Cocaine and Caffeine

Cocaine is a stimulant drug that can be extracted from the leaves of a coca plant. Typically, there are two forms of cocaine: powder cocaine and rock or “crack” cocaine. Both forms of the drug are used by different demographics, and as a result, cocaine abuse has reached all levels of society. Additionally, because of its stimulating effects, cocaine has been a popular drug for decades, and cocaine addiction has become a serious problem. Worldwide, an estimated 15-19 million people have used cocaine at least once in the last year (1). In the United States, cocaine is abused by 4.5% of young adults, and in other countries, cocaine has an even higher rate of abuse (2).

So what can we do about cocaine addiction, and this seemingly recurring generational problem? Recent research published in the Journal of Caffeine Research has suggested that caffeine may be a step in the right direction to treating cocaine addiction. Researchers found that in women, cocaine shifts the estrus cycle out of phase which ultimately changes a woman’s estrogen levels. This is why women are more sensitive to the effects of cocaine and why women are more susceptible to cocaine addiction.

However, when researchers gave women caffeine prior to cocaine ingestion, they found that caffeine conferred a neuroprotective effect that blocked the effects of cocaine on the estrus cycle, and therefore prevented changes in estrogen levels. 

Because of the blocking effects of caffeine, the researchers concluded that antagonists of the adenosine system may play a large role in treating cocaine addiction. This not only has massive implications for women and their reproductive health, but also for individuals addicted to cocaine worldwide. Future research that focuses more on the effects of antagonists of the adenosine system might one day produce a more tangible “cure” to cocaine addiction.

References:

1. ChartsBin statistics collector team 2010, Current Worldwide Annual Prevalence of Cocaine among Adults. http://chartsbin.com/view/fvl

2. UK is cocaine capitol of the western world as number of young Britons using the drug shoots up by 50%. Daily Mail. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1328420/UK-cocaine-capital-western-world-Number-young-British-users-shoots-up.html

3. Cocaine disrupts woman’s estrus cycle, may explain sex differences in cocaine addiction. Medical News. http://www.news-medical.net/news/20141121/Cocaine-disrupts-womans-estrus-cycle-may-explain-sex-differences-in-cocaine-addiction.aspx