Cocaine and Depression: Why Getting Treatment Is Important
Living with depression or cocaine addiction is debilitating. However, when you’re struggling with both, each day can seem beyond overwhelming. You can feel as though there’s no escape — but there is.
Substance abuse and depression often go hand-in-hand. Co-occurring conditions may include cocaine use disorder and depression, requiring dual-diagnosis treatment. Cocaine is also related to depression concerning the withdrawal process. The comedown period can result in depressive symptoms or intensify pre-existing depression-related symptoms. With the support of a professional treatment center, this cycle can be a thing of the past.
If you or your loved one are suffering from cocaine addiction and require support for the detoxification and recovery process, here is what you need to know.
Cocaine and Depression: What’s the Link?
There are often debates about whether cocaine causes depression or if it is mood disorders that encourage cocaine use. The answer to this question isn’t black and white, as it depends on the individual case.
Research shows that chronic drug abuse can increase one’s risk of depression. Chronic use can lead to long-term brain damage, affecting your ability to produce mood-boosting brain chemicals naturally. For example, if your brain stops producing sufficient levels of dopamine, one of the brain’s “feel good” chemicals, it can become challenging to regulate your emotions properly. Chronic drug use during adolescence is a significant cause for concern, as it can interfere with cognitive development and potentially lead to the onset of mental health disorders, including depression.
In other cases, users have a mental health disorder, such as depression, and use cocaine to help alleviate symptoms. These users are often undiagnosed, and their “self-medicating” habits can lead to worsening symptoms. The more often they use cocaine, the higher the risk of dependence. Once they discontinue use, they may experience several symptoms of withdrawal, including depression. This cycle can be vicious, encouraging continued use and worsening a pre-existing mental health condition.
Cocaine Abuse and Worsening Health Issues
Researchers have debated the potential dangerousness of cocaine since many users take the drug on a recreational basis without reporting issues. However, the health risks of cocaine use include several medical complications, including respiratory or cardiovascular disorders. Once cocaine dependence evolves, the more severe the dependence is, the greater the depressive symptoms following withdrawal.
If you’re susceptible to symptoms of depression, long-term cocaine abuse can cause stress-related brain circuits in your brain to become more sensitive. This effect can lead to worsening moods when you’re not using. Again, this is most often related to withdrawal.
While your mental health is at-risk following prolonged cocaine use, it is not the only area of concern. Getting treatment as soon as possible can help prevent serious health complications, including the following:
- Damage to your nasal region, leading to chronic inflammation and ongoing runny noses.
- When smoking crack, you can significantly damage your lungs.
- If you inject cocaine, you increase your risk of diseases like hepatitis C and HIV.
- An increased risk of tears and ulcerations in your intestines.
- Significant weight loss and malnutrition.
- Potential damage to your cardiovascular system, increasing your risk of heart attacks and stroke.
You don’t need to suffer in silence anymore. The longer you use cocaine, the worse your depressive symptoms will be. At Transformations Treatment Center, we help people live the life they deserve. If you’re ready to break free from your addiction, our team is standing by to help. For immediate, confidential support, call us at 1-877-204-5167.
Addressing Cocaine Addiction Will Help Improve Depressive Symptoms
In the short-term, cocaine withdrawal can lead to depression. So, you may feel you need to continue using it to prevent a worsening mood. However, once you overcome the cocaine detox process and begin your road to recovery, you will begin to treat the underlying condition. Over time, your symptoms can significantly improve, providing you with a new lease on life. It can be a powerful process — one that should not be delayed.
For many living with depression, cocaine use is a temporary bandage. It helps mask symptoms in the short term but does not address mental health conditions. If anything, it contributes to more severe, prolonged symptoms.
The first step is to seek a detoxification facility that helps you safely and comfortably eliminate cocaine from your system. Once complete, you can begin your recovery journey through an outpatient or inpatient program. If depression is cause for concern, this will be factored into your comprehensive treatment plan. This consideration is one of the main reasons you should seek a treatment center that prioritizes a holistic, individualistic approach.
As you treat one condition, the other will also improve. The key is to address your unique needs, triggers, and symptoms. This approach is how sustained recovery is achieved. You will learn to improve symptoms of depression without the need to self-medicate. Once you achieve this, you will experience true freedom.
Treatment Options for Cocaine Addiction and Depression
Getting help for cocaine addiction and depression can seem daunting. However, when you partner with a professional treatment facility, you’ll begin to see what life can be like. You can live a healthy, fulfilling life free from addiction, which will help you address any underlying mental health concerns.
Once you take the first step, you will undergo an assessment to understand your unique needs better. Cocaine combined with depression and anxiety is common. These co-occurring conditions must be treated simultaneously to ensure sustained results based on their complex relationship. After meeting with a professional team, you can begin the program that best suits your needs.
For example, some individuals require more intensive treatment, benefiting most from inpatient treatment. In other cases, intensive outpatient treatment makes the most sense. Specialized programs also target veterans, individuals under 30, and those in the LGBTOQIA+ community. Again, this is the benefit of partnering with a treatment facility that offers evidence-based, customized treatment. These treatment options can make the difference between sustained sobriety and relapse.
For treatment services, you will gain access to a wide range of options. Whether you require medication-assisted treatment or would benefit from experiential services, your treatment plan will be tailored to you. Your history, health status, and ongoing goals will all play a role in what services you need. A treatment center like Transformations understands the value of offering a range of options. In addition to the go-to treatment options, like cognitive-behavioral therapy, you can benefit from holistic services, recreation programs, the latest neurofeedback solutions, and more.
Transformations Treatment Center Can Help
Now is the time to take a stand against cocaine addiction and depression. While you may feel like you have been fighting an uphill battle for far too long, there is light at the end of the tunnel — and that light is Transformations Treatment Center.
Our experienced and compassionate team provides comprehensive physical, mental, and spiritual support. We believe in treating you as a whole individual, significantly increasing the probability that you’ll overcome your addiction to live a happier, more rewarding life. We specialize in healthy futures and want to help you take the next crucial step.
Although we will guide you along your journey, providing the treatment and support you need to succeed, you must take the first step. If you want to overcome your addiction and treatment symptoms of depression, we will help you go the distance.
Transformations Treatment Center will help you every step of the way. There is a life outside of cocaine addiction and depression. We’re waiting to hear from you if you’re ready to take back control of your life. Contact us for immediate help. Let’s take the next step together!