Cocaine is highly addictive, and with the introduction of crack, it has become even more addicting and hazardous. With frequent usage, tolerance is developed, and withdrawal symptoms are experienced.

With repeated use, the restless irritation that follows the euphoric high transforms into a sensation of melancholy agony. The down is just as horrible as the up, and the only way to get out of it is to take more cocaine.

The atypical symptoms can be experienced by heavy cocaine users. Flashes of light (‘snow lights’) or moving lights are common visual hallucinations.

The sensation of bugs (‘cocaine bugs’) crawling under one’s skin is less prevalent but more disturbing. The delusion may be so severe that the person will chop out the bugs with a knife. Cocaine causes sensory neurons to fire spontaneously, resulting in these experiences.