Væ§ølis
11-07-2003, 05:17 AM
Evansville, IN November 6 -- An over-the-counter cold remedy nearly killed a Tri-State teen this weekend, but the girl's mom claims her daughter took the pills to get high.
Now she wants protect other families from facing the same fate.
"It's killing me, it's awful," Becky said. Painful memories of a near tragedy are fresh in this mother's mind.
"My youngest was so delusional," she said, "that she didn't know what was going on."
Becky's daughter took an over-the-counter medicine called Coricidin. It's known on the streets as 3-C or Skittles. Becky's daughter took 16 of the pills Saturday.
"I tried to get her up to take her to the shower," Becky said, "and she passed out in my arms. I threw her over my shoulder and ran her to Deaconess Hospital."
Poison control experts claim kids are popping 3-Cs, because if you take enough of them, they can cause hallucinations and feelings of drunkenness.
The ingredient that gives those euphoric sensations is called dextromethorphan, and it can also spark seizures, tremors, even cardiac arrest.
But kids aren't having any trouble getting the pills. We sent a twelve-year- old girl into a local pharmacy, and she walked right out with a package of Coricidin---no questions asked.
Becky believes that has to change.
"Put all of that cold and flu (stuff) that kids are getting behind the counter," she said. "Make them wait in line like a prescription."
There are ways to tell if your kids are using 3-Cs, including dilated pupils and muscle spasms.
Poison control experts say the drugs are nothing new, but they go through phases of popularity, and that seems to be what the Tri-State is experiencing right now.
For more information on the Indiana Poison Control Center, call toll free at 1-800-222-1222, or log on to www.clarian.org/clinical/poisoncontrol.
For information about the potential dangers of dextromethorphan, log on to www.coricidin.org.
full article here (http://www.wtvw.com/Global/story.asp?S=1513880&nav=7CPEIxPg)
Now she wants protect other families from facing the same fate.
"It's killing me, it's awful," Becky said. Painful memories of a near tragedy are fresh in this mother's mind.
"My youngest was so delusional," she said, "that she didn't know what was going on."
Becky's daughter took an over-the-counter medicine called Coricidin. It's known on the streets as 3-C or Skittles. Becky's daughter took 16 of the pills Saturday.
"I tried to get her up to take her to the shower," Becky said, "and she passed out in my arms. I threw her over my shoulder and ran her to Deaconess Hospital."
Poison control experts claim kids are popping 3-Cs, because if you take enough of them, they can cause hallucinations and feelings of drunkenness.
The ingredient that gives those euphoric sensations is called dextromethorphan, and it can also spark seizures, tremors, even cardiac arrest.
But kids aren't having any trouble getting the pills. We sent a twelve-year- old girl into a local pharmacy, and she walked right out with a package of Coricidin---no questions asked.
Becky believes that has to change.
"Put all of that cold and flu (stuff) that kids are getting behind the counter," she said. "Make them wait in line like a prescription."
There are ways to tell if your kids are using 3-Cs, including dilated pupils and muscle spasms.
Poison control experts say the drugs are nothing new, but they go through phases of popularity, and that seems to be what the Tri-State is experiencing right now.
For more information on the Indiana Poison Control Center, call toll free at 1-800-222-1222, or log on to www.clarian.org/clinical/poisoncontrol.
For information about the potential dangers of dextromethorphan, log on to www.coricidin.org.
full article here (http://www.wtvw.com/Global/story.asp?S=1513880&nav=7CPEIxPg)