ADRA1 x β-adrenoceptors x DNA

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Giving more than one drug and giving the drugs in different ways may kill more tumor cells.
PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of cisplatin-epinephrine injectable gel plus paclitaxel and carboplatin in treating patients who have recurrent head and neck cancer.