Cocaine remains a popular drug, whether for parties or other recreational activities. 

The white powder offers an easy high. Documentaries have romanticized the drug, showing the history behind its foray into popular culture. 

However, it often goes undocumented what happens after the drug exits your body – this is the side not many wish to discuss. 

Regardless, it's an essential aspect of the drug that needs to be addressed. As with many drugs, there’s an associated period of readjustment; in this case, the cocaine comedown is very real. 

What is a cocaine hangover?

A cocaine hangover, also called a cocaine comedown, results from your body readjusting after the drug exits your system. 

Similar to excessive alcohol consumption, a comedown is not a pleasant experience. Your body responds to the influences of the drug while on it and similarly must compensate for those changes after the drug exits your system. You may experience several physical side effects after you partake of the drug, but why?

Cocaine is a stimulant, causing blood vessels to expand and your brain to release various hormones that boost your mood. 

After this flood of hormones, your body adjusts back to equilibrium, leaving your brain and body scrambling to make up for these sudden changes. 

When returning to normal, your body undergoes many changes all at once, leaving you feeling hungover physically and mentally.

In many cases, individuals who use cocaine often try to mitigate their cocaine hangover by utilizing more of the drug, which only delays the inevitable. In the long run, your body will eventually return to normal. 

Still, extended use of the drug could create additional problems, such as setting you up for experiencing withdrawals from the drug. Withdrawals are similar to cocaine hangovers but are often more severe and take longer to get through.

Now that you know what the phenomenon is, the big question on everyone’s mind is obvious: how long do I have to deal with the cocaine hangover?

How long can a cocaine hangover last?

Much like other drugs, a cocaine comedown may impact you differently than others. It truly does depend on the person, so your symptoms may differ from other users. In some cases, the hangover can be severe, while others are hardly impacted – it's genuinely unique and varies.

Because it is such an individual experience, it’s hard to put a definite timeline on the amount of time it takes to recover. Some may be back to normal in just a few hours, while others may be impacted for as long as a day.

If you use the drug in combination with other drugs, this can impact the duration and severity of the aftereffects. Combining alcohol and cocaine can result in the double whammy of hangovers, leading to potentially prolonged discomfort as a result.

This can also potentially lead to more dangerous side effects, such as liver damage or even death. Besides those, there are some additional physical aftereffects that you may need to be aware of, both before and after you partake of the party drug.

What are some of the physical effects of cocaine?

A cocaine comedown can manifest several physical effects that make the experience not so enjoyable. Typically, you may exhibit symptoms like the following:

 

•       A sore face and jaw – Cocaine can cause individuals to clench their jaws or grind their teeth; as a result, soreness can occur. This clenching can also cause headaches as the drug exits the system. Extreme examples also include dental damage as a result of this clenching and gnashing.
•       Chest tightness – As a stimulant, the drug increases heart rate, potentially leading to irregular heartbeat or chest tightness. This is highly common due to the nature of the drug.
•       Sweating – Similar to chest tightness, because the drug impacts certain areas of the brain and body, it can be expected that a cocaine user will likely sweat. The increase, as mentioned earlier in heart rate, can cause your body to sweat.
•       Nasal dryness – Because the drug is typically taken nasally, you may feel congested or, conversely, have a runny nose. This has to do with the impact of the drug on the blood vessels in your nostrils. As they return to normal, it may feel dry or like your nose is constantly running.

These symptoms are but a few that are expected to show up after using cocaine. As mentioned before, each case is very individualized, so additional symptoms may not be listed above.  

Some other examples include symptoms associated with other hangovers, including sensitivity to light, inability to sleep, and others. 

Likewise, you may exhibit some symptoms or none at all; this is just the nature of how the drug interacts with your body.

 

While not the greatest feeling, there are several ways to mitigate your discomfort as you recover. Unfortunately, the greatest cure is often just time, but several tips and tricks can ease your suffering as you come down from experience.

Tips to get over the hangover

While there’s no magic bullet for getting over the cocaine hangover, there are several ways to ease your suffering as your body returns to normal. Some ways that help lessen the aftereffects include the following:

Try Reset IV Hydration Therapy: This easy-to-use system will boost your hydration and vitamin levels almost immediately, providing your body with a starter kit on the way to recovery. 

Reset IV has tailored therapies depending on your circumstances, and our process entails consultation with a medical professional, ensuring that you are in good hands. 

After using Reset IV, your body will thank you.

Drink lots of water: By staying hydrated, you’re helping your body by providing it with ample water to ease back into homeostasis. Your organs will surely appreciate the extra hydration, which is needed for proper organ function. Water is always essential, but even more so when recovering from a cocaine comedown.

Eat a meal: Like the tip before it, eating something of substance provides your body with the nutrients it needs to recover. By being proactive, you’ll save yourself from the pain of dealing with hangover symptoms while simultaneously battling hunger. Do yourself a favor and eat before your body gets to the point of shutdown due to a lack of food, do yourself a favor and eat!

Get some sleep: Sleep is essential, regardless of whether you are fighting a cocaine comedown or not. This is especially true when you are, though. Resting during your recovery will allow your body to focus on what needs to be done to get you back to tip-top shape. There's no need to try anything strenuous when recovering; get comfy and let your body do its thing.

Stay off drugs and alcohol: To kick your nasty feelings, you must provide your body with all the necessities to recover while avoiding situations that could compromise that recovery. By avoiding drugs and alcohol, you are aiding in this recovery process by not adding more toxins to your already-depleted body.

By following this advice, you position yourself well to kick the aftereffects rather quickly, something your body and mind surely appreciate. You'll develop your habits and tricks to ease your transition back to normal and will know what works best for you in no time.

In Conclusion

Cocaine remains on the party scene, despite the historical outcry from the government regarding recreational drugs. The lesser-known side of the drug, however, is the hangover after utilizing it. Physical side effects occur as our bodies recuperate; the time our body takes to recover depends on various factors. While no cure-all exists, there are some tips that you can follow to ease your transition back to normal, including getting ample rest and eating nourishing foods.