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10-05-2003, 02:14 PM
BOSTON -- It's a drug celebrated by teenagers for causing dangerous psychedelic effects, yet it's being sold over the counter in grocery stores and pharmacies everywhere. It causes paranoia, excitability, brain damage, memory loss and psychological addictions, and is responsible for a growing number of teen overdoses in the United States. The drug is called dextromethorphan (DXM), and teenagers have no problem finding it.
Approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 1958 for the suppression of coughs, DXM is an over-the-counter drug found in more than 80 varieties of cough syrups in brands such as, Robitussin, Vicks Formula 44, and Drixoral Cough liquid caps. Not all medicines under these brands, however, contain the drug since most brands put out several formulations. The drug is found in a variety of forms, including gel caps, capsules and syrup and can be extracted from liquid cough syrup. It can be then taken orally, injected or snorted, according to the United States Department of Health and Human Services
DXM is in a class of drugs recognized as dissociative anesthetics, known for immobility and disassociation from self. It has side effects comparable to street drugs PCP and ketamine. It is commonly abused by teens for its hallucinatory properties and it's ability to prolong and enhance the effects of other drugs, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
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Approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 1958 for the suppression of coughs, DXM is an over-the-counter drug found in more than 80 varieties of cough syrups in brands such as, Robitussin, Vicks Formula 44, and Drixoral Cough liquid caps. Not all medicines under these brands, however, contain the drug since most brands put out several formulations. The drug is found in a variety of forms, including gel caps, capsules and syrup and can be extracted from liquid cough syrup. It can be then taken orally, injected or snorted, according to the United States Department of Health and Human Services
DXM is in a class of drugs recognized as dissociative anesthetics, known for immobility and disassociation from self. It has side effects comparable to street drugs PCP and ketamine. It is commonly abused by teens for its hallucinatory properties and it's ability to prolong and enhance the effects of other drugs, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
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READ ARTICLE: http://www.thebostonchannel.com/health/253...798/detail.html (http://www.thebostonchannel.com/health/2530798/detail.html)