Heroin vs. Cocaine

How Do Heroin & Cocaine Affect Neurotransmitters in the Brain?

Central nervous system depressants act on the brain by increasing the activity of GABA, a neurotransmitter that slows brain activity. People who use depressants such as alcohol, heroin, and benzodiazepines feel sleepy and uncoordinated at first. They can also have poor concentration, confusion, lowered blood pressure, and slowed breathing.

Like many substances, cocaine has long-term effects on the brain. Studies show that cocaine creates glutamate, an excitatory neurotransmitter. This type of neurotransmitter stimulates a nerve cell, making the chemical message move from nerve cell to nerve cell, not stopping. Glutamate is essential for proper brain function.

Glutamate is also necessary for producing GABA, another neurotransmitter responsible for sleep, deep relaxation, anxiety regulation, and muscle function.

Can Heroin & Cocaine Both Be Taken the Same Way?

Heroin Use

One of the most common ways a person uses heroin is by injecting heroin with a needle. There are various ways a person may use heroin, such as by injecting, smoking, or snorting.

Injection

Needles are used with heroin by injecting the drug directly into a user’s vein. Users often use discreet injection sites. Most users start by injecting in their forearms but may move to other areas such as the neck, groin, hands, feet, or face when scarring or inflammation occurs.

Inhalation

One way a person may smoke heroin is through something called foil smoking. Foil smoking is generally heroin consumption by inhalation. By heating an aluminum foil with a lighter, the heroin on top of the foil starts melting, and the smoke is then inhaled using a straw. Foil smoking is the second most common form of heroin consumption after intravenous use.

Sniffing/Snorting

People may have the misconception that snorting heroin is safer than injecting heroin. However, it has been reported that heroin users who begin heroin use by snorting or smoking heroin first eased their transition to needle drug use. It is also increasingly common for heroin to be cut with other dangerous, potent opioids like illicitly manufactured fentanyl, a significant risk factor for overdose no matter how heroin is taken.

Cocaine Use

Cocaine can be snorted, gummed, injected, or smoked. If using crack cocaine, it can only be smoked.

Injection

Cocaine is injected by dissolving it in water and injecting it into the bloodstream. This is one of the quickest ways to feel the immediate effects of cocaine.

Inhalation

Inhalation takes place by smoking or inhaling the vapor of cocaine. This is the same as injecting cocaine, as the drug enters the bloodstream immediately.

Sniffing & Snorting

Snorting is the most common way people use cocaine. It is snorted and absorbed into the bloodstream through the nasal passage.

A Heroin High Compared to Cocaine

The following highs are detailed below for heroin and cocaine.

Heroin

Heroin is a powerful opioid drug made from the opium poppy plant. No matter how it is taken, when heroin enters the body, it moves to the brain quickly and changes how the central nervous system functions. In the brain, heroin binds to specific receptors responsible for sensations of pain and pleasure.

While heroin dulls pain and delivers a euphoric rush of pleasure, it also sends signals to parts of the brain responsible for regulating heart and breathing rates, memory, motor control, alertness, and emotional control. The limbic system, in particular, and the reward-response reactions that occur there play a significant role in the development of addiction. Heroin causes this system to release dopamine, leaving the individual with feelings of satisfaction and well-being for a short time. However, drowsiness and mental impairment follow for hours afterward.

Cocaine

A euphoria and a sudden rush instantly take over. This excitement and jolt of energy are what drive people to want more hits of cocaine. Because this intense feeling only lasts for a short period, for some people only a matter of minutes, it makes people want to experience that extreme cocaine high over and over again.

In addition to the sensations of euphoria and increased energy, physiological effects also occur when a person uses cocaine. Short-term physiological effects from cocaine include constricted blood vessels, dilated pupils, increased body temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure. Unfortunately, because of a person’s desire to use more cocaine to chase the sensations one may experience can lead to dangerous results.

Is Heroin or Cocaine More Addictive?

Heroin and cocaine are identified as among the 5 most addictive substances in the world. However, according to NIDA, heroin was the most addictive substance out of any other substance in the world. In addition to the dangerous level of addiction, the amount of heroin that can kill someone is only 5x greater than the amount used to achieve a high.

A Cause of Death Comparison

Heroin is a powerful drug that can lead to dependency, overdose, and death. Because people feel an intense high immediately, it creates a desire to have more. In 2020, more than 13,000 people died from an overdose involving heroin in the United States. This equals more than four deaths for every 100,000 Americans. The number of heroin overdose deaths was seven times higher in 2020 than in 1999.

Cocaine is also a drug that has deadly effects. Drug dealers may cut cocaine with other drugs such as marijuana, heroin, fentanyl, LSD, and PCP. This can heighten cocaine’s effects or increase the likelihood of an overdose. According to the CDC, cocaine was involved in nearly 1 in 5 overdose deaths in 2019. Additionally, 16,000 Americans died from overdoses involving cocaine.