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Click here to read "Addressing the Complexities of Chronic Pain," by Dr. James Gagne, an internist at The Canyon. The article was published in Marin Medicine Magazine. (This link is provided solely for educational purposes.)

New Report: Cocaine Supply Cut With Flesh-eating Drug

A recent study reports that a high percentage of the cocaine sold in the US is cut with levamisole, a veterinary deworming drug, which can lead to patches of dead skin.

As if cocaine weren’t dangerous enough, now doctors are saying much of the drug currently available on US streets can literally eat the flesh of those who use it. It sounds like something from a horror movie, but it’s not fiction. A new study claims that 82 percent of street cocaine is laced with levamisole, a veterinary drug used to deworm animals.

The alarming stat comes from the Drug Enforcement Administration, which recently reported that 82 percent of the cocaine it seizes has been cut with the veterinary drug. And doctors are warning that this increasingly popular filler can rot away the skin on users' noses, cheeks and ears.

Why Levamisole?

Just how is levamisole finding its way into the cocaine supply in the first place? Drug dealers typically add fillers to the pure drug to boost profits, with some cheaper cocaine containing up to 90 percent filler. In the past, cocaine was often cut with relatively harmless substances like baking soda, but South American drug cartels prefer to use levamisole, a veterinary antibiotic normally used to deworm cattle, sheep and pigs. This may be due to its purported potential to affect brain receptors in a way similar to cocaine.

This means it can provide a cheaper high. But that comes at a high price for unsuspecting users. A recently published case study in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology linked six patients with patches of dying flesh to tainted cocaine. Doctors say the wounds usually surface within 24 hours of exposure and are the result of an immune reaction that damages blood vessels supplying the skin. Without any blood supply, the skin is starved of oxygen, turns a dark purple and dies off. While not everyone will experience this serious side effect, anyone using tainted cocaine is at risk.

Cocaine Rehab

If you or someone you love is in need of cocaine rehab, call The Canyon at the toll-free number on our homepage. Someone is there to take your call 24 hours a day and answer any questions you have about treatment, financing or insurance.