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03-16-2005, 03:00 AM
Cough syrup is being used to get high, parents warned
Maura Lerner, Star Tribune
March 16, 2005 COUGH0316
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Poison control officials say parents should watch for signs that their teenagers may be drinking cough medicine to get high, a dangerous practice called "robotripping" or "skittling."
The fad seems to be growing in popularity among kids aged 12 to 15, said Kirk Hughes, an educator at the Hennepin Regional Poison Center in Minneapolis. The practice can be deadly -- causing liver damage, a dangerous rise in heart rate and blood pressure, and seizures.
"It's been around for quite a while," said Hughes, but "with the advent of the Internet and word of mouth ... it's just kind of snowballed."
The nicknames come from drinking Robitussin DM, or downing Coricidin HBP Cough and Cold pills, which resemble Skittles candies, he said. Both contain dextromethorphan or DXM, a cough suppressant that can mimic the effects of alcohol intoxication. The drugs can cause behavioral changes such as blank stares, agitation, slurred speech, dilated pupils and an unsteady gait. He said parents should be suspicious if they find empty bottles or boxes of cough medicine in a child's room.
http://www.startribune.com/stories/462/5294875.html
Maura Lerner, Star Tribune
March 16, 2005 COUGH0316
?
?
Poison control officials say parents should watch for signs that their teenagers may be drinking cough medicine to get high, a dangerous practice called "robotripping" or "skittling."
The fad seems to be growing in popularity among kids aged 12 to 15, said Kirk Hughes, an educator at the Hennepin Regional Poison Center in Minneapolis. The practice can be deadly -- causing liver damage, a dangerous rise in heart rate and blood pressure, and seizures.
"It's been around for quite a while," said Hughes, but "with the advent of the Internet and word of mouth ... it's just kind of snowballed."
The nicknames come from drinking Robitussin DM, or downing Coricidin HBP Cough and Cold pills, which resemble Skittles candies, he said. Both contain dextromethorphan or DXM, a cough suppressant that can mimic the effects of alcohol intoxication. The drugs can cause behavioral changes such as blank stares, agitation, slurred speech, dilated pupils and an unsteady gait. He said parents should be suspicious if they find empty bottles or boxes of cough medicine in a child's room.
http://www.startribune.com/stories/462/5294875.html