Teen overdoses on cold medicine

[Ubiquitous]

[B]Teen Overdoses On Cold Medicine[/B[
Triple C Apparently Caused 15-Year-Old To Lose Consciousness

POSTED: 4:43 pm CDT September 17, 2005
UPDATED: 5:07 pm CDT September 17, 2005

OMAHA, Neb. -- A 15-year-old girl is hospitalized after overdosing on Coricidin Cough and Cold medicine. The over-the-counter drug, sometimes called "triple C," can cause hallucinations. Teenagers have made "skittling" a popular pastime.

Samantha DeCamp is in intensive care after taking too much Coricidin. Her father, Patrick, said he never saw it coming. Now, he wants to prevent it from happening to other kids. He said his daughter took about 40 pills and passed out in a friend's bathroom.

Samantha DeCamp is a junior in high school and an honor student. She's now in intensive care. Her father is watching over her hospital bed after he was recently released from a hospital himself.

"She'd stopped breathing at one point. They had to put her on a ventilator," Patrick DeCamp said.

His daughter has turned the corner, and is now recovering. Patrick said he made a startling discovery when he took a break from his daughter's side and searched her bedroom at home.

"There's about 58 boxes in here," he said.

Patrick DeCamp found Coricidin, all containing the ingredient dextromethorphan, which causes hallucinations when taken in large doses. At $6 a box, it's a cheap high for teens and it's available over the counter. DeCamp said retailers should be more cautious about selling it to teens.

"If they look underage, ID them for their cough and cold pills," he said.

Substance abuse experts agree. Kersten Borer, of ABH Health Services, said Corcidin's active ingredient concentration can make overdoses harmful enough to cause heart problems.

"Coricidin has more milligrams per dose of DXM than other over-the-counter cough suppressants, so that makes it even more dangerous," Borer said.

Borer said some retailers have noted the increasing abuse by teenagers, and taken steps to monitor its sale.

Patrick DeCamp said Samantha got her Coricidin at an Omaha Target store. Calls to Target headquarters in Minnesota seeking comment were not returned.

A local pharmacist said sale of Coricidin is not regulated in the way that other medications, such as Claritin, are so people are able to buy large quantities of Coricidin during one store visit.

Samantha DeCamp is responsive, and she's expected to pull through, according to her father.

http://www.theomahachannel.com/health/4986...908/detail.html

[Cameron]

silly girl ,it's always coriciden, giving dxm a bad name.

[phantom_thief]

Originally posted by twix@Sep 17 2005, 11:21 PM
silly girl ,it's always coriciden, giving dxm a bad name.

Really its just the sheer irresponsibility of the actions taken, not so much the medicine. Coricidin just happens to be a very easy and readily available method here in the US, and kids are stupid...I remember being a stupid kid and trying to smoke eucalyptus (sp?) leaves for no apparent reason, I wasn't even trying to get high, just smoking them for the hell of it. Take that mentallity and couple it with a powerful chemical, and you are just asking for problems.

[Arm]

Damn 58 boxes of Coricidin. I dont have that many cough syrup boxes. Yet. :thumbsup:

And I don't get carding people under 18 for DXM. What about people over 18 who abuse DXM? I see theres a hole in your theory.

It's funny when they said that Coricidin is not regulated like Claritin is. Whoops dumbasses, Claritin is not restricted. I think you mean Sudafed. Any error you make in an argument hurts your credibility, no matter how small.

[Monoliath]

58 BOXES OF MAD MAX'S!!! HOLY SHIT

lol, those were leftovers. She only did 40 pills. Retarded, yes, but not 58 boxes worth.

[stem]

ugh i dont even want to think of taking 4 of those

i cant even take sudafeds because they look and taste like cors.





anyway it's a good thing she's still alive and one can only hope she learned a lesson

[Kalu]

Originally posted by phantom_thief@Sep 18 2005, 12:24 AM
...I remember being a stupid kid and trying to smoke eucalyptus (sp?) leaves for no apparent reason, I wasn't even trying to get high, just smoking them for the hell of it.

man, I did exactly the same thing when i was like 12!

[CRIMSONGHOST]

ANyone noticed how they never mentioned CPM. They mentioned high doses of DXM but didnt talk of the cpm at all.

That alot of CCCs.

Thats 27,840mgs of DXM. 58boxes-928pills

[EternalMetal]

Originally posted by CRIMSONGHOST@Sep 18 2005, 11:36 AM
ANyone noticed how they never mentioned CPM. They mentioned high doses of DXM but didnt talk of the cpm at all.

That alot of CCCs.

Thats 27,840mgs of DXM. 58boxes-928pills

hell yea, shes not just a weekend doser, i tell you what. sorry papa, your daughter is HOOKED :P

and what a dumbass. why do people insist on doing coricidin? Cant they just think for a second? Obviously they heard about abusing cough medicine from someone else, at least they would know which ingredient gets them high. Its not like your gonna be like hmm, this pills has aspirin in it, im gonna pop 50. 50 aspirin would kill you, and most people know that. Stupid peope