Cocaine detection model
Pharmacokinetic detection windows
| Matrix | Metabolite | Window |
|---|---|---|
| Urine | Benzoylecgonine (BZE) | 2–4 days (up to 7 heavy) |
| Urine | Cocaine parent | 6–12 h (occasional) to 5 days (heavy) |
| Oral fluid | Smoked | ~6 h |
| Oral fluid | Oral | ~13 h |
| Hair | Parent + metabolites | Weeks to months |
Key metabolites: BZE (CES1 hydrolysis), EME (CES2 hydrolysis), norcocaine (CYP3A4 — active, hepatotoxic, minor).
Wearable detection strategy
Primary features
- HR delta from personal baseline — acute cocaine: ↑11–20+ bpm (cocaine alone); ↑20–40 bpm (with ethanol). Largest, most consistent signal.
- HRV suppression — acute sympathetic shift. Context: HRV is not interpretable as a recovery metric during intoxication.
- Same-night REM reduction — acute REM suppression is well-documented and consistent.
- Sleep efficiency drop — residual insomnia in 6–24 h window post-use.
Corroborating features
- Motion context (cocaine intoxication typically occurs in sedentary/social context — distinguish from exercise HR spike)
- Time-of-day pattern (evening/night use most common for recreational users)
- HRV next-day trajectory (if still suppressed after 12–24 h, supports cocaine vs other acute stressor)
Route-specific notes
- Smoked (crack): fastest onset (3–5 min), largest HR spike, shortest PK duration (~54 min half-life)
- Intranasal: slower onset, more gradual HR rise, longer effective signal window
- Oral: slowest onset, most delayed HR effect
Chronic vs occasional user detection
- Occasional users: acute HR spike is large and clear; REM suppression same night is consistent
- Chronic users: acute HR spike may be blunted by tolerance; but REM and sleep efficiency effects persist; next-day cognitive impairment may be more discriminating
Limitations
- No wearable-specific HRV dataset for cocaine exists — all wearable inference is extrapolated from lab autonomic studies
- Cocaethylene (cocaine + alcohol) complicates the model — HR elevation is amplified but detection window may overlap with alcohol
- HR spike is not specific: exercise, stress, caffeine all produce similar patterns
- Need motion + context + time-of-day to distinguish
Related
Cocaine, Cardiovascular signatures, Cocaine sleep architecture, Cocaethylene, Cocaine crash