title: Sublingual cocaine: novel recurrence of an ancient practice.
abstract: Present knowledge suggests that cocaine is almost always used by snorting, injecting, or smoking. During a recent treatment study, we encountered 2 cases who reported active cocaine use by the sublingual route exclusively. We describe here 1) the method of sublingual use, 2) its attraction for cocaine dependent individuals, especially those who wish to conceal use, and 3) concerns regarding the medical consequences of sublingual cocaine use. Sublingual cocaine use may cause unique medical symptoms and may easily evade detection by medical personnel.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Denver, CO, USA.
authors.forename: Lori
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Clapp
authors.forename: Brandon
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.forename: Thomas P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Beresford
mesh_terms: D000286:Administration, Sublingual; D000328:Adult; D003042:Cocaine / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D019970:Cocaine-Related Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male
chemical_list: D003042:Cocaine