The result is that, for a time at least, excessive amounts of the neurotransmitters are available in the nervous system. The two neurotransmitters in question are norepinephrine, which acts in both the central and peripheral nervous systems to provide arousal and the sense of extra energy, and dopamine, which acts in the brain to produce feelings of pleasure and euphoria. Some of the effects of cocaine use are long-lasting, if not permanent, even though the psychological effects last but a few minutes. Cocaine is such a powerfully addictive drug that many individuals can become psychologically and physically dependent on its use after just one or two episodes. Cocaine addiction tends to run in families to such an extent that current research is exploring the hypothesis that there is a genetic basis for cocaine addiction.
Cocaine is a drug that no one can handle safely.
In addition to blocking reuptake, amphetamines cause the release of excess dopamine and norepinephrine. However, their action is considerably slower and less widespread than that of cocaine. Once an amphetamine takes effect, users feel alert, awake, aroused, filled with energy, and ready to go. These results are short-lived. The drug does not create alertness so much as it masks fatigue, which will ultimately overcome the user when the drug wears off.