Abstract
Cocaine is a vasoactive substance, and its consumption has increased throughout the world. There are many neurological complications caused by chronic cocaine use, which include headache, aneurysmal formation, ischemic stroke, hemorrhagic stroke (subdural and subarachnoid hemorrhage), seizures, etc. Headache is one of the most common symptoms that appear after cocaine use. It may occur due to dopaminergic and serotoninergic system impairment. Cocaine causes vasoconstriction by stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system and decreases the reuptake of epinephrine, norepinephrine, serotonin, and dopamine. Reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome (RCVS) is well accepted with cocaine use, which occurs most commonly in middle-aged adults and females. The relation between cocaine consumption and time of occurrence of headache has been described according to which some people suffer from headaches immediately after the cocaine use, some within 40 to 90 minutes of a cocaine binge, and some even after the cocaine abstinence for long period. The diagnosis of a cocaine-induced headache depends on history, physical examination, and cerebrovascular imaging findings. And its management is done according to cause that is responsible for headache.
Highlights
BackgroundCocaine use has increased across the world especially in teenagers and young adults, which contributes to lots of pathological conditions and adverse effects on health [1,2,3]
There are many neurological complications caused by chronic cocaine use, which include headache, aneurysmal formation, ischemic stroke, hemorrhagic stroke, seizures, etc
In more recent research, it has been notified that those patients who have incurable cluster headache that is not treated by conventional treatment, cocaine used as an acute cure shows full or partial improvement in 30.8% of cases [7]
Summary
Cocaine use has increased across the world especially in teenagers and young adults, which contributes to lots of pathological conditions and adverse effects on health [1,2,3]. It occurs due to a sudden surge of cocaine that rapidly blocks the presynaptic reuptake of norepinephrine and causes acute vasoconstriction. The headache in group I is usually presented as occipital or bilateral lasting for 2-48 hours and associated with photophobia, nausea, and vomiting These CCUs were known to be smoking crack or injecting cocaine intravenously. Patients suffering from a headache a few days into cocaine abstinence comprise group III They were presented with throbbing frontal headache that progressively worsened with continued drug abstinence, associated with photophobia, nausea, and vomiting. These CCUs had a history of smoking cocaine as crack or injecting intravenously [8]. The management of cocaine-induced headache depends on the cause due to which it occurs and treated
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