# Does cocaine damage nasal area with moderate use? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 18, 2003, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cocaine-damage-nasal-area-with-moderate-use/219873 "2003-12-18T23:57:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Carlos619](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6bbea6/32.png) [@Carlos619](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carlos619)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2003, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cocaine-damage-nasal-area-with-moderate-use/219873/1 "2003-12-18T23:57:57Z")
Can it alter your sense of smell? rupture small viens or arteries? What are the worse effects of cocaine on the physical side? ---
**Author:** ![II\_Gyan\_II](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/bbe5ce/32.png) [@II\_Gyan\_II](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/II_Gyan_II)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cocaine-damage-nasal-area-with-moderate-use/219873/2 "2003-12-19T00:11:26Z")
A lot of questions different from the thread title. Snorting cocaine can collapse the [septum](http://www.healthatoz.com/healthatoz/Atoz/ency/perforated_septum.html), which is irreversible. ---
**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:** [December 19, 2003, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cocaine-damage-nasal-area-with-moderate-use/219873/3 "2003-12-19T01:18:22Z")
Even occasional use has been associated with septal infarct. I see dozens of patients who tell me they only used cocaine “a few times” and have one honking big hole in the septum. Of course, I work in a prison. QtM, MD ---
**Author:** ![hyjyljyj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/0ea827/32.png) [@hyjyljyj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hyjyljyj)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cocaine-damage-nasal-area-with-moderate-use/219873/4 "2003-12-19T01:48:54Z")
Yes. I’ve never known anyone who started using cocaine and had their life \*improve.[/] ---
**Author:** ![hyjyljyj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/0ea827/32.png) [@hyjyljyj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hyjyljyj)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cocaine-damage-nasal-area-with-moderate-use/219873/5 "2003-12-19T01:50:03Z")
test : _improve_ ---
**Author:** ![KP](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a9adbd/32.png) [@KP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KP)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cocaine-damage-nasal-area-with-moderate-use/219873/6 "2003-12-19T02:31:30Z")
> [@](#): > > What are the worse effects of cocaine on the physical side? Death, wishing you were dead, and every gradation of misery/ill health. If it can happen if you crash your car into a bridge abutment (etc.), cocaine can do it to you, because on cocaine, you’re more likely to do stuff that will crash you into a bridge abutment (etc.). Verba sat. ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cocaine-damage-nasal-area-with-moderate-use/219873/7 "2003-12-19T02:44:26Z")
I have a deviated septum from cocaine use. My doctor had never actually seen one. It’s a big honkin’ hole, and I am scared to death that I will get hit in the face someday and my nose will just collapse. Another lovely bit of wreckage from my past. The sores on my body that wouldn’t heal, the hair loss and extreme gauntness were taken care of with abstinence and time, but your septum does not grow back. ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cocaine-damage-nasal-area-with-moderate-use/219873/8 "2003-12-19T02:46:29Z")
Oh, perhaps I should elaborate- I don’t have a visible hole in my face or anything. Your septum is the bit of flesh between your nostrils. From the outside, mine looks totally normal, but it only goes back about 1/2 inch or less. Then there is a hole. TMI perhaps- it makes for insane boogers and my nose runs pretty much all the time. I have had the sniffles for over 12 years (and I’ve been sober). ---
**Author:** ![Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Speaker_for_the_Dead)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cocaine-damage-nasal-area-with-moderate-use/219873/9 "2003-12-19T03:14:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by EJsGirl \* > \*\*Oh, perhaps I should elaborate- I don’t have a visible hole in my face or anything. Your septum is the bit of flesh between your nostrils. From the outside, mine looks totally normal, but it only goes back about 1/2 inch or less. Then there is a hole. > > TMI perhaps- it makes for insane boogers and my nose runs pretty much all the time. I have had the sniffles for over 12 years (and I’ve been sober). \*\* A slight hijack, but congratulations. ---
**Author:** ![Carlos619](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6bbea6/32.png) [@Carlos619](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carlos619)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cocaine-damage-nasal-area-with-moderate-use/219873/10 "2003-12-19T06:46:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by EJsGirl \* > \*\*Oh, perhaps I should elaborate- I don’t have a visible hole in my face or anything. Your septum is the bit of flesh between your nostrils. From the outside, mine looks totally normal, but it only goes back about 1/2 inch or less. Then there is a hole. > > TMI perhaps- it makes for insane boogers and my nose runs pretty much all the time. I have had the sniffles for over 12 years (and I’ve been sober). \*\* GEEZUS! I don’t think I’ll have anything up my nose for a LONG time. I’ve only done it a handful of times, but this last time it bled for a little while; I think I snorted an uncrushed pebble. I’ve decided not to do it anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cocaine-damage-nasal-area-with-moderate-use/219873/11 "2003-12-19T07:18:22Z")
**EJsGirl** , you should do ads for the ONDCP. 😃 Hell, they’d be a hell of an improvement over what they run now. Plus, your stories actually seem to work! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![brainfizz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/da6949/32.png) [@brainfizz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brainfizz)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cocaine-damage-nasal-area-with-moderate-use/219873/12 "2003-12-19T14:11:32Z")
[Daniella Westbrook](http://www.evilgerald.com/Issues/Issue5/story1.htm), the British soap star, is quite a famous case of what can happen to your septum when you do too much charlie. ---
**Author:** ![CheekyMonkey613](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e480ec/32.png) [@CheekyMonkey613](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CheekyMonkey613)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cocaine-damage-nasal-area-with-moderate-use/219873/13 "2003-12-19T14:37:41Z")
One friend of mine would blow pieces of her nose out, when she blew her nose. You literally could see pieces of whatever’s supposed to be IN there, IN the Kleenex. When she stopped, her nose was always runny. So she started using Dristan alot. Now she’s addicted to that. I did coke once. I felt like such shit the next day, and didn’t even realize that I was high when I was, that I never had the urge to do it again. How people can get hooked on those feelings, I’ll never know. ---
**Author:** ![owlstretchingtime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/958977/32.png) [@owlstretchingtime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/owlstretchingtime)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cocaine-damage-nasal-area-with-moderate-use/219873/14 "2003-12-19T14:37:46Z")
In my experience the main harm that it does is to do with the situation in which one takes it. If you take it in a drinking situation you wil drink too much. Much too much. And that can be destructive. Other than that I have always found it fairly harmless, if rather overrated. ---
**Author:** ![Small\_Clanger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@Small\_Clanger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Clanger)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cocaine-damage-nasal-area-with-moderate-use/219873/15 "2003-12-19T16:16:18Z")
**EJsGirl** has probably done enough to put anyone off anyhow, but it’s short-term damage to your personality you should be worried about. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cocaine-damage-nasal-area-with-moderate-use/219873/16 "2003-12-19T16:32:38Z")
Dianiella Westbrook was doing 10g a _day_ for 4or 5 years. What if someone does a grand total of, say, 1g, over the course of 6 or 7 years? Is there seriously danger of nasal damage from such intermittent and “mild” usage? ---
**Author:** ![Uncommon\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Uncommon\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncommon_Sense)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cocaine-damage-nasal-area-with-moderate-use/219873/17 "2003-12-19T19:00:45Z")
**jjimm** , 1g. About a $100 worth in six or seven years?? If spread out over time there would be no damage. Like one line a month for a year. If you did it all in ten minutes, then yes, you may damage tissue. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cocaine-damage-nasal-area-with-moderate-use/219873/18 "2003-12-19T19:19:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by brainfizz \* > \*\*[Daniella Westbrook](http://www.evilgerald.com/Issues/Issue5/story1.htm), the British soap star, is quite a famous case of what can happen to your septum when you do too much charlie. \*\* Jeezus is that creepy. Perhaps she is part [Nibblonian](http://futurama.metropoliglobal.com/pers/nibbler.jpg).