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Cocaine use and bad skin rash/reaction

I have a problem, this I know.  However, for the first time in my 20+ years of messing with cocaine I had a horrible skin rash/reacation.  It started out unassuming, I believe it was just a redness but from one night to the next I broke out bad. It started out like felt like the "cocaine bugs" but this was after I stopped using for about a week.  Three weeks later I still have this skin rash all over my arms, chest, stomach, legs.  I know I need to go the doctor.  I can not think of anything else it would have been.  Can anyone confirm this?
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Avatar universal
So to stop the "acne" stop the drug? I've been suffering from severe pastules and like acid pumps.. you get on your arm.. and I can't help myself.. by picking them.. If I see a small raised bump.. It has to be gone.. but the thing is.. its not going away my whole arm is full of open sore pus infected patches.. It looks like I have some skin disease.. thatS gross and a disgusting sight. And now my face has started and it is everywhere.. I just started using it like 2 months ago.. frequently.. because I made my bed and now I had to finish my studies.. finish what I started.. and I have succesfUlley passed today I can happily say. And I'm leaving for home.. and then I'm off it.. coz it's home and family and I don't need it.. It was fun.. and helped.. but this skin condition is pissing me off.. what can I do..
Helpful - 1
Avatar universal
So, I have a friend who smoked it a few years ago.... his skin turned red , splotchy and itchy.  Like he had a sunburn.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
It was most likely some additive that you were allergic to,that remained under the skin from either some of the iv dose stuck to the tip upon entry or upon injection your needle came out of the vein but since you already registered it was able to tunnel into the vein before pulling out the syringe..if it had sugar/salt or baking powder not only would a rash form but a spotted red and white appearance would form in local areas because circulation of the foreign property obstructing smaller veins and ventricles,causing valves to divert circulation to smaller outlets to allow flow to continue without complications to occour..if a rash is still present a week later try rotating from ice compression to heat compression every 30 minutes with out exceeding 2 hr total compression of both..if this method is to no avail..then seek medical attention a serious condition may need treatment under monitored professional care..
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Avatar universal
I do not know why it blocked my email address??
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Avatar universal
i have been feeling so alone. seeking compassion and empathy from others i'd considered friends, only to receive a cold shoulder/ indifference/ or plain old carelessness. i mean i know these days people tend to be really freaking jaded and self centered but come on can't a girl find another girl to relate/ empathize with?!I was impregnated by my boyfriends investor. After figuring out that i planned on leaving him he brought me over to his investors house, where i shortly thereafter realized that i was being sold in exchange for 1000. Well the ******* ejaculated inside of me and is now with his savings attempting to bribe me into having an abortion.. Well i really need some insight and compassion from whomever comes across this response. Being i do not have friends/ family/ or any support system really, i haven't been able to quit doing drugs. The big problem being my addiction to cocaine. Not only have i been smoking it, i have also been injecting it in it's base form as well as it's powder form. I just turned completely red and my eyes became very blurry Other than my mental complications, whats going on with me?! PLEASE PLEASE if i could find someone to discuss and relate with. i fear that i'm dying and i beg the internet to link me up to someone that could relate/ discuss my situation with.
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3 Comments
Honey we may not know each other but I have been in a similar situation. You can email me @ ***@**** I would be glad to just talk to you for you to have someone to talk to. My ex tried to sell me multiple times. It was horrible. I will pray for you!
You OK ??
Hey There. I just want to say that some relationships are unhealthy and can lead to all kinds of abuse. I think you need support. If you are still using drugs you could go to a Nara-non meeting just google them in your area. They will give you the strength to find love and strength for yourself. You are worth taking care of. You need to start believing that and you need to get away from these people who use you and manipulate you. In your situation you could also go to an Alanon group as this is for people who love alcoholics or addicts and they give you the strength to start loving yourself. I was not in the exact situation but I have been with someone who really stole my power and in the name of "love" could get me to abandon myself. You need to get your self back. These groups will help you. Don't be afraid. Go to one or both as often as you can and take control of your life. Perhaps abortion is what you want. Or maybe you can take care of a child. Or put a child up for adoption too. A child can actually empower you, but you will need to decide what is best for you. If it's cocaine and you need help maybe a doctor would give you Ritalin or a similar med that might help you to get over the cravings. Try this: you are love able. Repeat it over and over. Best. StilBlueWaters
Avatar universal
hey, I have only just started snorting coke and I have come up wth such a bad eczema rash on the inside of my elbows, worse on the right side.
I've been advised by a herbalist and a doctor, that your skin is the last remaining organ, so if there is something foreign in your body (coke) that your liver and kidneys can't get rid of, the last place it will escape is your skin. I've been using Eveeno cream which has been really good,also teatree balm....it stings like a ***** but it cools it afterwards and reduces swelling.
Hope this helps if it's still a problem ! :)
Helpful - 0
4113881 tn?1415850276
I'm glad it went well for you at the doctors.

If you ever just need someone to listen...Im here.

Take care and God bless
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Wow that was so empowering.  I have the same feelings about the embarrassment but I went to the doctor and was straight with him.  He is going to give me steriods and referred me to a dermatologist.  I feel a lot better venting to the doctor.  He has been my dr since i was teenager, so I was comfortable in giving the whole truth.  He was leaning toward the drug being cut with something not good and it caused the reacation.  Plus my continued use only made it worse.  I will stay plugged in I need the support and comfort from others who have been down that same path.  Thanks again, Acting Brand New.  =)
Helpful - 0
4113881 tn?1415850276
Oh your not bugging at all...Im sorry I didn't see this last night. I had shut the computer down.  Its good your going to the doc today...hopefully you can figure out whats wrong.  I think you hit it on the nose with the eczema though.

"-Cocaine users may suffer from complication due to associated disease like HIV, eczema and Hepatitis. The symptoms of this condition may complicate the nature of illness for the addict and make the treatment a tedious process."

http://www.streetdirectory.com/travel_guide/25579/medical_conditions/cocaine_addiction___signs_and_symptoms.html

__________________________________________________________

Can cocaine use cause or worsen eczema?

Answer from Dr. Faraneh O Abbassian:

"yes.one of the diseases that cocain abusers fall prey to it is eczema.Cocaine has also shown to complicate existent diseases and also make treatment tough."

http://www.medpedia.com/questions/3390-can-cocaine-use-cause-or-worsen-eczema
________________________________________________________

I know its not easy talking about medical issues related to drug use. For a long time I was embarrassed because I caught Hep C using IV drugs. I used to tell people it was from a tattoo...etc. I was embarrassed. But now....I really don't care what anybody thinks about me. Anybody who judges someone else does so because they have there own shame and demons. People without shame and demons show compassion.

Please stay plugged into this site. Your not alone! Hopefully I'll hear back about your doc appointment.

Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Sorry to keep bugging you but you are the first to respond.  I do have ecezma, do you think my using may have caused my ecezma to flare up really, really, really bad??  Just asking, I plan on going to the doc tomorrow.  Just venting I guess, trying to make sense of it.  Bottom line, I need to quit and start taking myself seriously all together.  Thanks for you reponses, I dont feel alone with this crap.  At least someone is listening.
Helpful - 0
4113881 tn?1415850276
Ive seen a lot of different rashes from smokers...snorters.....whatever. They vary. Its a chemical reaction I guess. Maybe it has nothing to do with your coke use especially if you've been using that long with no reaction.You probably should go see a dermatologist. Pink, red, dark...flakes a little and doesn't go away....sounds like Psoriasis.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I have heard  of this and the pics do not look like my skin.  This is from snorting coke I dont smoke it.  I just cant believe after all this time of messing with this drug I broke out.  This is not like pimples its light pink first, then red, then it goes dark and just stays there.  It flakes a little but thats it, it doent go away.  And you can tell when it goes dark it looks like a sore then.  I never pick them or try to scratch.  I have been taking Fexofedrin and Cortizone.
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4113881 tn?1415850276
L.A. NOW
Southern California -- this just in

« Previous Post | L.A. NOW Home | Next Post »

Officials warn of cocaine additive that causes 'serious skin reactions'
June 27, 2011 |  5:20 pm

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is warning the public about a new additive in cocaine that scientists say has given users in Los Angeles and New York “serious skin reactions.”

Though the statement from the Sheriff’s Department was quick to clarify that the information was being provided as a public service and officials did not “endorse products or services,” it included information from a June 21 article in ScienceDaily in which doctors warned of a “potential public health epidemic.”

The article cited a report in which doctors said six patients in the two cities had developed purple blotches on their ears, nose, cheeks and other body parts after using cocaine that doctors believe was contaminated with levamisole, a cheap veterinary medicine commonly used to deworm livestock.

Officials believe the medication is being used to dilute up to 70% of cocaine in the United States.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/06/cocaine-additive-warning.html
__________________________________________________________

Skin Manifestations of Cocaine Use

Cocaine affects many systems of the body, including the skin (Brewer et al., Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 2008):

    Acute multifocal skin necrosis - pathologic death of skin cells
    Acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis - eruption of small elevations of skin containing pus
    Subcutaneous fat necrosis of the newborn - pathologic death of fat cells
    Cutaneous fibrosis - fibrous tissue formation in the skin
    Blackened hyperkeratotic palms (“crack hands”) - horny layer of the skin is blackened
    Chronic skin ulcers
    Scleroderma - disease where there is thickening of the skin caused by swelling and thickening of the fibrous layer
    Cocaine - related bullous disease - blebs or enlarged air spaces in the lung
    Palatal perforation - hole in the palate
    Dental caries - tooth decay
    Gingival recession - gums recede
    Oral blisters
    Pseudovasculitis - false inflammation of the blood vessels
    Urticarial vasculitis - hive formation
    Stevens-Johnson syndrome - a life-threatening condition affecting the skin in which cell death causes the epidermis to separate from the dermal layer of the skin
    Midline destructive granulomas - nodules that destroy the underlying tissue
    Churg-Strauss vasculitis - an extremely rare disease that results from inflammation and which causes injury to organ systems.
    Necrotizing granulomatous vasculitis - destruction of the vascular system by granuloma
    Schonlein-Henoch vasculitis - A systemic vasculitis that causes the blood vessels in the skin to become inflamed, causing red spots. When the blood vessels in the skin get inflamed, they can bleed, causing a rash that is called purpura.
    Palpable purpura - hemorrhage into the skin that can be raised and thus felt
    Necrotizing vasculitis - blood vessels are destroyed
    Delusional parasitosis - significant itching and excoriations from scratching (see picture #1)
    Nasal septum perforation (see picture #2)
    Pott puffy tumor - osteomyelitis of the frontal sinus (see picture #3) - inflammation of the bone marrow and adjacent bone and cartilage
    Raynaud phenomenon - Rare disorders that affects blood vessels. These disorders are marked by brief episodes of vasospasm (narrowing of the blood vessels - see picture #4)
    Buergers disease - Thromboangiitis Obliterans  - an inflammatory disease of the small and medium sized arteries and veins of the extremities (see picture #5

http://www.oasas.ny.gov/AdMed/FYI/skincocainefyi.cfm
Helpful - 0
4113881 tn?1415850276
Ive seen many cocaine rashes in my lifetime. So the answer is yes, cocaine can cause a rash. I remember reading in the L.A. Times a while back about cocaine being cut with a veterinary product that was causing serious rashes. I will look for it after I post this....but yeah, cocaine can definitely cause a rash.
Helpful - 0
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