Cause for Concern ~ Teens and Cough Medicine

When you open up your medicine cabinet, what do you see there?  If you have nail clippers, tweezers and eye drops, let’s exclude those.  Pain killers, cough syrup and night-time cold medicines, however, may be cause for concern.

Cough Syrup Can Be Deadly

There’s a disturbing trend being carried out in homes across America and I’m not talking teens taking medications as directed but rather, teens taking them in large doses simply to get high.    Many of our young people are drinking cough medicines containing Dextromethorphan (DXM) out of shot glasses.  

Government surveys show that 3.1 million people age 12 and older have misused over the counter drugs  in their lifetime—with nearly 4 percent of misuse among those younger than 18. Nearly 6 percent of 10th graders and roughly 5 percent of high school seniors report abusing cough or cold medicines.

Know the language: as it goes by many names on the street like dex, poor man’s PCP, CCC, rojo, skittles, triple C, velvet or robo.  To teens, it's a game and taking it in access often goes by robotripping, skittling, or dexing.  What is it found in:  more than 125 over-the-counter products, including Robitussin, Vicks, Coricidin HBP, colorful capsules and tablets.  What can it cause:   Depending on the dose, the effects include feeling either overexcited or lethargic. Low doses may be mildly stimulating. The more teens take, the more likely they are to experience hallucinations, euphoria, and a feeling of being outside of their own bodies.

Short term, abusing DXM can cause nausea, vomiting, numbness, abdominal pain, slurred speech, dizziness, paranoia, and increased heart rate. Long-term risks include dependence, high blood pressure, and problems breathing because of nervous system effects. Teens who abuse DXM suffer from impaired senses, which may lead to life-threatening accidents.

Skittles That Kill

Where is it available:  drugstores, supermarkets, convenience stores, online websites and yes, your own medicine cabinet.

Be proactive.  Know what your young adult is doing and talk to them about the dangers.  For more information go to http://teens.drugabuse.gov/peerx/prescription-drug-facts