Teens Still Getting High On Cough Remedy

Jan. 5, 2004 -- It's not new. It's not illegal. And when abused as a recreational drug, it's not safe.

Generations of teens have used the cough suppressant dextromethorphan to get high. And every year, according to the U.S. government statistics, thousands of users end up in emergency rooms.

Users call it DXM or dex. It's an ingredient in more than 125 over-the-counter cough and cold remedies. Some of the more popular ones have their own drug-culture nicknames: "C-C-C" (Coricidin HBP Cough & Cold tablets), for example, or "robo" (Robitussin). Other nicknames include "candy," "skittles," and "red devils."

What does it do? The intoxicating effect is similar, but much less intense, to the effects of PCP and LSD, says Ronald Strong, supervisor of the national drug threat assessment unit at the U.S. National Drug Intelligence Center (NDIC).

"PCP and LSD as hallucinogens are far more potent than DXM," Strong tells WebMD. "But the effects you would get from what these kids are taking is similar."

The side effects are much less fun, notes Ilene B. Anderson, PharmD, associate clinical professor at the University of California, San Francisco, School of Pharmacy and senior toxicology management specialist for California's poison control system.

"The primary effects are nausea, vomiting, feeling dizzy and lightheaded -- kids taking DXM can become drowsy and can look like they are drunk," Anderson tells WebMD. "They have dilated pupils, increased heart rate and blood pressure, and they can have hallucinations. Many patients also are agitated. And the potential is there for seizures, although these are uncommon."

Here, There, and Everywhere

When used as directed, DXM is good medicine, says Deborah Mitchell, an intelligence analyst at the NDIC. It acts on the brain's cough center to relieve the misery of nagging, unproductive coughing. That's why it's included in so many cough and cold products.

And those products are everywhere. You can buy them at your local drug store. You can get them over the Internet. Many pharmacies make no effort to keep children from buying these products.

Normal doses of the drug range up to 30 mg, which is the highest potency available on the market. That's the amount in Coricidin HBP Cough & Cold tablets, and also the dose in DexAlone Maximum Strength Cough Suppressant liquid gelcaps.

Anderson notes that the dose needed for a hallucinatory effect is about 400 to 500 mg. That's about 15 doses of the high-strength DXM products. These huge doses of DXM are bad enough. But as most DXM products contain other medicines, abusers risk overdoses of other serious medicines. These include the antihistamine chlorpheniramine and/or pain reliever acetaminophen. Overdoses of these drugs can be extremely dangerous and cause lasting damage.

complete story: http://my.webmd.com/content/article/79/960...C-9531713CA348}

[ranticalion]

I feel like poking at certain parts of this.

And when abused as a recreational drug, it's not safe.

Why not?

The side effects are much less fun, notes Ilene B. Anderson

That's pretty subjective. I happen to think DXM is possibly one of the funnest drugs out there, on low doses. Higher doses aren't really meant for 'fun'

The primary effects are nausea, vomiting, feeling dizzy and lightheaded

In my experience that's most often caused by other active ingredients. If these were the main effects a drug caused, with these being more present than the psychoactive effects why would someone use it?

and also the dose in DexAlone Maximum Strength Cough Suppressant liquid gelcaps.

I've never seen Dexalone mentioned in an article before. I'm surprised no one's mentioned Robogels yet.

Anderson notes that the dose needed for a hallucinatory effect is about 400 to 500 mg. That's about 15 doses of the high-strength DXM products. These huge doses of DXM are bad enough.

Several friends of mine can get hallucinatory effects off of less than 300mg. And why are these 'huge' doses of DXM bad? If someone wants huge doses, they should talk to a few people here.

But as most DXM products contain other medicines, abusers risk overdoses of other serious medicines

That's why responsible, intelligent users avoid those products.

Also, they talk about how many people go to the emergency room every year because of DXM, but they fail to mention that usually there is no actual physical harm caused by the DXM itself, or it is because of DXM mixed with other recreational drugs or the other active ingredients in medicines that caused these visits.

Typical media... Only emphasizing the points that back up their side of the story.

[Alabaster]

Really..to do serious physical harm, thats not just temporary like puking, you need to take a dose ranging into the 1700-2000mg range with no tolerance. Doing your research, checking for other ingredients, and getting a trip sitter are all part of being a responsible drug *user*. The abusers have no clue what they're doing.

In this vein, I'm happy to see that a new commercial locally specifies that people should seek help "if you or somone you know is using drugs to cope"

Using them to cope is bad, and that program is a great idea. They even had the sense to specify that bit. It seems not all the media is fucked these days.

[HeadOnAStick]

Someone really has to rally up the more knowledgable dextroverse members/fellow dexers and slaughter these writers (Not literally, of course.) This kind of foolishness is.. Well, foolishness.

[Magnus_Grey]

There is nothing that can be done, yet.


-Bryan

[C20H25N3O]

Originally posted by Magnus_Grey@Jan 6 2004, 06:44 PM
There is nothing that can be done, yet.


-Bryan

what is cliff in the hospital :P

Well, I've been thinking about this, and I suppose once we do finaly draft up something that is scientificly sound we should ALL email that story to said address untill they listen, or ignore a bunch of emails everyday... who knows.

this article isnt as bad as the other ones, like the ones that say kids are drinking dm and whatnot, like that other one that says its got DMX in it. sheeeyit, the medias never gonna point out anything at all thats good about any drug. drugs are just plain bad, ALL BAD, remember? didnt you kids learn anything from D.A.R.E?