Ĭocaine crosses the blood-brain barrier via a proton-coupled organic cation antiporter and (to a much lesser extent) via passive diffusion. Effects begin within seconds to minutes of use and last between five and ninety minutes. High doses can result in high blood pressure or body temperature. Physical symptoms may include a fast heart rate, sweating, and dilated pupils. Mental effects may include an intense feeling of happiness, sexual arousal, loss of contact with reality, or agitation. After extraction from coca leaves, cocaine may be snorted, heated until sublimated and then inhaled, or dissolved and injected into a vein.
It is most commonly used as a recreational drug and euphoriant. Cocaine (from French: cocaïne, from Spanish: coca, ultimately from Quechua: kúka) is a tropane alkaloid and stimulant drug obtained primarily from the leaves of two coca species, Erythroxylum coca and Erythroxylum novogranatense.
