Smoked vs IV cocaine

[Sturnam]

So in a recent psychopharmacology overview, and they talked about how smoked cocaine produced the same plasma level as IV, but that people preferred smoked to IV.

Smoked cocaine has the fastest rate of onset, followed by
intravenous, intranasal, and oral routes (see Bigelow and
Walsh 1998 ). Smoked cocaine also produces greater
increases in ratings of “high” and “liking” than i.v. cocaine
despite equivalent cocaine plasma levels and is preferentially
self-administered when participants are given a choice
between smoked versus i.v. cocaine (Foltin and Fischman
1991, 1992).

I'm confused as to a few things.
First of all, why is smoking crack better than IV cocaine? Is there something special about cocaine that makes smoking better than IV? It seems like almost every other drug of abuse has vastly increased abuse potential and increased "high" and "liking" by the IV route. Especially with the same plasma levels, there must be something that makes smoking special.

Also, in general, how can smoking hit faster than IV? I know the basics of how the drug is absorbed in the lungs and then immediately pumped out to the body, but it seems like IV would be faster onset. It is simply skipping the step of the lungs absorbing the drug. Does a drug get bound to red blood cells if inhaled, which aids in the perceived rush?

Or is the rush more dependent on the time it takes? If you were to inject say 50 units of water+drug, would that small time delay be enough to affect the rush vs crack, where you get a dose in 1 hit?

 

[shamus]

AFAIK blood from the lungs hits the brain within a few seconds whereas an injected solution takes 10-15 seconds.

 

[Sturnam]

oops, just remembered that IV would be in the veins and have to return to the heart first while smoked would be circulating through the arteries first. that's why smoked hits before IV.

anyone have any ideas for the first question though?

 

[Dandiwer]

1.) Smoking crack doesn't give you that "OMG I'm going to die" sort of feeling, where as IVing cocaine, SWIM has been there many times where SWIM thought he might die, or felt close to going into cardiac arrest.

2.) After being a junkie for 3 years, SWIM can definitively say a night with blow does more damage to their veins then their whole 3 years of doing black. People would rather smoke it because it's a lot easier to hide then a bruised and punctured forearm.

Those are the two main reasons I can think of, but still SWIM loves the IV over the rock. As long as you can hit your veins each time, which SWIM can...

 

[xxl]

"Smoked cocaine also produces greater
increases in ratings of “high” and “liking” than i.v. cocaine
despite equivalent cocaine plasma levels"

My emphasis. I think they found out that plasma levels were lower with crack. Plasma levels are higher with IV.

 

[fryingsquirrel]

Shooting coke makes your arm look like it got caught in a sewing machine, probably the main reason people prefer smoking.

I'm trying to imagine how this study was done. "I'm here for the free crack!"

 

[23536]

somewhere around here there's a thread that says that one of the pyrolysis products of cocaine enhances the cocaine high (sorta like MSG and umami or whateverthefuck it's called). The claim is sourced from Pubmed, and the product is not even a tropane (IIRC). If anyone knows where I can find this thread please holler.

A good point made in another thread:

Cocaine is literally the worst drug for IV use. When you snort it, it doesn't absorb very fast because of the vasoconstrictive properties- which prevents the local aneastetic effects from destroying your heart.

When you IV it, you bypass that fortunate slowing (which is something many of the 'caine cuts dont' do, and often what causes the actual death in snorting overdoses).

 

[Nagelfar]

1.) Smoking crack doesn't give you that "OMG I'm going to die" sort of feeling, where as IVing cocaine, SWIM has been there many times where SWIM thought he might die, or felt close to going into cardiac arrest.

2.) After being a junkie for 3 years, SWIM can definitively say a night with blow does more damage to their veins then their whole 3 years of doing black. People would rather smoke it because it's a lot easier to hide then a bruised and punctured forearm.

Those are the two main reasons I can think of, but still SWIM loves the IV over the rock. As long as you can hit your veins each time, which SWIM can...

I can concur doubly with all the above.

Also IV'ing allows for higher plasma levels in a quicker and shorter amount of time than smoking/inhaling. So by equivalent plasma levels smoking would be more euphoric by the standards of any substance because the oxygenated blood from the lungs goes straight from their main artery to the brain, and IV goes quickly from the vein, to the heart, to the arterial system and then brain (but in a larger potential amount).

 

[stuckinaloop]

I prefer iv 100%