Crack users may experience severe respiratory problems, including coughing, shortness of breath, lung damage and bleeding. Long-term side effects include severe damage to the heart, liver and kidneys. Users are more likely to have infectious diseases. Continued daily use causes sleep deprivation and loss of appetite, resulting in malnutrition. Crack can cause aggressive and paranoid behavior. It is a physically addictive drug.
Short-Term Effects:
Loss of appetite
Increased heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature
Contracted blood vessels
Increased rate of breathing
Dilated pupils
Disturbed sleep patterns
Nausea
Hyperstimulation
Bizarre, erratic, sometimes violent behavior
Hallucinations, hyperexcitability, irritability
Tactile hallucination that creates the illusion of bugs burrowing under the skin
Intense euphoria
Anxiety and paranoia
Depression
Intense drug craving
Panic and psychosis
Convulsions, seizures and sudden death from high doses
Long-Term Effects:
Permanent damage to blood vessels of ear and brain, high blood pressure, leading to heart attacks, strokes and death
Liver, kidney and lung damage
Severe chest pains
Respiratory failure
Infectious diseases and abscesses if injected
Malnutrition, weight loss
Severe tooth decay
Auditory and tactile hallucinations
Sexual problems, reproductive damage and infertility (for both men and women)
Disorientation, apathy, confused exhaustion
Irritability and mood disturbances
Increased frequency of risky behavior
Delirium or psychosis
Severe depression
Tolerance and addiction