Report Details U.S. Cough Medicine Abuse

Report Details U.S. Cough Medicine Abuse
About 5 Percent of Americans Ages 12 to 25 Admit Using OTC Drugs to Get High

Share The cough suppressant dextromethorphan, or DXM, is used in more than 140 cough and cold products available without a prescription in the United States and is considered generally safe at recommended doses.

In large doses, it can cause hallucinations or "out-of-body" experiences like those caused by hallucinogens such as PCP and ketamine, also known as "Special K," the agency said.

A DXM overdose can cause vomiting, uncontrolled violent muscle spasms, irregular heartbeat, delirium and death, the agency said.

http://www.abcnews.go.com/Health/Drugs/Sto...=4110087&page=2

[Scynne]

the agency said

Isn't it common practice to distrust any organization that can be effectively referred to as 'The Agency'?

[//.The_Unforgiven]

A DXM overdose can cause vomiting, uncontrolled violent muscle spasms, irregular heartbeat, delirium and death, the agency said.

LOL OMG I WANNA TRY THE DEATH ONE

[infinite]

DXM death seems only possible with like grabbin a handful of powder throwing it (insert drink here) and chugging. BAM! Read a story like that once.

ScienceDaily (Jan. 13, 2008) — About 3.1 million people in the United States aged 12 to 25 (5.3 percent of this age group) have used over-the-counter (non-prescription) cough and cold medicines to get high at least once in their lifetimes, according to a report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services

Administration (SAMHSA). The level is comparable to LSD, and more than the reported use of methamphetamines, among those aged 12 to 25. White youths were more than three times as likely as Black youths to have misused these drugs during the past year.
Newly analyzed data from the National Survey of Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) show the number is comparable to those who say they have used LSD (3.1 million), and is significantly greater than the number who reported having tried methamphetamines (2.4 million).

Overdosing on many cough and cold medications may result in serious life-threatening adverse reactions. Adverse reactions include blurred vision, loss of physical coordination, intense abdominal pain, vomiting, uncontrolled violent muscle spasms, irregular heartbeat, delirium and death.

The NSDUH survey also found that the number of 12- to-25-year-olds who reported misuse of non-prescription cough and cold medicines in the past year (1 million) exceeded the number claiming to have used methamphetamines (740,000) and LSD (485,000) in the past year. The number was somewhat lower than the number of young people reporting that they had used the drug Ecstasy (1.5 million) in the past year.

The survey, conducted by SAMHSA, is the largest of its kind and involves interviewing nearly 67,000 people from around the nation, including almost 45,000 persons aged 12 to 25.

Patterns of misuse of non-prescription drugs varied among demographic groups. Females aged 12 to 17 were more likely than their male counterparts to have misused these drugs within the past year (2.3 percent vs. 1.5 percent). But among those aged 18 to 25, more males had misused these drugs in the past year than females (1.8 percent vs. 1.3 percent). Among all persons aged 12 to 25, the rate of past year misuse among whites (2.1 percent) was three times higher than among blacks (0.6 percent) and significantly higher than among Hispanics (1.4 percent).

“While increasing attention has been paid to the public health risk of prescription drug abuse, we also need to be aware of the growing dangers of misuse of over-the-counter cough and cold medications, especially among young people,” said SAMHSA Administrator Terry Cline, Ph.D. “The scope and danger posed by these medications requires a broad scale public health campaign–a campaign involving everyone, including the medical community, industry, parents and young people.”

Although non-prescription cough and cold medications are generally safe when taken for medicinal purposes and as directed on their labeling, they can induce severe dissociative, “out-of-body” experiences when they are consumed in amounts far in excess of their recommended dosages. These reactions are similar to the effects of the well-known hallucinogens phencyclidine (PCP) and ketamine (“Special K”).

The full report on non-prescription cough and cold medication is available on the Web at http://oas.samhsa.gov/2k8/cough/cough.cfm.

Adapted from materials provided by Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/...80112181400.htm