Posted by johnnygood on September 6, 2006, at 15:21:04
In reply to Cocaine and effects on nasal cavities. (Re to amd), posted by Questionmark on August 9, 2005, at 16:54:33
> > *[This post was written by "amd" on the Health board of P-Babble. i'm pasting it here, and my reply will be the following post in this thread.]
>
> > Folks,
> >
> > I've done some cocaine over the past couple of months, and last time I really over did it and ended up snorting up bloody muscus for a couple days.
> >
> > This seems to have passed, but I'm still highly congested, and sniffing all day and night. Blowing my nose frequently, constant "specs."
> >
> > a) Is this my nose being blown away? Am I literally blowing out chunks of nose? Am I on the verge of nose collapse?
> >
> > b) Is there a pathway from your nose to your brain that would enable breathing in hard or blowing out hard to damage your brain, e.g., "snorting out brain," or is this nonsense?
> >
> > c) How long will this last?
> >
> > d) Is using cocaine biweekly for three months enough to damage the nose to this extent?
> >
> > Thanks,
> >
> > amd
>
>
> The reason that cocaine can damage the inside of your nose is because it highly constricts blood vessels-- and therefore blood & oxygen/nutrient flow-- to that area. If this restriction of adequate blood supply is bad enough and, especially (i imagine) prolonged enough, the tissue there can die. i also wonder actually if the numbing (local anasthetic) effect of cocaine can make this worse because what might otherwise begin to cause a burning sensation in the nose instead just feels numb & cool, so you are less able to be aware of any possible damage to your nose.
> As you may very well know, it is not uncommon for chronic or semi-chronic cocaine users to burn a whole between each of their two nasal or sinus cavities. This makes various certain tasks, such as even breathing through their noses, more awkward, difficult, and uncomfortable-- although it certainly isn't fatal or the end of the world.
>
> The congestion that follows cocaine use is merely a rebound effect of blood vessel dilation to the nose & sinuses. So the fact that you are congested for awhile after using cocaine (after the initial DEcongestion or more-open nasal cavaties; sometime shortly after the high wears off) is not harmful. However, being congested like that for a few days does seem to be a bit long/strange, unless maybe you just got an infection or something.
> In regard to your "a)" questions, i don't know, but yes, i think you could literally be blowing out chunks of nose-- or nasal/sinus lining or tissue at least. i very much doubt you're on the verge of nose collapse though-- i've never heard of that occurring.
> i have no idea how long this will last. i thought that the post-cocaine congestion generally only persists for several hours or so.
> i very seriously doubt that you are blowing out chunks of brain though. i don't think this is possible, and if it was, you'd probably be dying or dead. But i wouldn't worry about this one.
>
> Generally, i would surmise that using cocaine biweekly for 3 months would *not* be enough to damage the nose to the extent of losing & blowing out nasal tissue... but this depends on how long your cocaine binges were each time you used-- because the longer you stay on or use cocaine in one *period* of time (i.e., the longer you keep the blood vessels to your sinuses & nose constricted), the worse it is for you in regard to this. This is much worse for your nose-- i'm convinced-- than the *frequency* of use. For example, i would guess that a 10 hour cocaine binge of one line an hour, once a month, is much worse for your nose than, say, 2 lines a week every month.
> Wow, this was some long detailed information for such a specific little subject. i hope it wasn't too long-winded. But i hope it is helpful too.
> i think you'll be okay. Just try not to binge too much or too long. Take care.help
I have very narrow nasal passage ways and can hardly breath out my left nostril. Can cocaine help my breath better through my nose and possibly over time open up my nasal passage ways? I can hardly live like this not being able to breath through my nose and doctor preformed surgery before but the tissue grew back. I'm not going back to any doctor. Can cocaine open my nasal passages?
poster:johnnygood
thread:539744
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/subs/20060727/msgs/683706.html