Crack cocaine ingestion

[William]

I am a police officer and I am interested in finding out if a suspect were to swallow a large amount of crack cocaine to keep officers from finging the drug, is the suspect's life in danger?  How far should an officer go to keep a suspect from swallowing the cocaine?  I know that there have been documentd cases where suspects have died from cocaine ingestion.  How much cocaine must a person ingest for it to be fatal or for the suspect to incounter major sickness?  Do you know of any reference material online or elsewhere that discusses cases such as this?

[Brighty]

What an excellent and important question !! I can't give you the answer but want to point out that the last time the doctor visited this forum was on June 16 and since that time 32 questions have been posted and no doctor to reply !! I think you need a professional answer. I do recall the story of a man who swallowed cocaine in a balloon and the stomach acids destroyed the balloon and all the little baggies of cocaine inside it.He had a large amount(more than for personal use) and had been apprehended by the Feds. Unfortunately he died and it was believed that he figured he would make it through customs and pass the balloon later. Sad story and you are wise to seek this information.

[Brian to Sick and Scared § ALL you guys]

There is no easy answer to your question.  Someone can ingest crack and die.  Many factors play into the equation:  amount and purity; weight of the suspect; preexisting coronary artery disease, etc.

[Sherriq]

Brighty - I'm with you - where's the doctor?  I have been trying to post that very question for almost 3 weeks.  But every time I try (and I just now tried again), I get a message saying that the "limit for the forum has been reached."  Huh?  If no one is monitoring it - no doctor, I mean - then how is it they are too busy to answer anymore questions.  They aren't answering them anyway.  I've tried posting - making a new question/post - at all different times of the day, but I always get the same message.  I can, however, respond to other's postings, like I'm doing here now.  Guess I'm just not trying at the right times, because there have been new questions posted in the past 6 (almost) weeks.

Does anyone have any idea what's going on?  It seems as though Brian is answering the questions that the doctor used to answer - and actually, IMHO - he's giving a more direct, and a much better answer than the doctor's standard "go to an addiction specialist/don't take narcotics/read my articles" answer.  

Anyway - I'm sorry for posting this in the "cocaine ingestion" string, but, as I've said, I can't post it as a "new" question.

Take care everyone.
Sherri

[Brighty to Sherri]

Hi Sherri... I agree !! Brian is obviously a professional and has been the backbone of this forum as far as being able to answer many of the questions factually. And we need facts here as well as personal experiences and support. I wonder if doctor Steve is on vacation since it is that time of year. As far as getting your question on the board I suggest you try from 5 am till 8 am and see if you get lucky. The board only seems to accept one question per calendar day but I have not figured out what the hour lapse time actually is. I have only been able to post very early in the morning. In the meantime, choose a thread that has a topic the same as your question and type the word "Question" in caps and the sbject next to it. I bet you will get plenty of responses ( including Brian and some other really caring people who come here often). But if you want the doctor to answer, you have to keep trying to get your question on the board. Good luck and God bless you.

[Brighty to Sherri]

Hi Sherri... I agree !! Brian is obviously a professional and has been the backbone of this forum as far as being able to answer many of the questions factually. And we need facts here as well as personal experiences and support. I wonder if doctor Steve is on vacation since it is that time of year. As far as getting your question on the board I suggest you try from 5 am till 8 am and see if you get lucky. The board only seems to accept one question per calendar day but I have not figured out what the hour lapse time actually is. I have only been able to post very early in the morning. In the meantime, choose a thread that has a topic the same as your question and type the word "Question" in caps and the sbject next to it. I bet you will get plenty of responses ( including Brian and some other really caring people who come here often). But if you want the doctor to answer, you have to keep trying to get your question on the board. Good luck and God bless you.

[Sherriq]

Thanks for your response Brighty.  I had a question about 3 weeks ago, but not now.  (I just wanted to know what happened to Doctor Steve.)  I live in South Texas, and I'll be darned if I'm getting up at 5:00am to ask a question. (Guess I would if I had a really burning question, or a real need to know. Besides, if only one question is allowed per day, I'd rather it be used by someone who REALLY needs the help.)  

I agree with you - this board does need solid answers in addition to encouragement and support.  Like the question about tapering from Oxycontin that was posted today.  I know that it has been answered several times in this forum, but the person who asked the question deserves an answer - and it sounds like they need an answer, too!  I feel for them - hope Brian's online tonight.

And Brian - if you happen to read this - thank you for all the time you spend giving good information and straight answers to those seeking help on this board.  Whatever type of work it is that you do - that profession is fortunate to have you as a member.  I've learned so much from reading your postings - and what I've learned is good, USEFUL information.  Brighty - I've learned quite a bit from your postings, too.

Anyway - maybe someday we'll find out what happened to Dr. Steve, and in the meantime, we remain ever thankful for Brian and those like him who help so much.

Take care everyone,
Sherri

[Brian to Sick and Scared § ALL you guys]

Thank you for your sentiments.  It is nice to be appreciated.  I must say, I post to this board as much for myself as to help others.  I find coming here very therapeutic and it keeps me constantly reminded that I am, and always will be, an addict.  I'm just one pill away from starting the whole downward spiral again and keeping that fresh in my mind is important.  I also believe that the only thing worse than this addiction is not having the information necessary to treat the addiction.  Due to my professional background and my own drug use, I guess I have some useful knowledge and a unique perspective regarding addiction.  Thanks again and as we say in NA--I'll keep coming back.