# What would happen if you ate a bunch of cocaine? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 22, 2016, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-if-you-ate-a-bunch-of-cocaine/769332 "2016-10-22T14:20:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dr.Arthias](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f19dbf/32.png) [@Dr.Arthias](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Arthias)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2016, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-if-you-ate-a-bunch-of-cocaine/769332/1 "2016-10-22T14:20:05Z")
So, I’m a writer. In my current script, there’s a scene where someone is supposed to be murdered by having a large amount of cocaine (let’s say 10x more than an individual dose) secretly dumped into their food (or drink). I want to know what would realistically happen in that scenario. First of all, would the taste be very obvious? (in a glass of wine or in a bowl of soup) Secondly, would it cause the same effects as traditional ingestion? Physically and mentally? Lastly, would they die? And if so, how long would it take? I came across some information on a drug use website that suggested that the oral ingestion of cocaine is “a waste”, meaning that it would be absorbed by the stomach and have no effect, aside from maybe numbing your throat and tongue. They were of course referring to a typical dose though, so I still want to know what would happen in my scenario. How much would ‘guarantee’ a quick death, and what would that death look like? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2016, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-if-you-ate-a-bunch-of-cocaine/769332/2 "2016-10-22T14:22:31Z")
It has a very alkaline taste\*, so yeah, you’d taste it. Maybe not so much if it were mixed into a large serving of mashed potatoes or something like that \*Or so I’ve heard… ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2016, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-if-you-ate-a-bunch-of-cocaine/769332/3 "2016-10-22T14:29:39Z")
Cocaine is a very effective topical anesthetic, so the mouth would quickly go numb. ---
**Author:** ![Ignotus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ecc23a/32.png) [@Ignotus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ignotus)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2016, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-if-you-ate-a-bunch-of-cocaine/769332/4 "2016-10-22T15:29:11Z")
Isn’t there plenty of cases where drug mules have died from cocaine-filled condoms bursting in their stomachs? ’ Or perhaps that’s just a myth. I really don’t know. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2016, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-if-you-ate-a-bunch-of-cocaine/769332/5 "2016-10-22T16:31:46Z")
According to [this site](http://www.doctorshangout.com/profiles/blogs/cocaine-routes-of-administration): > [@](#): > > Because cocaine is hydrolyzed and rendered inactive in the acidic stomach, it is not readily absorbed when ingested alone. Only when mixed with a highly alkaline substance (such as lime) can it be absorbed into the bloodstream through the stomach. > > … > > Orally administered cocaine takes approximately 30 minutes to enter the bloodstream. Typically, only a third of an oral dose is absorbed, although absorption has been shown to reach 60% in controlled settings. Given the slow rate of absorption, maximum effects are attained approximately 60 minutes after cocaine is administered by ingestion. While the onset of these effects is slow, the effects are sustained for approximately 60 minutes after their peak is attained. . ---
**Author:** ![Ignotus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ecc23a/32.png) [@Ignotus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ignotus)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2016, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-if-you-ate-a-bunch-of-cocaine/769332/6 "2016-10-22T23:10:28Z")
So, the cocaine somehow miraculously survives the part of the manufacturing process where it’s precipitated from the industrial kerosene/ether leaf extract by _concentrated sulfuric acid_; but succumbs to the measly pH 1 in the gastrointestinal tract. Call me dubious…:dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Goalie8401](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f05b48/32.png) [@Goalie8401](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Goalie8401)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2016, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-if-you-ate-a-bunch-of-cocaine/769332/7 "2016-10-22T23:19:09Z")
It depends on the person and their individual tolerance. 1. You would be able to taste it. Now the person might not be able to identify the taste, but something would be off to them. 2. The effects would not be as intense as would would have snorting or shooting the drug. The onset of effects would take long but the high would be there. 3. Again, it really depends on how much is ingested. I would think the amount needed to kill a normal person would be significant enough to stop said person from drinking or eating anything laced with it. You can taste it and cocaine does not exactly taste like citrus. 😃 Hope it helps ---
**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2016, 10:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-if-you-ate-a-bunch-of-cocaine/769332/8 "2016-10-23T10:27:29Z")
> [@Ignotus](#): > > So, the cocaine somehow miraculously survives the part of the manufacturing process where it’s precipitated from the industrial kerosene/ether leaf extract by _concentrated sulfuric acid_; but succumbs to the measly pH 1 in the gastrointestinal tract. > > Call me dubious…:dubious: Correct Cocaine is only destroyed slowly by the bodies enzymes, and not by HCl. In fact its a hydrochloride when it comes from the plant, what effect would adding more HCl have ??? Here’s a paper which says that oral ingestion is almost as good, it justs a bit slower, probably as the cocaine dilutes into a greater volume of fluids. > **[Nasal mucosal versus gastrointestinal absorption of nasally administered...](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10954344/)** > > Our data suggest that the main reason addicts prefer nasal to oral cocaine dosing is faster absorption, enhancing the subjective effects rather than higher bioavailability. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2016, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-if-you-ate-a-bunch-of-cocaine/769332/9 "2016-10-23T12:33:37Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > Cocaine is a very effective topical anesthetic, so the mouth would quickly go numb. After I had some polyps removed from my nose and my septum straightened some years ago, they stuffed yards of cocaine bandage up there. I don’t remember getting high though. ---
**Author:** ![choie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/choie/32/7829_2.png) [@choie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choie)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2016, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-if-you-ate-a-bunch-of-cocaine/769332/10 "2016-10-23T14:35:15Z")
I can answer the morbidity question (unfortunately). A family member died recently after ingesting cocaine (using a method called “parachuting” or “snow bombing,” where you wrap the cocaine in paper and ingest it). The immediate cause of death was ventricular fibrillation resulting in cardiac arrest. So if your murderer is able to get the coke in something that \*won’t[/I[ numb the mouth/alert the victim, and depending on a few factors, it could work. Can s/he empty some cold capsules and slip the coke in that way? Maybe mashed potatoes with a lot of gravy. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2016, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-if-you-ate-a-bunch-of-cocaine/769332/11 "2016-10-23T16:20:50Z")
Looking around the internet, the LD50 appears to be around 1.2 g for a normal person. If that helps at all with the dosing and effects. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Arthias](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f19dbf/32.png) [@Dr.Arthias](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Arthias)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2016, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-if-you-ate-a-bunch-of-cocaine/769332/12 "2016-10-23T18:29:31Z")
Thank you for all the quick and helpful replies! Sent from my A0001 using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2016, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-if-you-ate-a-bunch-of-cocaine/769332/13 "2016-10-23T18:56:15Z")
> [@Ignotus](#): > > Isn’t there plenty of cases where drug mules have died from cocaine-filled condoms bursting in their stomachs? > ’ > Or perhaps that’s just a myth. I really don’t know. It’s not a myth. At a former job, I sometimes went to various state and Federal prisons to serve as an interpreter in deportation hearings. One hearing I observed was for a Nigerian guy who’d served as a drug mule and was caught when his flight was delayed, and stomach acid ate through one of the numerous condoms full of cocaine that he had swallowed. He was in the process of overdosing on arrival in the U.S. and was rushed to the hospital. He lived, but ended up serving a very long prison sentence (IIRC he had swallowed cocaine with a street value of something link $7 million). If he lived to finish his sentence, he would then have been deported.