Mixing Cocaine And Vyvanse: Effects And Risks

Cocaine is an illegal drug that people sometimes use to get high. Many people who use cocaine also mix it with other drugs like stimulants, hallucinogens, or depressants. When cocaine is combined with other substances, it can create very dangerous situations that could threaten someone’s life.

One risky combination is mixing cocaine with Vyvanse, a prescription medicine used to treat ADHD. When these two drugs are taken together, they can cause serious problems including overdose, heart damage, and long-term mental health issues. Understanding these dangers is important for anyone who might be exposed to these substances.

Find out more about the dangers of polysubstance abuse

Why Do People Mix Cocaine And Vyvanse?

Cocaine is often taken with “downer” drugs to ease the “comedown” and mellow out anxiety or jitters from the cocaine use. Vyvanse is an amphetamine prodrug that works similarly to cocaine in its effects on speeding up the heart.

Vyvanse is a slow-release prescription tablet used to treat Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in adults and children. It is occasionally used to facilitate weight loss, and treat symptoms of schizophrenia and depression. It carries a high potential for abuse, addiction, and withdrawal.

People that abuse cocaine may use Vyvanse to prolong their high, since Vyvanse’s effects last for up to eight hours, and a cocaine high might last a half-hour. This drug combination may be a more efficient use of cocaine for some, but it carries dangerous effects in both the long term and short term.

Combined Effects Of Cocaine And Vyvanse

Vyvanse is a prescription stimulant that increases certain chemicals in the brain called norepinephrine and dopamine. Norepinephrine acts like a stimulant to keep you alert, while dopamine creates feelings of pleasure and reward. Cocaine works in a similar way but much more powerfully. It makes people feel invincible, very alert, and extremely happy, which is why it can become so addictive.

Cocaine blocks the brain from removing dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin naturally. This causes intense physical and emotional reactions along with a huge burst of energy, though these effects don’t last very long. When someone takes cocaine and Vyvanse together, both drugs push the heart and blood vessels much harder than normal. This dangerous combination can lead to heart attacks, strokes, and even death.

Cardiovascular And Lung Damage

Both cocaine and Vyvanse affect the heart and lungs, making blood pressure and heart rate dangerously high. When used together, they can cause shaking, out-of-control behavior, panic attacks, anxiety, and irregular heartbeat. Over time, these drugs put deadly stress on the heart and blood vessels. Long-term abuse can lead to heart attacks, strokes, heart failure, and death.

Risk Of Overdose

People who mix Vyvanse with cocaine often make poor decisions and are more likely to take dangerous risks that can lead to a fdoverdose. When someone takes too much of these drugs together, the effects on their body become dangerous. Combined overdose symptoms include tremors or convulsions, coma, panic or aggressive behavior, hallucinations, dangerously high or low blood pressure, and nausea or vomiting. These symptoms require immediate emergency medical attention.

Long-Term Mental Illness

When taken for a long time, cocaine is known to cause lasting mental health and neurological damage.

Mental health effects of mixing cocaine and Vyvanse include:

• chronic anxiety
• psychosis
• depression
• memory loss
• symptoms of dementia
• mania

Combined with Vyvanse, which can work to extend the effects of cocaine, the cocaine effects combine with side effects of Vyvanse, causing changes in brain chemistry.

Risk Of Cocaine And Vyvanse Addiction

Both cocaine and Vyvanse can become habit-forming, which means people can develop a strong need to keep using them. When someone uses these drugs regularly, their brain starts to depend on them to feel normal. This creates a psychological addiction where the person feels like they can’t function without the drugs.

The risk of addiction becomes even higher when someone uses cocaine and Vyvanse together. The powerful effects these drugs create when combined can make people want to use them again and again. Over time, this pattern of use can turn into a serious addiction that’s difficult to overcome without professional help.

Getting Help For Polysubstance Abuse

The long-term prospect for people that abuse cocaine involves medical complications and severe, long-term health effects. Paired with other drugs like Vyvanse, cocaine use can turn deadly. Both inpatient and outpatient facilities can be helpful for those battling cocaine abuse. If you or a loved one is using cocaine by itself or alongside other drugs, it’s not too late to get help.

Reach out to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) for more information about addiction recovery.

Written by the Addiction Resource Editorial Staff