Risks and Dangers of Mixing Benzos and Cocaine

There is risk involved when it comes to using drugs, and that risk can be increased or complicated when drugs are mixed together. Mixing cocaine and benzodiazepines (benzos) is not safe and can be dangerous. Read on to learn more about the dangers of mixing benzos and cocaine.

Cocaine and Benzodiazepines

Cocaine is a dangerously addictive drug that acts as a stimulant, increasing heart rate and blood pressure, raising body temperature, helping to keep a person awake, and heightening alertness, focus, and attention.¹

Benzodiazepines, often called benzos for short, are a class of central nervous system depressants that are regularly prescribed to treat anxiety and panic disorders, muscle spasm, seizures and insomnia, and to aid in the management of alcohol withdrawal symptoms. Certain physiological functions under central nervous system control, like heart rate, blood pressure, respiration, and body temperature, may be slowed and lowered by benzos.²

Effects of Mixing Benzos and Cocaine

Cocaine is a short-acting drug that markedly impacts the activity of dopamine in the brain. Dopamine is one of the brain’s neurotransmitters instrumental in movement and reward. Artificially elevated levels of dopamine activity can create an intense and euphoric high.¹

A cocaine high does not last very long and is often followed by a significant “crash.” During this crash, an individual may feel fatigued, hungry, depressed, and both physically and mentally sluggish. These feelings may encourage a person to continue using more of the drug, often in a “binge” pattern.³ The intensity of the cocaine high and subsequent crash may also entice a person to take another drug like a benzodiazepine to “smooth” out some of these significant “comedown” effects.

Benzodiazepine drugs like Xanax (alprazolam) and Valium (diazepam) increase the activity of the inhibitory neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). This chemical messenger reduces brain cell excitability, thus increasing relaxation, relieving muscle tension, and lowering anxiety levels.²

Benzodiazepines may be combined with a stimulant drug, like cocaine, in an attempt to counteract some of their sedative effects, helping a person to stay awake longer and have more energy. Individuals may also mix cocaine and Valium or lorazepam and cocaine, or another benzo, to enhance or prolong a euphoric high. This practice is highly dangerous, however, as the combination of stimulant and depressant drugs can significantly impact brain chemistry, which can have numerous short-term and long-term consequences.⁵

Risks and Side Effects of Mixing Cocaine and Benzos

Though the two drugs are commonly viewed as having somewhat opposite physiological effects, overdose remains a risk when misusing both cocaine and benzodiazepine drugs. 

Drug overdoses commonly involve more than one drug. Polydrug abuse can increase the potential side effects of all drugs involved and make an overdose more difficult to treat.⁵

Some signs and symptoms of a cocaine overdose include:

• Dangerously high blood pressure.
• Racing pulse and irregular heart rate.
• Sweating and high body temperature.
• Nausea and vomiting.
• Mental status changes, such as profound confusion.
• Agitation.
• Tremors.
• Psychosis.

Stimulants like cocaine can mask some of the effects of CNS depressants, such as benzodiazepines. Therefore, a person may be more likely to take too much of the benzodiazepine, increasing the risk of overdose.

Signs of a benzodiazepine overdose may include:

• Confusion.
• Slurred speech.
• Sluggish movements.
• Difficulty walking.
• Abnormal eye movements.
• Respiratory depression.
• Being cold to touch and having a bluish tinge to the lips, skin, and nails.
• Over-sedation and trouble staying awake.
• Loss of consciousness.

There may be additional possible interactions and overdose side effects when multiple drugs are involved, and it becomes difficult to isolate how multiple drugs may impact each individual. This can complicate overdose reversal attempts as well.

Increased Rate of Addiction

Cocaine and benzodiazepine drugs both have reinforcing properties due to their interaction with our brain reward centers. Additionally, they have dose-dependent mind-altering effects, which can increase the likelihood of bad decisions, poor judgment, and out-of-character behaviors. 

Abusing these drugs can increase a person’s risk for accidents, injuries, as well as aggressive and even potentially violent behavior. Benzos can impair memory as well, so a person may have difficulties remembering things that happen while they are under the influence.⁵

Both benzos and cocaine are addictive substances. The manner in which cocaine is taken, often in a binge pattern, increases its addictive potential as well, as does taking multiple drugs at the same time.

With repeated drug use, the brain stops working as it did before and instead relies on the drugs to remain balanced. This is drug dependence, and a major side effect of dependence is the onset of difficult withdrawal symptoms and cravings when the drugs wear off. Significant mood swings, difficulty feeling pleasure, impaired cognitive abilities, and physical discomfort are all possible side effects of benzodiazepine and cocaine withdrawal. Appetite and weight fluctuation as well as trouble sleeping are additional issues associated with cocaine and benzodiazepine addiction and withdrawal.⁶

Cocaine and benzodiazepines may be taken to enhance moods and ease stress, but they can actually end up compounding possible mental health concerns. SAMHSA reports that around 8 million adults in the United States struggle with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders. Substance abuse can interfere with treatment and recovery of a mental health disorder and vice versa. Adding in more than one drug can further complicate matters.⁷

Getting Treatment for Polysubstance Use

Polysubstance use involves taking two or more substances either simultaneously or within a short time frame, whether on purpose or by accident. Intentional polysubstance use happens when someone deliberately combines drugs to enhance or diminish the effects of another substance, or when they seek to experience the effects of the combination itself.

It is important to disclose all drugs that are being taken before entering into a treatment program to ensure that all possible interactions are accounted for. Much of the time, a drug test is done along with an assessment to determine the proper type and level of care.

Benzodiazepine drugs are not to be stopped “cold turkey” without professional help, as the associated withdrawal symptoms can be severe and even life-threatening. A medical detox program can aid in safely allowing these drugs to be cleared from the body using a tapering schedule, sometimes with the aid of a longer-acting substituted benzodiazepine agent. In the case of polysubstance use, medical detox is an optimal first level of care. After professional detox and successful withdrawal management, individuals can then enter in to an integrated treatment program that can promote recovery from all co-occurring medical and mental health disorders and drug abuse concerns.⁸

If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction and are ready to start discussing treatment options, call us today at . There, a compassionate treatment navigator can help you create a plan to attend treatment at one of our rehab facilities across the United States. River Oaks, American Addiction Centers’ substance abuse rehab center near Tampa, Florida, may be a good fit for you. Call us today to find out more.