How can street drugs cause stroke?
“When you give healthy young men a small dose of cocaine — much smaller than what they would use on the street — you can see some of the structures of the brain darken,” says Kaufman, who explains that’s a signal of altered blood flow. “The reason this is important,” Kaufman adds, “is because any interruption in blood flow can be damaging.” Among other things, the changes in blood flow from cocaine and crack use can cause brain damage and a life-threatening stroke. Cocaine, methamphetamines, and other stimulants can cause stroke in two ways. To begin with, stimulant drugs increase blood pressure. These drugs also have a direct effect on the vessel walls, and the extra pressure can cause them to rupture and leak blood into the brain. This is known as a hemorrhagic stroke. Secondly, stimulant street drugs narrow the blood vessels. This can cut off blood flow to parts of the brain and kill brain tissue, producing what is known as an ischemic stroke. If I just try speed or coke a few tim
