drdĒv
06-04-2005, 06:12 AM
ER Doctors Warn Parents Of 'Skittling'
Active Ingredient In Pills Can Be Deadly
POSTED: 5:20 pm EDT June 3, 2005
UPDATED: 5:32 pm EDT June 3, 2005
Rescue 4 was first to show you dangerous new drug lollipops hitting the streets of metro Detroit, now ER doctors are issuing a new warning about something your teenagers and even elementary school kids may be abusing.
Teens call the practice "skittling," because the pills -- which are over-the-counter Coricidin cold tablets -- resemble the candy named Skittles.
"I was doing them before school. I popped eight (of them). They'd wear off by like 5th hour, then I'd pop another eight in school," said Jessica Fedro, a student that tried skittling. "I couldn't live without them. That's how addicted I was."
When taken in large doses, the active ingredient in the pills, dextromethorphan (DXM), can prove deadly, Local 4 reported.
"They can have a seizure. They can become comatose, and they can overdose within a matter of minutes," said Dr. Charles Nozicka, a pediatric ER specialist.
Fedro said she ended up in the hospital in February 2002 after taking 96 pills.
"I dove into the kitchen floor 'cause I thought it was water, and I don't remember anything after that except waking up in the hospital," she said.
ER doctors say they believe there are many more cases out there that go unreported.
Substance abuse specialists say the number of 13- to 19-year-olds abusing cold medicines is on the rise.
"Since 2001, the number of calls involving suspected abuse of Coricidin has increased by about 55 percent," said Dr. Christina Hantsch, poison control director.
Fedro has beaten her addiction and now advises teens not to experiment with skittling.
"Just don't even touch it," she said. "Just the one time will ruin your life."
The warning signs parents can look out for in their children include:
# Boxes of cold medication in their room, purse, or backpack, even when they're not sick.
# Medicine missing from cabinets in home.
# Behavorial or physical changes, especially itchiness, dizziness, impaired judgment or dilated pupils.
http://www.clickondetroit.com/health/45672...275/detail.html (http://www.clickondetroit.com/health/4567275/detail.html)
Active Ingredient In Pills Can Be Deadly
POSTED: 5:20 pm EDT June 3, 2005
UPDATED: 5:32 pm EDT June 3, 2005
Rescue 4 was first to show you dangerous new drug lollipops hitting the streets of metro Detroit, now ER doctors are issuing a new warning about something your teenagers and even elementary school kids may be abusing.
Teens call the practice "skittling," because the pills -- which are over-the-counter Coricidin cold tablets -- resemble the candy named Skittles.
"I was doing them before school. I popped eight (of them). They'd wear off by like 5th hour, then I'd pop another eight in school," said Jessica Fedro, a student that tried skittling. "I couldn't live without them. That's how addicted I was."
When taken in large doses, the active ingredient in the pills, dextromethorphan (DXM), can prove deadly, Local 4 reported.
"They can have a seizure. They can become comatose, and they can overdose within a matter of minutes," said Dr. Charles Nozicka, a pediatric ER specialist.
Fedro said she ended up in the hospital in February 2002 after taking 96 pills.
"I dove into the kitchen floor 'cause I thought it was water, and I don't remember anything after that except waking up in the hospital," she said.
ER doctors say they believe there are many more cases out there that go unreported.
Substance abuse specialists say the number of 13- to 19-year-olds abusing cold medicines is on the rise.
"Since 2001, the number of calls involving suspected abuse of Coricidin has increased by about 55 percent," said Dr. Christina Hantsch, poison control director.
Fedro has beaten her addiction and now advises teens not to experiment with skittling.
"Just don't even touch it," she said. "Just the one time will ruin your life."
The warning signs parents can look out for in their children include:
# Boxes of cold medication in their room, purse, or backpack, even when they're not sick.
# Medicine missing from cabinets in home.
# Behavorial or physical changes, especially itchiness, dizziness, impaired judgment or dilated pupils.
http://www.clickondetroit.com/health/45672...275/detail.html (http://www.clickondetroit.com/health/4567275/detail.html)