Tolerance & dependence

 

Tolerance

Initial tolerance to cocaine develops rapidly with continual heavy use. After this initial level is reached, people who use cocaine don't appear to develop tolerance for increasing amounts. Regular users may in fact develop a ‘reverse tolerance', whereby they experience the effects of the drug more intensely. Tolerance to cocaine may not be obvious due to the tendency to mix cocaine with other drugs such as heroin and alcohol.

Dependence

Psychological dependence occurs when using a drug becomes more important than other activities in a person's life. Because of its powerful euphoric effects, cocaine users may develop a strong psychological dependence upon it. It can be difficult to resist the craving due to changes in the brain, even after long periods of abstinence, strong cravings can persist.

Although psychological dependence is more of a problem than physical withdrawal symptoms - low moods and feeling very rough soon after stopping can tempt people to take more cocaine.