drdĒv
04-26-2006, 03:04 PM
Girls sought high caused by drug in cold medicine
April 22, 2006
Two middle school students from Boynton Beach overdosed on cold medicine and were rushed to the hospital on Thursday, Palm Beach County School District officials confirmed.
During a morning bus ride to Don Estridge High Tech Middle School in Boca Raton, two female students swallowed an excess of over-the-counter cold medicine pills that contained Coricidin, also known by the street name "Triple C" or "Skittles," school principal Debra Johnson said. She did not disclose the ages or grades of the students.
About noon, fellow students found the two girls in the bathroom. One was vomiting and the other complained of rapid heartbeat, Johnson said.
They were taken to the school's clinic until paramedics arrived. The students were then transported to Boca Raton Community Hospital and released later in the day, Johnson said.
"They took [the cough medicine] because they thought it was neat to do, a way to get high," Johnson said. She said the students were being disciplined. Typically, students caught using drugs are suspended until they complete a school district intervention program called "Face It," which addresses the dangers of using drugs, Johnson said.
Coricidin is found in medicines such as Drixoral and Robitussin.
While this was the first Coricidin overdose at Don Estridge, it has a history at other schools. Last fall, four students at another Boca Raton middle school overdosed on the pills and wound up spending a night in a hospital. The nonprescription cold medicine produces hallucinations when taken in large doses, according to the National Drug Intelligence Center, based in Johnston, Pa.
That the medicine is so easily available to anyone, including children, worries some parents.
"I noticed going to my grocery story today that they have it right in the aisle," said Beatriz Berger, a Don Estridge parent. "It should be behind the counter.
"We all may have this in our medicine cabinets, so parents need to be more aware of what their children might be trying," Berger said.
Staff Writer Marc Freeman contributed to this report.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/lo...sfla-news-palm (http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-pcough22apr22,0,4784458.story?coll=sfla-news-palm)
April 22, 2006
Two middle school students from Boynton Beach overdosed on cold medicine and were rushed to the hospital on Thursday, Palm Beach County School District officials confirmed.
During a morning bus ride to Don Estridge High Tech Middle School in Boca Raton, two female students swallowed an excess of over-the-counter cold medicine pills that contained Coricidin, also known by the street name "Triple C" or "Skittles," school principal Debra Johnson said. She did not disclose the ages or grades of the students.
About noon, fellow students found the two girls in the bathroom. One was vomiting and the other complained of rapid heartbeat, Johnson said.
They were taken to the school's clinic until paramedics arrived. The students were then transported to Boca Raton Community Hospital and released later in the day, Johnson said.
"They took [the cough medicine] because they thought it was neat to do, a way to get high," Johnson said. She said the students were being disciplined. Typically, students caught using drugs are suspended until they complete a school district intervention program called "Face It," which addresses the dangers of using drugs, Johnson said.
Coricidin is found in medicines such as Drixoral and Robitussin.
While this was the first Coricidin overdose at Don Estridge, it has a history at other schools. Last fall, four students at another Boca Raton middle school overdosed on the pills and wound up spending a night in a hospital. The nonprescription cold medicine produces hallucinations when taken in large doses, according to the National Drug Intelligence Center, based in Johnston, Pa.
That the medicine is so easily available to anyone, including children, worries some parents.
"I noticed going to my grocery story today that they have it right in the aisle," said Beatriz Berger, a Don Estridge parent. "It should be behind the counter.
"We all may have this in our medicine cabinets, so parents need to be more aware of what their children might be trying," Berger said.
Staff Writer Marc Freeman contributed to this report.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/lo...sfla-news-palm (http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-pcough22apr22,0,4784458.story?coll=sfla-news-palm)