How to Clean Your System from Cocaine

Understanding the Measures Needed to Clean Cocaine from Your System

If you found this article trying to understand how to clean your system from cocaine, you are in the right place. Despite the internet being full of cocaine detox hacks, there are no scientifically-proven or safe shortcuts to speed up the body’s elimination of powder cocaine or crack cocaine.

While no quick fixes exist, Icarus Behavioral Health Nevada, an accredited drug addiction treatment center in Las Vegas, can help you end cocaine use safely. Our cocaine detox center provides medical supervision, ensuring a safe detox process with well-managed withdrawal symptoms, followed by professional cocaine addiction treatment.

This article will explain how you or a loved one can break the cycle of drug abuse without enduring the most severe – and sometimes life-threatening – cocaine withdrawal symptoms.

10 Dangerous and Bizarre Cocaine Detox Myths

Before we jump into how to clear your body of cocaine, let’s address an elephant in the room. You probably found us researching how to rid your body of cocaine. You’ve seen a lot of cocaine detox hacks and sought confirmation from a professional treatment center that they actually work.

They don’t.

Don’t take our word for it. The National Institute on Drug Abuse states, “.. there are no medications approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat cocaine use disorder.”

That “magic pill” some are seeking does not exist.

We concede that the internet is, indeed, full of cocaine detox hacks. But these not only don’t work, they are unsafe. In some cases, they can turn deadly. Please keep reading for 10 rumors we need to address and debunk.

Myth #1 – Drinking Gallons of Water Ends Cocaine Use Faster

Staying hydrated throughout the detox process is important. However, overhydration can cause electrolyte imbalances and water intoxication. This practice can overwhelm the kidneys. It may lead to confusion, seizures, disrupted sleep patterns, or death in extreme situations.

It does not speed up how quickly your metabolism processes and eliminates powdered or crack cocaine.

Myth #2 – Cranberry Juice or Vinegar Eliminate Cocaine Safely

The perception online is that cranberries and apple cider vinegars, particularly organic brands, are safe for shortening how long cocaine remains in the body. While these remedies may slightly change the acidity in a urine test, they do nothing to eliminate cocaine or its metabolites any faster.

You won’t pass a drug test by drinking large amounts of cranberry juice or vinegar. The danger in this lies in the fact that learning to avoid detecting crack cocaine does nothing but delay the recovery process that brings real healing.

Myth #3 – Saunas or Intense Workouts Can “Sweat Out” Drug Use or Cocaine

Your body eliminates only small amounts of cocaine or other highly addictive drugs through perspiration. Excessive sweating can cause dehydration and cardiac strain. The effects of cocaine use may cause high blood pressure or heart damage that people are unaware of; they can inadvertently cause a cardiac emergency, especially when using a sauna.

Myth #4 – Over-the-Counter Detox Pills Increase Overall Well-Being After Using Cocaine

Most OTC ‘detoxification kits’ are herbal laxatives or diuretics that promise to flush cocaine or other substances out of the body. They are not FDA-approved medications.

These do not support a healthy detox process and do nothing to ease the psychological symptoms of withdrawal. In addition to the possibility of dehydration, they can also cause interactions with other prescription medications.

Myth #5 – Activated Charcoal Absorbs Cocaine and Other Drugs

Activated charcoal only works minimally but only after immediate consumption. It doesn’t work after the ecgonine methyl ester, a major metabolite of cocaine, has entered the bloodstream. Taking it can cause constipation or nausea and doesn’t address the underlying causes of crack cocaine use.

Myth #6 – Drinking Chemical Cleansers Will Make Tests Unable to Detect Cocaine

This internet myth is extremely concerning. Drinking chemical cleansers can cause immediate life-threatening burns to the esophagus, internal bleeding, and death. You could shut down your brain and central nervous system within a few minutes.

It just further proves that the internet is full of misinformation about cocaine addiction treatment and demonstrates the need to seek guidance from a professional addiction treatment center.

Myth #7 – “Cold Turkey” Cocaine Addiction Treatment at Home Is Safe

Cocaine withdrawal symptoms may be less life-threatening than stopping opioids, but it often means developing depression, suicidal thoughts, and powerful cravings that lead to immediate relapses.

“Cold turkey” may be a common method of quitting. Still, it does have its share of physical symptoms. Besides those, it doesn’t address the mental health aftermath of quitting, putting people at risk of self-harm.

Myth #8 – You Can Clear Your System in 24 Hours with Certain Herbal Combinations

We’ve mentioned it before, but it bears repeating. There is no safe way to speed up your body’s metabolism and clear cocaine. Quick fix herbals are unsafe, often leading to fluid loss, muscle aches, cramps, and vomiting.

They promise to contain essential vitamins, but these claims are rarely proven. It also does not address any substance use disorder as its cause or help manage the severe withdrawal symptoms and intense cravings that start within hours of the start of the withdrawal process.

Myth #9 – Ivermectin Heals Cocaine Abuse

Misinformation about Ivermectin, a prescription anti-parasitic drug, has exploded in recent years. This medication, lauded for its helpfulness in eliminating parasites in areas of the world without access to clean water, has zero impact as a detox program.

Misusing this medication instead of seeking an evidence-based substance abuse treatment program can cause several issues. Mayo Clinic warns of side effects including bowel issues, seizures, tingling of the hands and feet, and headaches. In the worst of outcomes, it can lead to loss of consciousness.

Myth #10 – Ethylene Blue Eliminated Cocaine Withdrawal Symptoms

Ethylene blue is a medical dye surgeons may use as a visual marker of specific structures during surgery. For some bizarre reason, internet users have spread rumors about it being helpful for drug detox, weight loss, or for “cleanses.”

However, Harvard Medical warns that this dye can interact with prescriptions, including SSRIs and MAO inhibitors that some chronic users of drugs take to address underlying mental health causes of their substance use disorders.

How Long Does Cocaine Stay in Your System?

Some readers of this article may be curious about how long cocaine stays present in the body. What they may really want to know is how long cocaine stays detectable in their system. If you wonder if you’ll test positive for cocaine, here are some guidelines:

• Urine Test: Cocaine detection is up to four days with the standard urine test.
• Blood Test: The detection window after using cocaine closes only a few hours after use (about 12 hours) with a blood drug test.
• Hair Strand Test: A positive test result can appear several weeks or even months after using cocaine; this can vary depending on hair length.

Several factors can impact drug test detection windows, including frequency of use, how much was last used, and individual metabolism factors. Because of these variables, the answer to the question, “How long does cocaine stay in the system?” is more of a guideline than a firm number.

Knowing the Most Common Signs of Cocaine Addiction

The euphoric effects of cocaine rapidly lead to increased tolerance, with the body needing increased amounts to achieve the same high. This places each person with a cocaine addiction at a higher risk of an eventual overdose.

But how can you tell if a friend or loved one has become addicted? Watch for these signs:

• Bloody noses
• Dilated pupils
• High heart rate and blood pressure
• Restlessness/hyperactivity
• Weight loss
• Track marks on the arms (if injecting cocaine)
• Burn marks from smoking crack cocaine
• Secretive behavior
• Money/financial problems
• Intense mood swings
• Cravings or drugs
• Anxiety/depression when not using
• Panic attacks
• Poor concentration
• Delusions/hallucinations (heavy cocaine users)
• Insomnia

These signs can indicate cocaine addiction or other stimulant drug use. It’s essential to find a detox program to provide support instead of attempting to flush cocaine out of the body at home.

A Professional Cocaine Treatment Center is the Only Safe Way to Deal with Addiction

An outpatient or inpatient rehab and treatment program is the appropriate place for someone with a cocaine addiction. In a clinical setting, you or your loved one will receive:

• Support to minimize withdrawal symptoms
• Screening for co-occurring mental illnesses
• Treatment for cocaine addiction and any underlying issues that led to its use
• Holistic care, including a healthy sleep routine and balanced diet coaching
• Therapy to stop using cocaine and break the cycle of addiction
• Aftercare planning to avoid the things that trigger using cocaine

The Icarus Nevada team will help you at every step of your journey, from easing the early pangs of withdrawal symptoms to therapy and setting up an effective relapse prevention plan.

Get Support at Icarus Nevada to Overcome Cocaine Withdrawal Symptoms

We’re proud you’re ready to flush cocaine out of your body once and for all. But that is best done in the safety of a medical detox program, like you’ll find at our addiction treatment center. We keep watch on the physical and psychological changes that can happen during detox and ensure your comfort and wellness.

Call Icarus Nevada today to learn more about addiction treatment. Calling us is free and always confidential.