Experts warn of cocaine and alcohol’s ‘lethal’ mix

COMBINING cocaine and alcohol “can be lethal,” two top drug experts warned yesterday.

Dr Eamon Keenan, clinical director of HSE Addiction Services in Dublin Mid-Leinster, said: “Both have disinhibiting effects, and the combination creates a specific chemical, cocaethylene, which creates cardiac abnormalities.”

Dr Siobhán Barry, consultant psychiatrist at St John of Gods, agreed: “Potentially, it’s a very dangerous combination. Cocaine speeds up the heart. Some people after taking it want to relax and take alcohol or vice versa. Generally speaking, a third of those who have cocaine addiction also have a diagnosis of alcohol dependence.”

Dr Keenan expressed concern that large numbers of people continued to use the drug despite high-profile cocaine deaths, such as model Katy French in 2007.

“There has been a lot of awareness regarding cocaine, yet people still feel it’s a drug that can be taken at a party with no adverse consequences,” she said, adding that experimental users, long-term users and those with underlying heart conditions face risks.

Dr Keenan said cocaine users seen in addiction services tended to be polydrug users, often heroin addicts&.

Dr Barry’s report on cocaine for an Oireachtas committee in 2005 highlighted the lack of publicly funded services for cocaine users.

- HSE helpline 1800 459 459 www.drugs.ie.

Cocaine facts:

- Cocaine deaths jumped from five in 1998, to 36 in 2005, to 63 in 2007.

- Cocaine affects heart rhythms, leading to possible heart attacks, chest pain, raised blood pressure, respiratory failures, strokes and seizures.

- Cocaine and alcohol combine to form another drug, cocaethylene, which is more toxic than using either drug alone.

- Chronic use or heavy binges can lead to paranoid thoughts and even psychotic disorders.

- Cocaine purity in Ireland is very low (about 25%), with high levels of often-toxic adulterants.