FDA Approves Cocaine Nasal Spray

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What is the FDA Approved Cocaine Nasal Spray?

In January of 2020, the United States Food and Drug Administration approved a nasal spray for use in medical settings that contained the drug cocaine. The drug is a cocaine nasal spray, developed by the Lannett Company, which contains small amounts of cocaine.

The medication is designed to be used before diagnostic procedures and nasal surgeries and is to be marketed specifically to Otolaryngologists – doctors who specialize in the eyes, nose, and throat. The drug, Numbrino, is only to be used on adults, and will not be available by prescription to individuals.

What is Cocaine?

Cocaine is a stimulant drug derived from the South American coca plant. Once used widely as a medically approved painkiller, cocaine was commonly prescribed in the 19th century. But since then, cocaine has been discovered to be highly addictive and dangerous.

As a result, it is rarely used for many medicinal reasons. However, cocaine has anesthetic properties, which means it can cause local numbness in soft tissues. As a result, when it is snorted, it causes numbness to the throat, mouth, and tongue. This numbing ability can still have some medicinal applications, and it is for that reason that cocaine was chosen for Numbrino.

The FDA has stated that, while the drug does contain a potentially dangerous substance, its dangers will be greatly reduced by requiring that the drug only be used under clinical supervision, and never offered as a prescription. However, it is important to note that, just because the FDA has approved a limited-use drug containing cocaine, it is still not a safe substance to use recreationally.

Cocaine is still a Schedule II substance and private use, or possession, of cocaine is still illegal. Furthermore, cocaine use for recreational purposes entails serious physical and psychological dangers, and those experiencing cocaine addiction should immediately seek help from a professional treatment center, such as Resurgence Behavioral Health.

Effects of FDA Approved Cocaine Nasal Spray

While it may seem surprising that a cocaine nasal spray would be approved by the FDA, Numbrino is not the first local anesthetic containing cocaine to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration. In 2017, a similar drug, Goprelto, was approved for the purpose of killing pain during clinical procedures on the nasal cavity.

When used recreationally, cocaine use can result in serious health consequences, fatal overdose, and powerful withdrawal symptoms, the National Survey on Drug Use and Health indicates that, in 2014, an estimated 1.5 million Americans aged 12 or older had used cocaine in the past month.

Cocaine is sometimes injected, smoked, or “cut” with additional ingredients to create the drug crack cocaine. However, snorting is the most common means of using cocaine. Since cocaine is comprised of tiny crystals, this method creates small scratches in the nasal passages, which is how cocaine enters the bloodstream.

Once cocaine enters the bloodstream, it begins to interfere with the regulation of dopamine, the natural hormone associated with “feel good” behaviors. The body releases dopamine in response to certain activities, like eating, exercising, hugging, and spending time with friends, which encourages the likelihood of those choices to become a habit.

Dopamine also plays an important role in physical and cognitive health, including sleep regulation, memory, pain processing, and ability to focus. Cocaine prolongs the presence of dopamine in the brain, creating a feeling of euphoria. But this is also how cocaine triggers a powerful addiction within the body.

Once cocaine addiction has set in, users may find themselves unable to experience happiness without the drug, and soon they may require large amounts of cocaine just to feel “normal.” Trying to quit cocaine can result in severe depression, and efforts to quit using cocaine “cold turkey,” can be nearly impossible. However, freedom from addiction can be achieved.

Resurgence Behavioral Health can help you, or a loved one, break the hold of cocaine addiction through medical treatment and specialized psychological care.

Mental illness FDA Approved Cocaine Nasal Spray

Numbrino will most likely not be used for individuals with a history of substance abuse. Furthermore, patients who have been administered Numbrino prior to a procedure will not likely know that they have received a cocaine-based drug and will not be given a prescription through which they can obtain more. These steps should help reduce the danger of using cocaine in a clinical setting and should help protect those with mental health issues from this form of addiction.

This is important because mental illness and substance addiction form a cycle, in which mental illnesses are worsened by using drugs. For example, many individuals who use stimulant drugs, such as cocaine, are doing so to self-medicate issues with depression, social anxiety, and low self-esteem.

As addiction progresses, users experience extreme and dangerous levels of sadness, anger, and depression when cocaine is not in their system, resulting in high-risk behavior, including violence and suicide. These negative behaviors and emotions only serve to encourage greater addiction.

Attempts to manage this addictive cycle without cocaine rehabilitation can result in relapse or overdose. But with professional treatment that addresses both the physical and psychological impact of cocaine addiction, those struggling can achieve, and maintain, a healthy life, free from addiction.

Treatment and FDA Approved Cocaine Nasal Spray

While Numbrino, when used as designed, should not result in addiction, cocaine is still a highly addictive and dangerous substance. This is because the addictive power of cocaine is more than physical. This substance impacts the mental health of the cocaine addict, resulting in feelings of hopelessness without the drug.

With this in mind, one of the most important steps in breaking the cycle of cocaine addiction is to get the drug out of the body, without causing physical or psychological harm to the addict. Detoxification is the recommended first step in the treatment process, and detoxification as part of a residential program with medical assistance is often the best option for managing the physical and emotionally painful aspects of withdrawal.

These detoxifications are usually conducted under medical supervision, such as a hospital or residential treatment setting, which reduces the likelihood of a serious complication, such as heart attack, or stroke. After detoxification, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy is a highly effective strategy for relieving cocaine addiction, helping patients recognize how they first became addicted, and how to manage behaviors that might trigger further user.

Additionally, cocaine addiction treatment programs that use the 12-step model, such as Cocaine Anonymous, can support recovery when used to supplement residential or outpatient treatment. Furthermore, cocaine recovery centers, such as Resurgence Behavioral Health, offer a variety of recovery options to help meet the specific needs of each patient.

While it can be hard to break the grip of cocaine addiction alone, with a supportive treatment team, a new beginning is possible for anyone seeking help and recovery.

Payment Information

At Resurgence Behavioral Health, we believe you should be focused on your recovery, not your insurance. And we offer payment plans and options to fit almost any budget. We accept most PPO insurance and private forms of payment and will even communicate with your insurance provider on your behalf. Just call Resurgence Behavioral Health at 855-458-0050, and let your recovery begin.

How to Get Help

Today is a new day. A new start, free from cocaine addiction – and you will not be alone along the way. The Resurgence Behavioral Health team is caring, experienced, and licensed in modern substance abuse recovery treatments and our soothing locations in Costa Mesa, Fountain Valley, Huntington Beach, and Fullerton Hills have all the comforts of home, as well as the emotional support services you need.

In this safe and therapeutic environment, you will build self-empowerment and resilience to live a satisfying life, without cocaine. Incorporating medically assisted detoxification, spiritual services, group counseling, 12-Step Programs, prescription assistance, and Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, and more, we have evidence-based programs to support your recovery and to reflect your unique needs.

Today is the day that you will discover the joys of recovery. Call Resurgence Behavioral Health at 855-458-0050. Your new future begins now.