After stopping regular cocaine use for months, which symptoms are most likely to occur?

After stopping regular cocaine use for months, which symptoms are most likely to occur?

• A. Dramatic tremors of the hands and face, very rapid heart rate, and convulsions
• B. Headaches, depressed feelings, and crashing
• C. Pain, sweating, mania, and nausea
• D. Excitement, insomnia, and hallucinations

Answer: (B)

Cocaine withdrawal after stopping long‑term use typically produces a “crash”: fatigue, low mood, and a sense of anhedonia, often with headaches. The brain’s dopamine system rebounds after cessation, leading to depressive feelings and a need to rest, sometimes followed by increased appetite. This pattern fits the option describing headaches, depressed feelings, and crashing, which is the classic withdrawal picture for stimulants like cocaine. The other sets of symptoms point more to acute intoxication or withdrawal from other substances or to less typical stimulant withdrawal symptoms (tremors, seizures, mania, hallucinations, or persistent autonomic arousal), which are not the most characteristic after months of abstinence.

Cocaine withdrawal after stopping long‑term use typically produces a “crash”: fatigue, low mood, and a sense of anhedonia, often with headaches. The brain’s dopamine system rebounds after cessation, leading to depressive feelings and a need to rest, sometimes followed by increased appetite. This pattern fits the option describing headaches, depressed feelings, and crashing, which is the classic withdrawal picture for stimulants like cocaine. The other sets of symptoms point more to acute intoxication or withdrawal from other substances or to less typical stimulant withdrawal symptoms (tremors, seizures, mania, hallucinations, or persistent autonomic arousal), which are not the most characteristic after months of abstinence.