How long does crack last?

Crack lasts for 1-2 hours after administration (depending on the dose) but the euphoric high lasts for about 5-15 minutes. More on the REAL effects of crack here.

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How long does it take to feel the effects of crack?  From nearly immediately to about 1-2 hours after use. But how does crack impact the brain? How does use of crack affect the body? We address these questions here and invite you to ask more questions about crack or treatments for problems with crack in the comments section at the end.

Crack effects on the body and brain

As a strong central nervous system stimulant, crack increases the levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine in brain circuits that regulate pleasure and movement. It also prevents the normal cycle of dopamine recycling, which causes excessive amounts of dopamine to build up between neurons. This intensifies the dopamine signal which leads to disruption of the normal communication between neurons in the brain. A flood of dopamine is created, and it causes a short-term high – euphoria, energy, and talkativeness which is very characteristic for crack as well as cocaine use.

Crack can also affect the body in a number of ways. It affects the cardiovascular and respiratory systems the most, but crack can also cause headaches and gastrointestinal complications, abdominal pain and nausea. Similarly to insufflated cocaine use (snorting cocaine) binge use of crack may lead to anxiety, irritability, and restlessness.

Crack duration of action

The duration of most drugs’ action time depends upon mode of administration. Crack is no different. Crack’s duration of action is short lived but intense. Here are the basic of HOW crack starts working.

Crack is nearly always smoked in a small glass pipe. Ingested this way, large quantities of cocaine are delivered directly to the lungs. While some people snort crack, doses of cooked cocaine become bioavailable up to 70% after smoking, which means it is almost instantly delivered into the bloodstream and crosses the blood-brain barrier, producing an immediate and intense, but short-lasting euphoric effect – high. Main cocaine metabolites bind in plasma up to 90%.

Crack time in the body

Crack is very rapidly absorbed due to its form of administration – smoking. But, ‘the life’ of crack in the body is short, approximately 0.8 ± 0.2 hours because it is being metabolized very fast to several compounds. The major metabolites are benzoylecgonine, ecgonine, and ecgonine methyl ester and are inactive ones. Benzoylecgonine, which is produced upon loss of the methyl group, is a urinary metabolite that can be present and discovered in urine after for up to 4 days.

How long do crack effects last

Crack effects only last for a couple of hours, max. After 50 mg of crack is smoked, the peak plasma concentration occurs within 45 minutes. But even though the first effects of crack diminish pretty quickly, other general effects may continue for 1-2 hours after administration depending on the dose. In continuous, binge use, long term effects can go on for days, and are very serious and very dangerous and can lead to severe health problems, even death.

How long does a crack high last

Typically, due to its method of administration, crack immediately creates an intense high experience which lasts 5-15 minutes. Because of this short duration of pleasurable effects, users tend to take one dose after another… before the previous one wears off. This practice is very dangerous and can lead to physical dependence on crack, addiction and/or serious changes in the brain.

Crack high effects

Crack high effects are very similar to those of cocaine, but with some additional risks. They can can be separated in two cycles: first-wave (early phase) and second-wave (late phase) effects.

1. First wave crack high effects – First-wave effects include anxiety, dilated pupils, increased body temperature, irritability, and restlessness. Very fast elevation of heart rate and blood pressure also occur. The psychological effects of crack include euphoria, excitation, feelings of well-being, general arousal, increased sexual arousal, dizziness, increased focus and alertness, mental clarity, increased talkativeness, motor restlessness, offsets fatigue, improved performance in some simple tasks, and loss of appetite. Higher doses may lead to psychosis, confused and disoriented behavior, delusions, hallucinations, irritability, fear, paranoia, antisocial behavior, and even aggressiveness.

2. Second wave crack high effects – The second-wave can include agitation, dysphoria, depression, nervousness, drug craving, general central nervous system (CNS) depression, fatigue, insomnia. Physiological effects manifest as itching and scratching, while the heart-rate stabilizes, and the pupils start to look normal.

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Questions about crack

Still have questions about crack, its metabolism, or duration of effects? Please leave us your questions in the comments section below. We’ll do our best to answer your questions personally and promptly…or refer you to someone who can help.

Reference Sources: National Institute of Drug Abuse: Cocaine
http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/cocaine
U.S. Attorney General: Crack
https://www.attorneygeneral.gov/uploadedFiles/Drugs/crack.pdf
National Institute of Drug Abuse: Easy to Read Facts: Cocaine
http://www.easyread.drugabuse.gov/cocaine-facts.php
National Drug Intelligence Center: Crack cocaine fast facts
http://www.justice.gov/archive/ndic/pubs3/3978/
NIDA for Teens: Cocaine
http://teens.drugabuse.gov/drug-facts/cocaine
About the author
Lee Weber is a published author, medical writer, and woman in long-term recovery from addiction. Her latest book, The Definitive Guide to Addiction Interventions is set to reach university bookstores in early 2019.
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