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01-07-2004, 05:53 PM
Overdosing on over-the-counter medicine is becoming a serious concern for many in Wichita.
Police say they have their work cut out for them, as do parents and school officials. Over-the-counter medicine is cheap and easily accessible to students, but what many students don’t realize is how dangerous they can be, until it’s too late.
Debbie McKenna with the Wichita School District tells KAKE News about a 15-year-old boy who was happy and healthy until he began abusing drugs. She says he has done physical damage to his brain and he seizures at various times. She says he will never be the same.
But for McKenna, the supervisor for Safe and Drug Free Schools in Wichita, the worst part of it is it’s just one case of many.
“We’ve seen a huge increase,” says McKenna.
It’s the latest drug craze among kids: Dextromethorphan, or DMX, an ingredient in cold pills like Coricidian.
Students we talked to agree the problem is getting worse. Police say kids load up on the drug before school to kind of float through the days and police believe, at least for now, it will get worse before it gets better.
Lt. Alan Prince, with the Wichita Police Department, says it travels coast to coast and has reached Kansas again. Chugging cough medicine is a problem police have seen in the past, but this is different. The pills and other medicines that have DMX are more attractive to students. And with the amounts being consumed, it can be much more deadly.
Prince says some students are taking a large dose, four or five times what’s supposed to be taken, giving a euphoric feeling. He says students continue taking it to get that buzz. They take more and more.
Best advice for parents and teachers, is to keep your eyes open. Watch for a difference in mood and attitude, but also look for the medicine packages. Remember they are legal, so kids probably won’t go out of their way to hide it.
Read Article:
http://www.kake.com/news/headlines/568457.html
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Beware of the DMX found in Coricidian! LoL
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Police say they have their work cut out for them, as do parents and school officials. Over-the-counter medicine is cheap and easily accessible to students, but what many students don’t realize is how dangerous they can be, until it’s too late.
Debbie McKenna with the Wichita School District tells KAKE News about a 15-year-old boy who was happy and healthy until he began abusing drugs. She says he has done physical damage to his brain and he seizures at various times. She says he will never be the same.
But for McKenna, the supervisor for Safe and Drug Free Schools in Wichita, the worst part of it is it’s just one case of many.
“We’ve seen a huge increase,” says McKenna.
It’s the latest drug craze among kids: Dextromethorphan, or DMX, an ingredient in cold pills like Coricidian.
Students we talked to agree the problem is getting worse. Police say kids load up on the drug before school to kind of float through the days and police believe, at least for now, it will get worse before it gets better.
Lt. Alan Prince, with the Wichita Police Department, says it travels coast to coast and has reached Kansas again. Chugging cough medicine is a problem police have seen in the past, but this is different. The pills and other medicines that have DMX are more attractive to students. And with the amounts being consumed, it can be much more deadly.
Prince says some students are taking a large dose, four or five times what’s supposed to be taken, giving a euphoric feeling. He says students continue taking it to get that buzz. They take more and more.
Best advice for parents and teachers, is to keep your eyes open. Watch for a difference in mood and attitude, but also look for the medicine packages. Remember they are legal, so kids probably won’t go out of their way to hide it.
Read Article:
http://www.kake.com/news/headlines/568457.html
----------
Beware of the DMX found in Coricidian! LoL
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