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02-22-2005, 08:04 AM
2 Cape teens OD on cold medication; 3rd victim survives
Three took so-called 'Triple C' in lethal doses
By ALISON KEPNER AND CHARLES RUNNELLS
[email protected] AND [email protected]
Published by news-press.com on February 21, 2005
Two Cape Coral teenagers are dead and another remains hospitalized after police say they overdosed Sunday on "Triple C."
Alex Kulwicki, 19, and two friends, both also 19, returned to his 102 Southeast 46th Terrace home sometime overnight.
When his family awoke around 9:40 a.m., relatives found Kulwicki passed out on a living room couch. The other men, whose names were not released as of noon today, were found on a bed in the back room not breathing, Cape Coral police said. They were pronounced dead at the scene.
Kulwicki went to Cape Coral Hospital Sunday, where he was initially listed in critical condition. By 11 a.m. Monday, he had been upgraded to good condition, said hospital spokeswoman Karen Krieger.
A man who answered the phone at Kulwicki's home Sunday evening said the family declined comment.
Triple C, the slang term for the over-the-counter medication Coricidin HBP Cough & Cold, contains dextromethorphan, commonly called DXM. Other slang terms for the drug include dex, candy, skittles and red devils.
While it is legitimately used to treat colds or allergy symptoms, when taken in high doses the drug can cause hallucinations and a sense of dissociation. Effects can last as long as six hours.
In high doses, the drug can cause increased body temperatures, irregular heart beat, high blood pressure, loss of consciousness, seizure, brain damage and death. Nausea, abdominal pain, vomiting, headache and numbness of fingers and toes are other effects.
The drug usually is taken orally, which is how the Cape teens took the powdered form of the drug, police Sgt. Phil McDonald said.
Investigators believe the men bought the drug over the Internet. How much they took and specifically where they bought it remains under investigation, police said.
Cape police have seen teen use of Triple C in the past, McDonald said.
"You get a lot of kids shoplifting it," he said.
Neither Kulwicki nor his friends had previous run-ins with police for drugs or any other problems, McDonald said.
Police expect to release the name of the other men as soon as they notify next of kin.
LINK: http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ar.../502210382/1075 (http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050221/NEWS0101/502210382/1075)
Three took so-called 'Triple C' in lethal doses
By ALISON KEPNER AND CHARLES RUNNELLS
[email protected] AND [email protected]
Published by news-press.com on February 21, 2005
Two Cape Coral teenagers are dead and another remains hospitalized after police say they overdosed Sunday on "Triple C."
Alex Kulwicki, 19, and two friends, both also 19, returned to his 102 Southeast 46th Terrace home sometime overnight.
When his family awoke around 9:40 a.m., relatives found Kulwicki passed out on a living room couch. The other men, whose names were not released as of noon today, were found on a bed in the back room not breathing, Cape Coral police said. They were pronounced dead at the scene.
Kulwicki went to Cape Coral Hospital Sunday, where he was initially listed in critical condition. By 11 a.m. Monday, he had been upgraded to good condition, said hospital spokeswoman Karen Krieger.
A man who answered the phone at Kulwicki's home Sunday evening said the family declined comment.
Triple C, the slang term for the over-the-counter medication Coricidin HBP Cough & Cold, contains dextromethorphan, commonly called DXM. Other slang terms for the drug include dex, candy, skittles and red devils.
While it is legitimately used to treat colds or allergy symptoms, when taken in high doses the drug can cause hallucinations and a sense of dissociation. Effects can last as long as six hours.
In high doses, the drug can cause increased body temperatures, irregular heart beat, high blood pressure, loss of consciousness, seizure, brain damage and death. Nausea, abdominal pain, vomiting, headache and numbness of fingers and toes are other effects.
The drug usually is taken orally, which is how the Cape teens took the powdered form of the drug, police Sgt. Phil McDonald said.
Investigators believe the men bought the drug over the Internet. How much they took and specifically where they bought it remains under investigation, police said.
Cape police have seen teen use of Triple C in the past, McDonald said.
"You get a lot of kids shoplifting it," he said.
Neither Kulwicki nor his friends had previous run-ins with police for drugs or any other problems, McDonald said.
Police expect to release the name of the other men as soon as they notify next of kin.
LINK: http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ar.../502210382/1075 (http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050221/NEWS0101/502210382/1075)