An American Heart Association study states that young, otherwise healthy patients who use cocaine can sometimes experience heart attack symptoms such as palpitations, nausea, chest pain, sweating, and shortness of breath. It can also result in high blood pressure.

Often, cocaine-related chest pain occurs within 3 hours of taking the drug, but cocaine can cause complications up to 18 hours after taking it. The American Heart Association report encourages doctors to ask patients exhibiting heart attack symptoms if they've used cocaine. Some common heart attack treatments such as beta-blockers and clot-busting drugs are very dangerous to cocaine users.