Cocaine

Excerpt

Cocaine hydrochloride topical solution contains 4% cocaine. It is not FDA-approved but allowed for only the following indications: topical anesthesia of the mucous membranes of the oral, laryngeal, and nasal cavities. Its vasoconstrictive properties also make it useful for the temporary treatment of epistaxis before cauterization or packing, which is considered off-label use. This activity reviews the mechanism of action, adverse event profile, toxicity, dosing, pharmacodynamics, and monitoring of cocaine pertinent for interprofessional team members when used as indicated in the clinical setting.