Robo-head teens abuse cough syrup

[Shadow]

http://www.wsls.com/servlet/Satellite?page...782634902&path=

Your teenager isn't acting right. There's no sign of alcohol or marijuana, but clearly this isn't the same person who has grown up in your house.

Police say it may be cough syrup -- Specifically syrup that contains DMX or Dextromethorphan. The people who use it are called syrup heads or “Dextroverts,” they may consider themselves members of the “Dextroverse” and they may be doing irreparable harm to their bodies and their minds.

If you've heard names like dex, drex, robo, rojo, skittles or Vitamin D being tossed around... your kids may be abusing cough syrup -- The kind that with a DM on the label -- for dextromethorphan. It's found in Robitussin DM and 140 other over the counter products.

It's perfectly legal, easy to get and relatively cheap. We bought a 6 oz. bottle for about 4 dollars. Police say it's a problem in our area, and across the country there have been some deadly cases.

Bethany Turner, an 18-year old Roanoke woman and Salem High School graduate and honor student, almost died in an incident near Seattle in March. Police say her 31-year old boyfriend stabbed himself and then her.

Police say the two were so high on a pure form of DXM -- that they could not feel the pain from the wounds, even when the boyfriend reportedly broke his own rib.

Bethany’s mother Linda Blake confirmed the situation on the phone. “Beth said she couldn’t feel the pain at first, but after a few minutes she could, and she got scared, “she said. Blake said that her daughter was stabbed near the collar bone and that blood was, “flowing out of her faster than they could put it back in,“referring to an emergency IV treatment and the 14 days Bethany spent in intensive care at a Seattle hospital. The Boyfriend bled to death.

“It basically mimics PCP or much stronger chemicals, said Roanoke Police Sergeant Libby Legg who oversees crimes against children.

“There's different plateaus. I initially it gives them a little buzz feeling. then they get a heightened sense of well being. Then they do start hallucinating in larger doses,” she said.

Police say DXM is showing up in select areas of Roanoke right now, with the most activity in South East. So bad -- the CVS pharmacy on 9th street is pulling Coricidin products behind the counter because of shoplifting.

in addition: a company spokesman says CVS adopted a nationwide policy in 2004 to only sell products containing DXM to those 18 and older.

Not far away we found generic Tussin DM for two dollars less than the pharmacy price.

I showed the 8 ounce bottle to Roanoke Memorial Emergency Room Doctor John Stadnyk, and asked him how it might affect a would-be abuser.

If they drink enough, “They may think they're capable of flying, might jump off a roof. They may think they're invincible and engage in behavior that's dangerous to them, he said.

And what if they keep pouring? Drinking say 10 to 20 times the recommended dose as some teenagers do?

According to Stadnyk, “Their breathing can be slowed. Respirations can decrease as well, and it can lead to coma, seizures or death.”
There haven’t been any deaths in Roanoke, but police have been called to deal with shoplifters and teens who are out of control, and they tell me the problem is just beginning.

Detective Legg thinks this is a problem that is likely to get worse. “Once it hits and area it tends to spread before it comes under control because word of mouth, especially among younger high school students.

Parents should be on the look out for the following symptoms if they suspect their teens are abusing DXM.

• mental status changes
• slurred speech
• confusion
• seizures
• dry itchy skin
• nausea
• abdominal pain
• vomiting
• numbness of the fingers or toes

Beth: you got a mention, as you can see. :/

[Suburban_Prince]

lol they actually mentioned this site in the news? lol we're famous :P

btw i love how they call it "dmx" in the beginning, and how they practically make up half that story, since when did dxm "kill all pain"?

[Arm]

Consider themselves a member of the Dextroverse? WTF? Well, I am a dexhead and are a DV member. :thumbsup:

Lets check the propagonda:
Bullshit slang terms.
IT'S LEGAL AND EASY TO CONCEAL AND YET THE CHILDREN ARE STILL MOSTLY DOING ALCOHOL AND MARIJUANA!
DXM MAKES YOU NOT FEEL PAIN AND BY ASSOCIATING IT WITH PCP, OR WORSE, IT GIVES PEOPLE THE IDEA IT MAKES YOU A ULTRAVIOLENT!!!!
Recycle anti-LSD propagonda by saying it causes users to think they can fly and jump outta windows and shit.
Exaggerate the hell out of it's popularity to give people the illusion that it's happening everywhere like a zombie invasion thats sweeping across the city.

Culture of Fear

[Xvall]

What the hell is a “Dextrovert"?

But yeah. That's really kind of wierd that they mention the DV and a specific case of one of it's members.

[Masonna]

wow what a bunch of bs, there is soo many flaws in this story

[Xvall]

Talk about it. It doesn't even seem to be proofread. Grammatic errors abound.

[void]

Nice find shadow. Although bad publicity as usual. *sigh* I think it would be pretty crazy to hear the dv mention on my local news. Especially while at the table with my family, and then the family starts talking about it. And the whole time I'd have to play along...

Oh yeah shadow I stole your avatar to use on another site, hilarious

[Tyutchev]

This honestly looks like it was written by a high school or university student. I turned in a much better article about 'DMX' than this piece of crap in my journalism class last year. And that PCP reference is a seriously bad thing, as Agnt noted... can anybody else easily see DXM becoming the next PCP in American media? Horror stories will abound (has anybody seriously jumped off a roof while on DXM?) and no doubt Beth's unfortunate story is going to grow and twist itself into some sort of disgusting rumour-laden bullshit version of the truth, all at the hands of these media pigs.

[dawhiterabbit]

wow i didnt expecttosee that story. i presonaly think thisthread should be removed. nothing against shadow or anything butit does hit too closeto home. andif beth wants to share the incident then she will and it will be the truth not what some journalist wrote. i donno that is just my opinion.

[Shadow]

Originally posted by Void+Jan 10 2006, 10:48 PM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Void @ Jan 10 2006, 10:48 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>Nice find shadow. Although bad publicity as usual. *sigh* I think it would be pretty crazy to hear the dv mention on my local news. Especially while at the table with my family, and then the family starts talking about it. And the whole time I'd have to play along...

Oh yeah shadow I stole your avatar to use on another site, hilarious[/b]

Sorry, |cfh| found it, I just posted it. Feel free to use the avatar, I didn't make it.

Originally posted by -Tyutch@ Jan 11 2006, 02:26 AM
This honestly looks like it was written by a high school or university student. I turned in a much better article about 'DMX' than this piece of crap in my journalism class la.st year. And that PCP reference is a seriously bad thing, as Agnt noted... can anybody else easily see DXM becoming the next PCP in American media? Horror stories will abound (has anybody seriously jumped off a roof while on DXM?) and no doubt Beth's unfortunate story is going to grow and twist itself into some sort of disgusting rumour-laden bullshit version of the truth, all at the hands of these media pigs.

I have, but I had to because my window slammed shut and i was locked out... but it was only one story


<!--QuoteBegin--dawhiterabbit@ Jan 11 2006, 06:21 AM
wow i didnt expecttosee that story. i presonaly think thisthread should be removed. nothing against shadow or anything butit does hit too closeto home. andif beth wants to share the incident then she will and it will be the truth not what some journalist wrote. i donno that is just my opinion.[/quote]
Yeah, discussing it on IRC felt a little wierd