rfgdxm
01-30-2004, 11:18 PM
http://www.pantagraph.com/stories/013004/n...040130008.shtml (http://www.pantagraph.com/stories/013004/new_20040130008.shtml)
Friday, January 30, 2004
Couple: Restrict DXM, save lives
Family lost its son to legal drug
The Pantagraph/JOSH RITCHIE
Greg and Linda Frary of Peoria sit in their late son Jon's bedroom in their home Thursday. Jon Frary died in September after taking the legal drug DXM.
By Scott Richardson
[email protected]
NORMAL -- Despite careers in medicine, Greg and Linda Frary never heard of the over-the-counter drug DXM before Sept. 24.
That was the day Greg Frary traveled to Normal to check on their son, Jon, a senior at Illinois State University.
Jon's worried girlfriend had phoned the Frarys at their Peoria home to say she wasn't able to reach him. But his car was at his apartment, and UPS stickers hung on the door, documenting unsuccessful delivery attempts.
Greg Frary, a medical practice administrator, found his son dead inside. A bottle labeled dextromethorphan was next to his body.
Frary's cell phone rang at that moment. It was his wife, a nurse.
"I said, 'Greg, what's going on?'" Linda Frary said Thursday, the same day the couple appeared on NBC's "Today Show" to discuss the dangers of DXM.
"Greg said, 'He's gone.'
"I said, 'What do you mean?
"He said, 'Linda, he's dead.
"I said, 'Oh my God. Was he murdered?'
"I was shocked when our son died of this, absolutely dumbfounded."
An investigation concluded Jon died from an accidental overdose of DXM. An honors student in psychology just weeks from graduation, he was 22.
DXM is a common ingredient in over-the-counter cough medicines, such as Robitussin and Coricidin.
DXM also can be legally purchased in its pure form. In high doses, it produces an LSD-like high with hallucinations. Several deaths in the United States have been blamed on DXM.
Jon was fascinated with dreams, said his mom. With no history of drug abuse, the Frarys are convinced their son was doing informal dream-related research on hallucinations, using himself as a test subject.
They point to a journal found next to him in which he was documenting his drug experience. He also made audio tapes when he took the drug, his mother said.
"He was a typical great kid," she said. "He never ever smoked, he never did any drugs -- but this one."
Five months before his death, Jon told his girlfriend he'd tried DXM, his parents learned later.
"He told her, 'You won't believe what it did to me,'" his mother said, adding when the girlfriend became upset, Jon promised not to do it again.
"He dumped it down the drain," Linda Frary said.
Estimates of the extent of DXM abuse vary. Linda Frary termed it "very widespread." A physician in the Chicago area has told her he's seeing children arrive at emergency rooms more frequently after ingesting DXM, she said.
Alan Markwood, prevention projects coordinator for Bloomington's Chestnut Health Systems, which specializes in drug and alcohol treatment and prevention, said the facility has not seen a rise in DXM abuse in McLean County.
"It's a legal substance. It's kind of always been around," Markwood said.
The fact that DXM is so easily obtained worries the Frarys, whose story also is detailed in the Feb. 2 edition of People magazine.
The Frarys would like drug stores to move medicine with DXM behind the counter so sales can be monitored more closely, Linda Frary said. One store in their community already has, she said.
The Frarys also have contacted U.S Rep. Ray LaHood of Peoria, hoping to get his help to ban DXM sales over the Internet.
Jon Frary purchased his supply of pure DXM at a Web site that asked for only for two pieces of information -- his credit card number and whether the drug was being used for research, his mom said. For $65, he bought enough DXM for several doses, she said.
"It's just awful that's available," she said. "There is no reason for the pure form to be available. None. It's only used for recreational purposes to get high and hallucinate."
Friday, January 30, 2004
Couple: Restrict DXM, save lives
Family lost its son to legal drug
The Pantagraph/JOSH RITCHIE
Greg and Linda Frary of Peoria sit in their late son Jon's bedroom in their home Thursday. Jon Frary died in September after taking the legal drug DXM.
By Scott Richardson
[email protected]
NORMAL -- Despite careers in medicine, Greg and Linda Frary never heard of the over-the-counter drug DXM before Sept. 24.
That was the day Greg Frary traveled to Normal to check on their son, Jon, a senior at Illinois State University.
Jon's worried girlfriend had phoned the Frarys at their Peoria home to say she wasn't able to reach him. But his car was at his apartment, and UPS stickers hung on the door, documenting unsuccessful delivery attempts.
Greg Frary, a medical practice administrator, found his son dead inside. A bottle labeled dextromethorphan was next to his body.
Frary's cell phone rang at that moment. It was his wife, a nurse.
"I said, 'Greg, what's going on?'" Linda Frary said Thursday, the same day the couple appeared on NBC's "Today Show" to discuss the dangers of DXM.
"Greg said, 'He's gone.'
"I said, 'What do you mean?
"He said, 'Linda, he's dead.
"I said, 'Oh my God. Was he murdered?'
"I was shocked when our son died of this, absolutely dumbfounded."
An investigation concluded Jon died from an accidental overdose of DXM. An honors student in psychology just weeks from graduation, he was 22.
DXM is a common ingredient in over-the-counter cough medicines, such as Robitussin and Coricidin.
DXM also can be legally purchased in its pure form. In high doses, it produces an LSD-like high with hallucinations. Several deaths in the United States have been blamed on DXM.
Jon was fascinated with dreams, said his mom. With no history of drug abuse, the Frarys are convinced their son was doing informal dream-related research on hallucinations, using himself as a test subject.
They point to a journal found next to him in which he was documenting his drug experience. He also made audio tapes when he took the drug, his mother said.
"He was a typical great kid," she said. "He never ever smoked, he never did any drugs -- but this one."
Five months before his death, Jon told his girlfriend he'd tried DXM, his parents learned later.
"He told her, 'You won't believe what it did to me,'" his mother said, adding when the girlfriend became upset, Jon promised not to do it again.
"He dumped it down the drain," Linda Frary said.
Estimates of the extent of DXM abuse vary. Linda Frary termed it "very widespread." A physician in the Chicago area has told her he's seeing children arrive at emergency rooms more frequently after ingesting DXM, she said.
Alan Markwood, prevention projects coordinator for Bloomington's Chestnut Health Systems, which specializes in drug and alcohol treatment and prevention, said the facility has not seen a rise in DXM abuse in McLean County.
"It's a legal substance. It's kind of always been around," Markwood said.
The fact that DXM is so easily obtained worries the Frarys, whose story also is detailed in the Feb. 2 edition of People magazine.
The Frarys would like drug stores to move medicine with DXM behind the counter so sales can be monitored more closely, Linda Frary said. One store in their community already has, she said.
The Frarys also have contacted U.S Rep. Ray LaHood of Peoria, hoping to get his help to ban DXM sales over the Internet.
Jon Frary purchased his supply of pure DXM at a Web site that asked for only for two pieces of information -- his credit card number and whether the drug was being used for research, his mom said. For $65, he bought enough DXM for several doses, she said.
"It's just awful that's available," she said. "There is no reason for the pure form to be available. None. It's only used for recreational purposes to get high and hallucinate."