NSTK · 01.2026Independent supplement reference
NutriStack
Edition 1.0Updated August 1, 2026

Supplement × Supplement·Evidence index

Alcohol and Cocaine: what the published research says

PubMed indexes 8 records that name Alcohol and Cocaine together, either in the title or in an interaction, co-administration, or pharmacokinetic context. Each one is listed below with its study design and, where the abstract states one, the authors’ own conclusion, quoted and linked. This page reports that literature. It does not tell you whether to combine them.

Read this first

An evidence index, not guidance.

Every statement below is attributed to a named, dated, linked source.

This page lists published research relevant to Alcohol and Cocaine. It deliberately does not state whether the combination is safe, whether it interacts, in which direction, at what dose, or how far apart to take them.

The research

8 studies naming Alcohol and Cocaine.

Strongest relevance first: papers naming both substances in the title, then human trials and systematic reviews.

Combined use of cocaine and alcohol: A violent cocktail? A systematic review.

Journal of forensic and legal medicine · 2023 · PMID 37832170

Systematic ReviewHuman subjects

“Based on these data we were also able to refute misconceptions about the relation between cocaine and violence published in the popular press and governmental reports, because it appeared that there was hardly any empirical support for this widely shared opinion. Probably, contextual factors, including cocaine use disorder and personality disorder, may better explain the assumed association between cocaine and violence.”

van Amsterdam et al. · From the abstract

Names both Alcohol and Cocaine in its title.

Alcohol and cocaine interactions in humans.

The Journal of pharmacology and experimental therapeutics · 1993 · PMID 8371143

Clinical TrialRandomized Controlled Trial

“When alcohol was given simultaneously, COC plasma levels were higher (possibly as a result of an inhibition of hepatic metabolism of COC produced by alcohol), norcocaine plasma levels almost doubled and cocaethylene was detected in plasma, so that its basic pharmacokinetic profile could be described. The simultaneous use of both drugs produced changes in heart rate and blood pressure that could increase the risk of cardiovascular toxicity associated with the use of COC.”

Farré et al. · From the abstract

Names both Alcohol and Cocaine in its title.

Cardiovascular Risks of Simultaneous Use of Alcohol and Cocaine-A Systematic Review.

Journal of clinical medicine · 2024 · PMID 38592322

Review

“Interestingly, the presence of cocaethylene, a unique metabolite generated only via a pharmacokinetic interaction between alcohol and cocaine, carries an 18- to 25-fold increase over the absence of cocaethylene (cocaine-alone users) in the risk of sudden death and is associated with myocardial injury and cardiac arrest, probably due to the inhibition of cardiac ion channels by cocaethylene.”

van Amsterdam et al. · From the abstract

Names both Alcohol and Cocaine in its title.

Cocaethylene: When Cocaine and Alcohol Are Taken Together.

Cureus · 2022 · PMID 35345678

Review

“Most cardiac-related risk assessment tools do not ask about cocaine use, which can prevent clinicians from making optimal therapeutic choices. Greater awareness of cocaethylene is needed for clinicians, and those who use cocaine should also be aware of the potential for polysubstance use of cocaine and ethanol to produce a potentially potent and long-lasting psychoactive metabolite.”

Pergolizzi et al. · From the abstract

Names both Alcohol and Cocaine in its title.

A Role for Neuropeptide S in Alcohol and Cocaine Seeking.

Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022 · PMID 35890099

Review

“Altogether, the work conducted so far indicates the NPS/NPSR system as a potential target to develop new treatments for alcohol and cocaine abuse. An NPSR agonist would be indicated to help individuals to quit alcohol consumption and to alleviate withdrawal syndrome, while NPSR antagonists would be indicated to prevent relapse to alcohol- and cocaine-seeking behavior.”

Cannella et al. · From the abstract

Names both Alcohol and Cocaine in its title.

Effects of alcohol on metabolism and toxicity of cocaine in rats.

Toxicology reports · 2022 · PMID 36518391

“So, evaluation of the substance TTL should account for the blood levels of not only cocaine itself, but also its all toxic metabolites. In addition, for rats died of a lethal dose of cocaine (60 or 100 mg/kg) combined with 1 g/kg alcohol, we also determined the TTL at the time of death, demonstrating that death would occur once the TTL reached a threshold (~16 μM).”

Shang et al. · From the abstract

Names both Alcohol and Cocaine in its title.

Limitations

What this evidence cannot tell you.

Search-based evidence indexes have real limits, and it is worth being explicit about them:

NutriStack

Track what you actually take.

NutriStack is a free iPhone app for organising a supplement routine: what you take, when, and what the published record says about it. Its exploratory interaction checker covers Alcohol, Cocaine, and several hundred other substances.

The checker is a research and organisation tool, not a clinical decision aid, and its per-pair assessments are excluded from search until they pass claim-level review.

NutriStack is an informational and organizational tool, not a medical service, and not a substitute for professional advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before starting, stopping, or changing any supplement or medication.