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01-29-2007, 02:26 PM
Cough medicine abuse rising amoung teenagers
Loraine Burger, Collegian Staff
Posted: 1/29/07
Teenagers today are using over-the-counter cold and cough medicines to get a cheap and easy high, and the number of users is increasing drastically.
Since 1999, the abuse of cold and cough medicines by teens has risen 10-fold, and has decreased the use of Ecstasy, LCD, and GHB as a result, according to the California Poison Control System.
This practice has been commonly called "Robotripping," a term that generated from the most commonly abused drug, Robitussin. However, recently Robitussin has taken a backseat to Coricidin, the newly preferred drug to get high.
"Abuse" in the context of nonprescription medicines, can be defined as the intake of extremely large doses of cough medicine, whether it be tablets, gel caps, or syrups, for the purpose of getting high.
"People tend to have the perception that medicine abuse is different from illegal drug and alcohol abuse," said Fred Aleguas, Clinical Manager of Poison Control, "because it's a legal household substance so people believe it should be dealt with differently."
The types of medicines that can be used for getting high are Alka-Seltzer Plus Cold & Cough Medicine, Coricidin HBP Cough and Cold, Dayquil LiquiCaps, Dimetapp DM, Robitussin cough products, Sudafed cough products, Triaminic cough syrups, Tylenol Cold products, Vicks 44 Cough Relief products, Vicks NyQuil LiquiCaps and hundreds of store brands similar to these.
These cold remedies contain dextromethorphan, or DXM, an ingredient that can cause hallucinations and out-of-body experiences, reports the Los Angeles Times.
In extreme cases, the abuse of this ingredient can lead to death. Other side effects of misuse of the drug include confusion, dizziness, double or blurred vision, slurred speech, loss of physical coordination, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, rapid heart beat, drowsiness, numbness of fingers and toes and disorientation, according to the Partnership for a Drug-Free America.
"Parents notice something is wrong usually because the high lasts much longer than it would with other drugs," said Aleguas. "Kids can experience these symptoms for up to 14, 16, even 18 hours."
Health officials noticed a revival of the misuse of DXM in the late 1990's, though it was first misused in the 1960's with a medication called Romilar. The Partnership for a Drug-Free America conducted a study this past May that estimated that 2.4 million teens - 1/10 of America's youth - got high on cough medicine in 2005. This statistic matches that of teen cocaine use.
"The misuse of these drugs are almost always intentional," said Aleguas. "We consistently receive calls regarding the overdosing of cough medicines, at least once a week. The kids are generally 12 years or older."
According to Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 74.5 percent of these abuse cases are children between the ages of nine and 17. The highest frequency of abuse occurs among teens between 15 and 16 years old. They use slang terms for DXM such as Dex, Robo, Skittles, Triple C and Tussin.
According to the partnership for a Drug-Free America, children are learning these habits from the Internet. Certain Web sites actually promote the abuse of cough medicine, and even suggest how much to take, what other drugs to combine with DXM, and how to extract the ingredient from cough medicines and turn it into a powder form to snort.
Most drug-abuse professionals say the abuse of these over-the-counter medications is the result of any adolescent mental or emotional issue, including depression.
The issue should be handled the same way any other addiction problem should be, with the help of doctors and therapists. If anyone you know shows the symptoms of the overuse of these medicines or other poisonous substances, the Poison Control Center is always available at 1-800-222-1222.
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Loraine Burger, Collegian Staff
Posted: 1/29/07
Teenagers today are using over-the-counter cold and cough medicines to get a cheap and easy high, and the number of users is increasing drastically.
Since 1999, the abuse of cold and cough medicines by teens has risen 10-fold, and has decreased the use of Ecstasy, LCD, and GHB as a result, according to the California Poison Control System.
This practice has been commonly called "Robotripping," a term that generated from the most commonly abused drug, Robitussin. However, recently Robitussin has taken a backseat to Coricidin, the newly preferred drug to get high.
"Abuse" in the context of nonprescription medicines, can be defined as the intake of extremely large doses of cough medicine, whether it be tablets, gel caps, or syrups, for the purpose of getting high.
"People tend to have the perception that medicine abuse is different from illegal drug and alcohol abuse," said Fred Aleguas, Clinical Manager of Poison Control, "because it's a legal household substance so people believe it should be dealt with differently."
The types of medicines that can be used for getting high are Alka-Seltzer Plus Cold & Cough Medicine, Coricidin HBP Cough and Cold, Dayquil LiquiCaps, Dimetapp DM, Robitussin cough products, Sudafed cough products, Triaminic cough syrups, Tylenol Cold products, Vicks 44 Cough Relief products, Vicks NyQuil LiquiCaps and hundreds of store brands similar to these.
These cold remedies contain dextromethorphan, or DXM, an ingredient that can cause hallucinations and out-of-body experiences, reports the Los Angeles Times.
In extreme cases, the abuse of this ingredient can lead to death. Other side effects of misuse of the drug include confusion, dizziness, double or blurred vision, slurred speech, loss of physical coordination, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, rapid heart beat, drowsiness, numbness of fingers and toes and disorientation, according to the Partnership for a Drug-Free America.
"Parents notice something is wrong usually because the high lasts much longer than it would with other drugs," said Aleguas. "Kids can experience these symptoms for up to 14, 16, even 18 hours."
Health officials noticed a revival of the misuse of DXM in the late 1990's, though it was first misused in the 1960's with a medication called Romilar. The Partnership for a Drug-Free America conducted a study this past May that estimated that 2.4 million teens - 1/10 of America's youth - got high on cough medicine in 2005. This statistic matches that of teen cocaine use.
"The misuse of these drugs are almost always intentional," said Aleguas. "We consistently receive calls regarding the overdosing of cough medicines, at least once a week. The kids are generally 12 years or older."
According to Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 74.5 percent of these abuse cases are children between the ages of nine and 17. The highest frequency of abuse occurs among teens between 15 and 16 years old. They use slang terms for DXM such as Dex, Robo, Skittles, Triple C and Tussin.
According to the partnership for a Drug-Free America, children are learning these habits from the Internet. Certain Web sites actually promote the abuse of cough medicine, and even suggest how much to take, what other drugs to combine with DXM, and how to extract the ingredient from cough medicines and turn it into a powder form to snort.
Most drug-abuse professionals say the abuse of these over-the-counter medications is the result of any adolescent mental or emotional issue, including depression.
The issue should be handled the same way any other addiction problem should be, with the help of doctors and therapists. If anyone you know shows the symptoms of the overuse of these medicines or other poisonous substances, the Poison Control Center is always available at 1-800-222-1222.
http://media.www.dailycollegian.com/media/...gepublisher.com (http://media.www.dailycollegian.com/media/storage/paper874/news/2007/01/29/News/Cough.Medicine.Abuse.Rising.Amoung.Teenagers-2681655.shtml?sourcedomain=www.dailycollegian.com&MIIHost=media.collegepublisher.com)