Robotripping in North Florida

[torque]

Unlike the blood shot eyes that often accompany marijuana use or the chemical breath of those who prefer to inhale substances to get high, robotrippers rarely show a physical sign of their substance abuse.

Robotripping is one of the nicknames for consuming large enough quantities of cough or cold drugs to create an out-of-body experience. It is drawn from the trade name Robitussin, a cough and cold syrup brand, that is among the over-the-counter drugs consumed in excess that generates the high.

It's a practice now being noticed around North Florida.

University of Florida pharmacy professor Paul Doerring said robotripping is another example that teens regularly "find new and creative ways to hurt themselves. They have a crazy notion that if something is in a drug store, it has to be safe. That's what is driving this trend among teens and young adults away from street drugs and to prescription or over-the-counter drugs."

Doering said the ingredient dextromethorphan, also known as DXM, can drastically increase heart rate and blood pressure and can induce life-threatening effects such as seizures and elevated blood pressure. Other ingredients in cough and cold medicines also can create serious problems. For example, large doses of pseudoephedrine and antihistamines can cause high blood pressure and seizures, and acetaminophen can cause liver failure.

A national study released earlier this month by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration showed that about 3.1 million people between the ages of 12 and 25 have used over-the-counter cough and cold medicines to get high at least once.

The National Survey of Drug Use and Health determined that that is about the same number of people who report having used LSD at least once and more than the 2.4 million Americans who report having tried methamphetamines.

Gilchrist County school officials have noticed an increase in experimenting among their 3,000 students in recent months.

"We had one case where we had some kids taking things that became a serious medical issue," said assistant superintendent James Surrency. "After that happened, the school board, the sheriff's office and the public health department got together and we went back through our policies and made sure they were all up to date."

The district now requires that all medications - prescription and over-the-counter - be checked in at the health room on campus.

Students are not allowed to carry any medications and must go to the health room to take all medications.

According to Doerring, the concept of using cough and cold medicines to get high is 10 to 15 years old and periodically will develop a hot spot or flare up in use.

"We are in the middle of a flare right now," Doerring said. "These drugs rarely produce one isolated effect on the body, but the drug users tend to focus on one effect they find desirable and they forget about the unwanted baggage, for example the possibility of death."

The federal study found that girls between the ages of 12 to 17 were more likely than boys in that age group to misuse the drugs, while men ages 18 to 25 were more likely to misuse them than women in that age group.

Also, researchers found that whites are three times more likely than blacks and almost twice as likely as Hispanics to misuse the drugs.

Dawn Love, the prevention services coordinator at CDS Family & Behavioral Services Inc. (formerly the Corner Drug Store) in Gainesville, said the extent of over-the-counter drug abuse locally will be clearer later this year after the biannual Florida Youth Substance Abuse Survey is completed.

"We don't have any substantial data right now, but it does appear that cold medication is becoming more trendy as a substance to abuse," Love said. "I tell parents all the time that kids will take anything and everything. If you take these drugs, it's harder to see the signs and symptoms."

source

[//.The_Unforgiven]

The federal study found that girls between the ages of 12 to 17 were more likely than boys in that age group to misuse the drugs

And so where are all these drug (mis)using hawties?

Seriously.

[Billmaster]

Originally posted by RB26DETT@Jan 29 2008, 05:06 PM

And so where are all these drug (mis)using hawties?

Seriously.

lol... Hey baby wanna robotrip together?!

[SpiralDarkSeraphim]

University of Florida pharmacy professor Paul Doerring said robotripping is another example that teens regularly "find new and creative ways to hurt themselves. They have a crazy notion that if something is in a drug store, it has to be safe. That's what is driving this trend among teens and young adults away from street drugs and to prescription or over-the-counter drugs."

Hello, douche, DXM is not new. Also, most teens who experience DXM are probably not "harmed." Though I do think DXM is too powerful a drug for many young minds, and especially for the still developing brain.

As far as restricting sale to minors...most teens I knew who used DXM stole it anyway. It's also probably not too difficult for a teen to get a legal adult to buy them cough syrup. I am sure it's easier than beer or cigarettes.

[Hot Rod Zoidberg]

Originally posted by torque@Jan 29 2008, 04:16 PM

1. You can get dilated pupils, walk oddly, slurring speech, over excitement, blasting psychedelic music, stimulation, lot of fast talking speech, vomiting, panic attacks. Nope nothing psychical there.

2. They actually are considerably safer then street drugs, considering they aren't cut with some nasty shit, plus you have accurate doses

3. Those things are caused by other drugs, not DXM alone.

4. Oh wow a survey, must be accurate =)

5. Schools have been doing that for years, you guys are stupid

6. A little more then that

7. 2 reported deaths to DXM alone, awful indeed my good sir

8. This is important why?

9. I do take everything cause I am a teen, I swalled 600 pills of tylonel to get high, I huff jenkem, I pop anything I can find, cause I am a devilish drug addict . For the last sentence refer to point 1.

[Eloivore]

Originally posted by RB26DETT@Jan 29 2008, 05:06 PM
And so where are all these drug (mis)using hawties?

Actually in my youth Robitussin DM was pretty popular in the hardcore punk crowd including with a lot of girls/women in the 15-20 range. My friend H. told me about it actually (and I promptly forgot until I was older and researching something else). She was indeed pretty hot, although God help you if you disrespected her because she'd put her boot (spikes optional) through your face before you could blink.

[Migbee]

Unlike the blood shot eyes that often accompany marijuana use or the chemical breath of those who prefer to inhale substances to get high, robotrippers rarely show a physical sign of their substance abuse.

[SpiralDarkSeraphim]

LOL Nice pic...

I was thinking the same thing, regarding the obviousness of someone tripping on dex. I think I am more obvious on moderate doses of dex than I am on moderate doses of alcohol, opiates, or even pot if I have visine.

My mom and sisters can ALWAYS tell if I've taken any DXM.

[Psychotic Break]

They have a crazy notion that if something is in a drug store, it has to be safe.

...really?

Most kids I talk to about dexing tell me I'm gonna die in my sleep one of these nights from taking too much medicine. Generally it's thought that taking high amounts of any medicine is really bad for you... seems like common sense to me. They don't give us enough credit, kids have plenty of common sense, just because some do not does not mean all of us are stupid.

Lol, yeah, when I'm dexed I tend to look really fucked up, I still have trouble hiding it. I scared the shit out of my mom when I came robowalking in the door completely bug-eyed and tense with dime sized pupils and the distant facial expression of somebody who has fallen into very acute psychosis.

[jersey_emt]

Doering said the ingredient dextromethorphan, also known as DXM, can drastically increase heart rate and blood pressure and can induce life-threatening effects such as seizures and elevated blood pressure.

DXM increases your blood pressure. And it elevates your blood pressure too.