Can You Eat Cocaine? Risks, Effects, and What Happens When You Ingest Coke

Eating coke isn’t that common, but some people do it.

Ingesting cocaine orally only delays its effects, but it holds the same risk as other methods of consuming it.

Cocaine users can suffer from damage to the central nervous system, mental health problems, and an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases. Not to mention, the habit usually develops into substance abuse disorder, which increases the risk of a cocaine overdose.

To give you a better understanding of the effects of cocaine use, we’ll describe what eating it does to the brain, how it affects the entire body, and what detox is like.

Can You Eat Coke?

Well, it’s not a matter of whether you can, but whether you should.

Anyone can eat anything as long as it’s chewable, but the consequences? That’s where it gets different.

Eating cocaine like some people do causes it to pass through the digestive system before it hits the bloodstream. It’ll go through the stomach and intestines, and from there, it’ll be absorbed into the bloodstream through the GI tract.

Since the digestive route is slow, the drug gets less efficient as it passes through. On top of that, a big chunk of the drug gets broken down by the liver before it hits the bloodstream, reducing its potency.

That doesn’t make it any less dangerous, though. The delayed effects often lead to overdoses because the rush takes some time to hit. Additionally, the drug passing through the digestive system can cause severe damage to it.

The conclusion? Eating coke leads to a less intense high that lasts longer.

Risks and Potential Effects of Eating Coke

People who eat coke are at a higher risk of an overdose because of the delayed effect. When the rush doesn’t hit instantly, people will usually consume more, unknowingly causing an overdose.

Aside from overdosing, eating coke messes with the digestive tract, potentially causing tears and ulcers. In severe cases, it may cause bowel ischemia or complete GI damage.

Not only that, but the drug passing through the liver can also mess with it due to the processed toxins.

What Eating Coke Does to Your Brain

Whether you’re eating coke or consuming it any other way, the effects on your brain are the same. The intensity and the duration of the rush may differ, but the risks? Not so much.

When a person consumes coke, dopamine is released into the brain. Since cocaine blocks the reuptake of dopamine, it builds up rather than being recycled like it should. This causes an intense feeling of euphoria and energy.

Cocaine not only blocks the reuptake of dopamine, but also norepinephrine and serotonin. The former increases alertness, blood pressure, and heart rate, while the latter is responsible for mood regulation.

When all these neurotransmitters build up in the brain, they contribute to the rush. And when this keeps happening with repeated consumption, it can lead to high tolerance.

When you develop a tolerance for cocaine, you eventually need more to achieve the same effect, increasing the risks.

Aside from increasing tolerance, repeated consumption of cocaine also damages neurons, disrupts normal dopamine production, and leads to depression and anxiety.

Different Ways of Coke Consumption and Their Effects

Though eating cocaine comes with plenty of risks, like gastrointestinal damage, it’s somehow safer than other methods of substance use.

Here’s a rundown of different ways of coke consumption and how their effects differ:

Snorting Cocaine

Snorting cocaine causes the drug to get absorbed through the nasal mucosa, which happens faster than if it were digested. The high will be more intense compared to eating coke, but less intense compared to other methods.

It’ll take around 15–30 minutes for the rush to wear off.

Though this method is the most common, it leads to severe nasal damage and a faster heart rate, which may cause the blood pressure to spike. It also has a higher addiction potential than oral consumption because of the intense effects.

Injecting Cocaine

Injecting cocaine is one of the most dangerous ways of consuming it. The drug gets absorbed immediately into the bloodstream with 100% bioavailability, which leads to a pretty intense rush that can last for up to an hour.

The risks of injecting cocaine are endless. For starters, it has an extremely high risk of overdose because it doesn’t get processed through any organ before entering the blood.

On top of that, a non-sterile needle can cause HIV, hepatitis, or a load of other infections. Not to mention, frequent injections may lead to vascular damage and collapsed veins.

Smoking Crack

Crack cocaine is the base form of cocaine that can be smoked, and it’s said to be the most addictive form of the infamous drug.

Smoking crack causes it to be absorbed into the body rapidly through the lungs, which leads to a very intense rush. Naturally, this makes it more addictive than other methods of consumption, and it doesn’t come without risks.

Smoking cocaine can cause severe respiratory damage and commonly leads to overdoses.

Aside from injecting, smoking cocaine may be the most dangerous form of consuming it. The high only lasts for 5–10 minutes, which causes people to repeatedly smoke, eventually leading to addiction.

Short-Term Effects of Eating or Consuming Cocaine

Eating cocaine causes some short-term effects that usually kick in within an hour of consuming it. With other methods of consumption, these effects may take less time to appear. Here’s a rundown:

• Dilated pupils
• High body temperature
• Increased heart rate and blood pressure
• Constricted blood vessels
• Reduced appetite and nausea
• Erratic and violent acts

Because cocaine causes constricted blood vessels, it causes reduced appetite, nausea, and possibly stomach pain. Additionally, the restricted blood flow along with the high blood pressure may pose the risk of a heart attack.

As for behavioral effects, cocaine causes dopamine to be released into the brain, which may cause a feeling of invincibility, leading to erratic and violent acts.

Long-Term Effects of Eating or Consuming Cocaine

It doesn’t matter whether cocaine is eaten, injected, or smoked. The long-term effects of drug use are mostly the same, but some people develop symptoms much faster than others.

Here’s a roundup of the health risks associated with abusing cocaine:

Respiratory Problems

Cocaine restricts oxygen entering the bloodstream and damages blood capillaries. These effects can cause plenty of serious respiratory problems, including pneumonia and acute respiratory distress. For people with chronic conditions like asthma, the risk is even higher.

Nasal Structure Damage

People who snort cocaine are highly susceptible to nasal structure damage. When cocaine gets absorbed through the nose, it can cause damage to the soft tissue, leading to a perforated septum in severe cases.

Snorting can also damage the upper palate of the mouth and cause less blood flow to the nose.

If someone keeps abusing cocaine long enough, they might lose their sense of smell and suffer from constant nosebleeds.

Higher Risk of Heart Attacks

Cocaine abuse increases the risk of blood clots due to restricted blood flow, increasing the risk of pulmonary embolisms, heart attacks, and even strokes, which are all fatal.

Since the drug also increases blood pressure, it can lead to aortic ruptures and mess with the heart’s ability to contract.

Digestive System Damage

Whether it’s snorted or eaten, the use of cocaine can cause severe damage to the digestive system. Since it restricts blood flow to the stomach, it may lead to tears and ulcers. In addition to that, it causes inflammation of the large intestines, increasing the risk of ischemic colitis.

Impairing Cognitive Function

Long-term cocaine abuse can have disastrous effects on a person’s cognitive function. It messes with the attention span, motor skills, decision-making skills, and impulse inhibition.

Not only that, but it also causes depression and anxiety when the drug’s effect wears out.

Aside from cognitive damage, consistent cocaine use also causes less oxygen to reach the brain. This can increase the risk of brain aneurysms, seizures, strokes, and even cerebral atrophy.

The First Step of Cocaine Addiction Treatment: Detox

To recover from cocaine abuse, the first step in treatment is usually complete detoxification, which can be simplified in three phases.

The first phase is the crash, which happens when the drug’s effect wears out. During this phase, the withdrawal symptoms will present in stress, insomnia, and maybe intense cravings. It can last up to two days, but it usually lasts for a shorter amount of time.

The second phase is withdrawal, which usually ranges from one to four weeks, depending on how long you’ve been abusing cocaine. This is the most critical phase of detox, and the symptoms usually need medical attention.

The last phase is the extinction period, which happens when the withdrawal symptoms subside. They don’t go away completely, but they’re usually less intense.

This phase is the longest out of the three, usually lasting for a few months. It also holds the highest risk of relapse.

At Long Island Interventions, we can help you start detox and explore the treatment options available for your drug abuse disorder. We’re only a phone call away: (855) 701-3738

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Published on: 2025-06-30
Updated on: 2025-06-30