# Cocaine damage?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cocaine-damage/170336>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [April 22, 2003, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cocaine-damage/170336 "2003-04-22T15:43:52Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![effac3d](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b487fb/32.png) [@effac3d](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/effac3d)\
**Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cocaine-damage/170336/1 "2003-04-22T15:43:52Z")

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Why does cocaine damage cartilage in the nose?  
Is it the cocaine itself,or the junk its usually cut with?  
And why isn’t soft tissue affected?

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**Author:** ![Chief\_Crunch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e8c25b/32.png) [@Chief\_Crunch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chief_Crunch)\
**Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cocaine-damage/170336/2 "2003-04-22T16:44:14Z")

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If I recall properly, cocaine is usually made in the form of a hydrochloride salt and excessive use slowly damages the cartliage. Why soft tissue isn’t affected I don’t know.

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**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\
**Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cocaine-damage/170336/3 "2003-04-22T21:46:09Z")

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Anecdotal evidence here-

I used to snort _A LOT_ of cocaine, and it ate a hole in my septum. A big one. Some day I may have to break down and get it fixed, but I’m scared to. So instead, I just put up with having a runny nose almost all the time.

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**Author:** ![Robb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a183cd/32.png) [@Robb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robb)\
**Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cocaine-damage/170336/4 "2003-04-22T22:02:48Z")

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This [site](http://www.nida.nih.gov/Infofax/cocaine.html) tells us:

> [@](#):
>
> Prolonged cocaine snorting can result in ulceration of the mucous membrane of the nose and can damage the nasal septum enough to cause it to collapse.

which maybe isn’t as much why as you are looking for.

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**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\
**Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cocaine-damage/170336/5 "2003-04-22T22:09:04Z")

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Maybe it does damage the soft tissue, but that grows back. Perhaps the cartilage cannot heal, so the damage builds up.

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**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\
**Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cocaine-damage/170336/6 "2003-04-22T22:37:46Z")

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Cocaine is a vasoconstrictor. Repeated use causes hypoxia in the mucosal and underlying tissue of the nose from blood vessels squeezing down and failing to deliver promised nutrients, which causes it to die. Cartilage is not real good about growing back.

That’s my educated WAG.

QtM, MD