PeoplesMind
10-22-2003, 09:09 PM
'Skittling' New Drug Of Choice For Some Teens
There's a new and dangerous way that teenagers are getting high. Two Milwaukee mothers said "skittling" almost took the lives of their daughters.
These mothers got a crash course in "skittling" when their teenage daughters wound up in the Children's Hospital emergency room.
Kids call it "skittling" because Coricidin HBP, a popular over-the-counter cold medication, looks like candy.
"They were literally just tearing at the package with their teeth trying to get the last one open. They couldn't get it open. That's what saved them," Terri said.
"I don't know if there's permanent damage to my daughter's liver. I don't know that," Shelby said.
They take many times the recommended dose, and sometimes, they chase it with alcohol.
Mollie, 16, and Ashley, 15, admit they've tried it more than once. But the last time as the worst.
"And it was really scary," Mollie said.
At $8 a box, it's a cheap, easy way to get high, and a lot of kids know about it. It's not illegal to possess, either.
"You don't have to worry about smelling like anything, or your eyes getting all dilated or whatever. You can just be in class, and be all high off of Skittles or whatever," a teenager said.
"At least three to five times a day, we get calls from parents or from schools, where one, two or more kids are taking these over-the-counter tablets in an attempt to get high," said Dr. Ernie Stremski, of the Poison Control Center.
The Internet has plenty of information on how to "skittle." Experts say it's one of the main ways kids learn about this.
But these drug abuse Web sites have less information on the serious consequences of "skittling."
"You run a risk of coma. You run a risk of (stopping) breathing. You definitely run a risk of experiencing a seizure," Stremski said.
"It's not like we do it purposely. This drug is addictive," Ashley said. "If you take it once, you just have the urge to take it again. You can't help it."
Managers of many Walgreen's stores know kids are abusing Coricidin HPB. That's why they've pulled it off the shelves, and sell it at the pharmacy. But other chains have not.
"I want it off the shelves. I want it where it's controlled," Shelby said.
"It wouldn't hurt to occasionally just make sure it's not lying in your sons' or daughters' rooms, and just assume they're taking it for a cold, because that might not be the case," Terri said.
Schering-Plough, the drug company that makes Coricidin, supports pharmacies' efforts to restrict the sale to young people.
[Dextroverse Note : If you click the link below, and notice the links they provide, they provide a hot link to the dextroverse. More specifically, our Archives where they Link to the Coricidin Abuse Study, it is the first link on the news website.]
READ ARTICLE : http://www.local6.com/health/2573515/detail.html
DEA warns parents of new drug
The United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Detroit Office is issuing a safety warning to parents, schools and local communities regarding a recent escalation in the abuse of dextromethorphan, the cough suppressant in over-the-counter cough and cold medications.
Dextromethorphan abuse in the Detroit area has seen a disturbing increase recently with the Northeastern Wayne County area showing above average abuse. Isolated deaths and overdoses have been reported throughout the United States involving teens experimenting with dextromethophan or "DXM" as users refer to it. This Document is generated from Open Source information and contains no classified information.
Dextromethorphan abuse is often referred to as "RoboTripping" since many teens consume excessive amounts of Robotussin cough medication to obtain the dextromethophan.
The user population of DXM is generally teenagers and young adults. Teens typically purchase and consume these large quantities of over-the-counter cold medications to reach the desired effects. Effects from over ingestion include slurred speech, hyperexcitability, lethargy, sweating, hypertension and hallucinations.
Unfortunately, in addition to over-the-counter medications, some predatory distributors have sought to sell dextromethophan on the Internet.
The Morganfield Police Department is dissemindating the following information to parents in the area:
-- Monitor your teens behavior for sudden and extreme changes in personality, especially in the following areas:
-- Are your teens eating habits changing dramatically, especially if they are less interested in eating?
-- Are your kids excessively secretive about their computer use?
-- Are your children receiving unusual mail or mail without return addresses?
-- Are your children interested in obtaining private mailboxes without the need?
Teens are often under the mistaken impression that abusing substances such as dextromethorphan, inhalants and nitrous oxide as not as dangerous as traditional "street" drugs. This is a fallacy that law enforcement, parents and the media need to work hard to dispel. These myths can in fact be deadly.
For more information on dextromethorphan, go to: www.dea.gov (Source: DEA)
For any questions on thesubject contact Lt. Col. Jeffery W. Hart, Morganfield Police Department, 1-270 389-4357.
READ ARTICLE : http://www.ucadvocate.com/cgi-bin/view.cgi...+20031022+lnews (http://www.ucadvocate.com/cgi-bin/view.cgi?/200310/22+DEA-warns-parents-of-new-drug-10-22-03_lnews.html+20031022+lnews)
There's a new and dangerous way that teenagers are getting high. Two Milwaukee mothers said "skittling" almost took the lives of their daughters.
These mothers got a crash course in "skittling" when their teenage daughters wound up in the Children's Hospital emergency room.
Kids call it "skittling" because Coricidin HBP, a popular over-the-counter cold medication, looks like candy.
"They were literally just tearing at the package with their teeth trying to get the last one open. They couldn't get it open. That's what saved them," Terri said.
"I don't know if there's permanent damage to my daughter's liver. I don't know that," Shelby said.
They take many times the recommended dose, and sometimes, they chase it with alcohol.
Mollie, 16, and Ashley, 15, admit they've tried it more than once. But the last time as the worst.
"And it was really scary," Mollie said.
At $8 a box, it's a cheap, easy way to get high, and a lot of kids know about it. It's not illegal to possess, either.
"You don't have to worry about smelling like anything, or your eyes getting all dilated or whatever. You can just be in class, and be all high off of Skittles or whatever," a teenager said.
"At least three to five times a day, we get calls from parents or from schools, where one, two or more kids are taking these over-the-counter tablets in an attempt to get high," said Dr. Ernie Stremski, of the Poison Control Center.
The Internet has plenty of information on how to "skittle." Experts say it's one of the main ways kids learn about this.
But these drug abuse Web sites have less information on the serious consequences of "skittling."
"You run a risk of coma. You run a risk of (stopping) breathing. You definitely run a risk of experiencing a seizure," Stremski said.
"It's not like we do it purposely. This drug is addictive," Ashley said. "If you take it once, you just have the urge to take it again. You can't help it."
Managers of many Walgreen's stores know kids are abusing Coricidin HPB. That's why they've pulled it off the shelves, and sell it at the pharmacy. But other chains have not.
"I want it off the shelves. I want it where it's controlled," Shelby said.
"It wouldn't hurt to occasionally just make sure it's not lying in your sons' or daughters' rooms, and just assume they're taking it for a cold, because that might not be the case," Terri said.
Schering-Plough, the drug company that makes Coricidin, supports pharmacies' efforts to restrict the sale to young people.
[Dextroverse Note : If you click the link below, and notice the links they provide, they provide a hot link to the dextroverse. More specifically, our Archives where they Link to the Coricidin Abuse Study, it is the first link on the news website.]
READ ARTICLE : http://www.local6.com/health/2573515/detail.html
DEA warns parents of new drug
The United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Detroit Office is issuing a safety warning to parents, schools and local communities regarding a recent escalation in the abuse of dextromethorphan, the cough suppressant in over-the-counter cough and cold medications.
Dextromethorphan abuse in the Detroit area has seen a disturbing increase recently with the Northeastern Wayne County area showing above average abuse. Isolated deaths and overdoses have been reported throughout the United States involving teens experimenting with dextromethophan or "DXM" as users refer to it. This Document is generated from Open Source information and contains no classified information.
Dextromethorphan abuse is often referred to as "RoboTripping" since many teens consume excessive amounts of Robotussin cough medication to obtain the dextromethophan.
The user population of DXM is generally teenagers and young adults. Teens typically purchase and consume these large quantities of over-the-counter cold medications to reach the desired effects. Effects from over ingestion include slurred speech, hyperexcitability, lethargy, sweating, hypertension and hallucinations.
Unfortunately, in addition to over-the-counter medications, some predatory distributors have sought to sell dextromethophan on the Internet.
The Morganfield Police Department is dissemindating the following information to parents in the area:
-- Monitor your teens behavior for sudden and extreme changes in personality, especially in the following areas:
-- Are your teens eating habits changing dramatically, especially if they are less interested in eating?
-- Are your kids excessively secretive about their computer use?
-- Are your children receiving unusual mail or mail without return addresses?
-- Are your children interested in obtaining private mailboxes without the need?
Teens are often under the mistaken impression that abusing substances such as dextromethorphan, inhalants and nitrous oxide as not as dangerous as traditional "street" drugs. This is a fallacy that law enforcement, parents and the media need to work hard to dispel. These myths can in fact be deadly.
For more information on dextromethorphan, go to: www.dea.gov (Source: DEA)
For any questions on thesubject contact Lt. Col. Jeffery W. Hart, Morganfield Police Department, 1-270 389-4357.
READ ARTICLE : http://www.ucadvocate.com/cgi-bin/view.cgi...+20031022+lnews (http://www.ucadvocate.com/cgi-bin/view.cgi?/200310/22+DEA-warns-parents-of-new-drug-10-22-03_lnews.html+20031022+lnews)