Effect of intranasal cocaine on experimental pain in man.

Sixteen healthy male volunteers had 30 mg of cocaine HCI solution or normal saline placebo impregnated in cotton-covered applicators administered intranasally on different days in a double-blind procedure. Ischemic tourniquet pain was significantly less after cocaine than it was in pretreatment control. It was also significantly less than after administration of a placebo. Responses to questionnaires concerning subjective drug effects, mood, and alertness revealed little change in psychological status associated with either cocaine or placebo. Thus, the reported decrease in pain was probably not caused by a change in affect or by altered consciousness. These results indicate that, in addition to its known properties as a local aesthetic, cocaine when applied intranasally exerts an analgesic effect.