Teens Getting High Off Cough Medicine

Thousands of teenagers are abusing Robitussin in order to get high and hundreds have almost died from overdoses.

“If I didn't have a way to get alcohol or anything, it was there, it was free, easy to get to pretty much,” said Kelli, who was 15 years old when she heard from other kids about it.

“The first time I had a bottle, then after that I had two bottles each time,” she said. “It’s like an acid trip except it’s without cough medicine.”

It’s called “Robo-tripping” or “Dexing,” a nickname derived from the cough suppressant drug – Dextromethorphan (DXM) – that gives the high.

DXM is found in most cough medicines and most other over-the-counter cough medicines. It is safe in prescribed doses, but some kids are taking 10, 20, even 30 times the recommended dose.

“They will drink at least one bottle and maybe more. If it’s in a pill form, which is Coricidin or as the kids [call it] ‘Skittles,’ they’ll be taking 15 or 20 or 25 or more in order to get high,” said Dr. Robert Margolis, a psychologist who specializes in adolescent addiction.

The hallucinogenic high lasts for hours. “I could feel my heart pounding. I felt like my heart was about to explode,” Kelli said.

“You're taking so much of this drug that you're literally comprising your system and we've literally had kids whose hearts have stopped as a result of this,” Margolis said.

It is a growing and deadly fad and some are “robo-tripping” even in school.

”Kids literally can be in school in class sitting in the back of class and the teacher has no idea they're tripping,” Margolis said.

DXM abuse is being described as a suburban phenomenon. “It’s an upper middle class drugs that White kids are doing,” Margolis said.

“For me, it was easy to get to. It wasn't something that my parents would catch. They wouldn't think I’d be drinking a bottle of Robotussin to get high,” Kellisaid.

Kelli eventually overdosed and woke up in a treatment center. She has been clean for three years now.

“Parents need to know this. Kids need to know this. This is a drug that when you overdose it is fatal,” Margolis said.

Margolis said parents need to children honestly and said he was not against parents searching their children’s room for signs of drug abuse if they have suspicions.

http://www.11alive.com/news/news_article.a...x?storyid=43478

[ZenRaver]

Originally posted by drdªv€@Feb 27 2004, 08:55 PM
“It’s like an acid trip except it’s without cough medicine.”

...

[dreadfulred]

that guy margolis is "literally" saying "literally", way "literally" too much

[Dex-Is-All-There-Is]

yeah a overdose meaning 2+ grams or 15mg/1kg, i mean, hell dex is not even nearly as dangerous as they make it seem, thousands taken it and 100's of fatalitys, show them to me, that is such shit.

Originally posted by drdªv€@Feb 27 2004, 08:55 PM
“we've literally had kids whose hearts have stopped as a result of this,” Margolis said.

OMG what a load of horse shit.

over the last few months i have been reading these posts on here. 99% of them seem to be negative. it almost seems that there is pressure on some people when they make reports to make them as shocking as possible. sure, thats typical sensationalism in the media. however, it almost seems that the media is testing their powers of influence over the general public. am i wrong? surely there are people who are journalists, medical doctors, etc. that have tried, studied, and take dxm responsibly. where are these concerned citizens' reports? i feel like this is an overly one-sided argument in the media.

[ZenRaver]

Originally posted by DexPleiadian@Feb 29 2004, 02:24 PM
surely there are people who are journalists, medical doctors, etc. that have tried, studied, and take dxm responsibly. where are these concerned citizens' reports? i feel like this is an overly one-sided argument in the media.

Well, let's see... Hunter S. Thompson comes immediately to mind, and the Shulgins... they're definitely out there, they just have little representation.