Cocaine Interactions: Is it Dangerous to Mix Other Drugs with Cocaine?

Both cocaine and alcohol are highly addictive drugs, yet they actually have opposite effects. While cocaine is a stimulant drug, alcohol is a depressant drug. It produces side effects that include:

• A decrease in reflexes and reaction time.
• Loss of coordination and balance.
• Blurry vision.
• Periodic blackouts when drinking.
• Memory loss.
• Symptoms of depression.
• Nausea and/or vomiting.
• Impaired judgment.
• Slower or slurred speech.

According to one study by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, 23% of people who received treatment for cocaine addiction in 2017 also needed help for an alcohol use disorder. It is believed that people may be mixing these drugs as a way to counteract the negative effects of each one.

Both cocaine and alcohol are party drugs, so people may commonly take them together. This can result in more impulsive behaviors and lower inhibitions. Both drugs have a much higher toxicity when they are taken at the same time.

Research has shown that taking both drugs at the same time can disrupt the body’s metabolism of cocaine. This can lead to the production of cocaethylene in the body, which is 30% more toxic than cocaine itself. Also, alcohol slows down the elimination process and puts a lot of stress on the liver. As a result, cocaethylene can pass through the bloodstream, which can harm organs and tissues in the body.

Mixing cocaine with an opioid drug can be extremely dangerous. Still, this drug often combined with cocaine to produce what users call a speedball. Using them together is a practice known as speedballing.

Because cocaine is a stimulant and heroin is a depressant, this creates a kind of “push-pull” effect in the body and brain. The combination produces an intense high and users are often trying to negate each drug’s negative effects. But using them together can actually have fatal consequences.

The effects of speedballing include:

• Becoming generally confused and incoherent.
• Blurry vision.
• Stupor.
• Feelings of drowsiness.
• Becoming paranoid and otherwise mentally impaired.
• Uncontrolled motor skills.
• High risk of death from a heart attack, stroke or aneurysm.

There is also a high risk of respiratory failure when taking cocaine and heroin together. The effects of cocaine tend to wear off much more quickly than the effects of heroin. Heroin is known to cause slower breathing rates, and people who combine these drugs often take too much.

Benzodiazepines are a classification of drugs that are often prescribed for people to help with their anxiety. They are depressants and may be referred to as sedatives and tranquilizers. Ativan, Valium and Xanax are examples of commonly prescribed benzos.

People will typically mix these two types of drugs for a few different reasons. Some will want to use benzos as a way to negate the negative effects of cocaine and enhance the high they experience. Others may take them as a way to calm down after using cocaine. Either way, they can be a dangerous combination.

Some of the risks of combining cocaine with benzodiazepine drugs include:

• Increasing the side effects of both drugs.
• Worsening mental health symptoms.
• An increased risk of addiction and/or dependence for one or both drugs.
• An increased risk of a potentially fatal overdose.

Mixing cocaine with benzos can make it hard for the body to process either drug. This is what puts people at risk for an overdose.

Methamphetamine is also a stimulant drug. When a person is no longer getting the desired high from cocaine, they may attempt to add meth into the mix. This is very taxing on the body and brain, and it can lead to serious physical and mental problems.

Serotonin syndrome is a condition in which increased serotonin levels in the body overtake its ability to regulate mood, muscle control and temperature. It can cause people to experience:

• Tremors
• A rapid heart rate
• Confusion
• Hyperthermia
• Agitation

The symptoms of serotonin syndrome can be life-threatening. Mixing cocaine with meth can be even more dangerous for people who take prescribed medications that increase serotonin levels. They can include antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications.

Combining cocaine and meth can also cause serious heart problems and sleep disturbances as well as severe mood swings.

The legalization of marijuana for recreational use – not just medical use – has increased the number of people who abuse this drug. Both cocaine and marijuana are commonly abused in the United States, and a lot of people will use them at the same time.

People who use marijuana regularly often believe that it pairs well with any other substance; especially stimulant drugs like cocaine. But when a person uses them together, they may actually use more cocaine than they normally would. This occurs because of the way weed causes people not to feel the effects of the stimulant more strongly.

Some of the effects of mixing cocaine and marijuana include:

• Lowered inhibitions
• Changes in time perception
• Increased heart rate
• Increased blood pressure
• Damage to the cardiovascular system

Abusing two drugs at the same time also increases the chances of getting addicted to one or both of them.