term use of crystal meth can cause extreme loss of weight and severe dental problems. A person may experience intense itching that results in skin sores. It is common for long-term users of methamphetamine to have anxiety, sleeping problems, hallucinations, and violent behaviors. Methamphetamine works by increasing dopamine in an individual’s brain.