Pharmaceutical compositions and methods of using the same

1. A method for induction of local anesthesia prior to performing a medical procedure on, through, or adjacent to a mucous membrane of a nasal cavity of a patient comprising: soaking four absorbent articles with an aqueous solution comprising, by weight, about 36 mg/mL to about 44 mg/mL of cocaine hydrochloride, 1.2 mg/mL to 1.4 mg/mL citric acid, 0.7 mg/mL to 1.3 mg/mL sodium benzoate, and water; and contacting the absorbent articles with the mucous membrane in a nasal cavity of the patient for up to about 20 minutes to reduce sensation in a body region of the patient; provided that the method results in an absorptivity factor for cocaine in the patient ranging from about 0.25 h −1 to about 1.0 h −1 .

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the absorbent articles comprise pledgets.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the pledgets comprise cottonoid pledgets.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein each pledget is removed from the nasal cavity and retains between about 70% and about 80% of the cocaine hydrochloride.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the medical procedure performed is selected from the group consisting of a nasal endoscopy, a nasal laryngoscopy, a nasopharyngeal laryngoscopy, and a nasal debridement.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the procedure is a nasal endoscopy.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the procedure is a nasal laryngoscopy.

8. The method of claim 5 , wherein the procedure is a nasopharyngeal laryngoscopy.

9. The method of claim 5 wherein the procedure is a nasal debridement.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method results in a T max ranging from about 0.02 hours to about 1.00 hours.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the method results in an AUC inf in a range from about 25.0 ng*h/mL to about 370 ng*h/mL of cocaine in the patient.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the method results in a reduction in pain equivalent to achieving a visual numeric rating score of 0 upon von Frey filament testing.