Cocaine Toothache Drops

[Brian]

Nurses, did you know that in the US, cocaine was sold over the counter until 1914 and was commonly found in products like toothache drops, dandruff remedies and medicinal tonics?

1885 advertisement of cocaine for dental pain in children

[CheesePotato, BSN, RN]

Incidentally, cocaine is still sold over the counter in the U.S. And my teeth feel just fine, thank you. Coincidence? Perhaps.

[AngelfireRN, MSN, RN, APRN]

Incidentally cocaine is still sold over the counter in the U.S. And my teeth feel just fine, thank you. Coincidence? Perhaps.[/quote']

It is? Do tell.

[pockunit, ADN, RN]

Uch, my grandmother used to slather everything with merchurochrome. She called it "monkey blood" for some reason. I didn't tell her I was hurt unless it was really bad.

[merlee]

Yes, liquid cocaine is still out there. Some years ago it was used to stop a bad nosebleed that my son had.

And my favorite story about paregoric -- More than 50 years ago, one of my mom's good friends told everyone that she gave her kids some paregoric any time they (the parents) were going out for an evening. That way, the kids would sleep better, and the babysitter would keep coming back.

And they survived!

[dah doh, BSN, RN]

@GrnTea: Yup, we used to keep the coke in the pyxis for nasal intubation. I think we stopped that about 7 years ago when we stopped routinely intubating nasally. We still use it for ENT procedures, But it cracks me up that the cocaine comes from pharmacy.

[xandarosa]

I heard Coke is the only company in the US to legal be able to bring cocaine into the country. Which they then sell to the phamaceutical companies.

[wanderlust99]

I've seen liquid cocaine, as recently as last year, in a hospital setting. I don't remember why it was used.

[nrsang97, BSN, RN]

Yes we have liquid cocaine in our pyxis too. It is used for stopping nosebleeds.

[sapphire18]

We have liquid cocaine in our pyxis for nosebleeds. The doctor asked me to get some for a patient the other day and I was all "haha that's funny" and the doc was all "no really, we use it all the time."[/quote']

Hahaha the same thing happened to me!!

[chicagonurse89]

amazing! I am learning a lot in here!

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

I do so love this. Should be on the "First year of practice" forum.

[FlyingScot, RN]

My best friend, who is considerably older than me and was raised in NOLA, told me of a country doctor that used to treat her sinus infections with something he swabbed up inside her nose that made her "feel great". I almost fell over laughing when I saw her face after I told her he was swabbing her with "blow".