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04-02-2004, 04:16 PM
Young people are abusing a safe and effective cough suppressant. Either purchased from stores, shoplifted from drugstore shelves or taken from home medicine cabinets Dextromethorphan or DXM is one of the new, cheap, easy-to-obtain highs that teenagers are using.
There are 125 to 135 over-the-counter cold medicines that contain DXM. When used correctly, DXM is a safe and effective way to suppress cough and cold symptoms. Often teenagers who are looking to get high turn to over-the-counter drugs that contain DXM because they are readily available at home or a local drug store.
DXM has been used safely for more than 47 years in several over-the-counter drugs, such as Vicks 44 Cough Relief and Robitussin Maximum Strength Cough Suppressant. However, since 1994, reports of abuse of DXM have increased.
Since DXM’s psychoactive effects only kick in when massive amounts are consumed, common side effects blur together with symptoms of overdose. Besides the predictable nausea and vomiting, DXM can also cause itching, rash and profuse sweating. Excitability and impaired coordination are common signs of overdose, which requires immediate medical attention.
Making DXM especially risky is that many over-the-counter medications, which contain the drug, also contain other active ingredients, including acetaminophen, which can raise the risk of overdose complications, even death.
Slang terms for Dextromethorphan vary by product and region. The most common terms include: Dex, DXM, Robo, Skittles, Syrup, Triple-C and Tussin.
Terms for using Dextromethorphan include: Robo-ing, Robo-tripping and skittling.
There is little in current teen culture music, movies, fashion and entertainment that promotes or even mentions cough medicine abuse. The one exception is the Internet.
A number of Web sites promote the abuse of DXM. The information on these sites ranges from recommending how much to take, suggesting other drugs to combine with DXM, instructing how to extract DXM from cough medicines, and even selling a powder form of DXM for snorting.
Other sites display art, movies and music produced by people promoting DXM and other forms of drug abuse. Parents should be aware of what their teens are doing on the Internet, the Web sites they visit and the amount of time they are logged on.
The Army Substance Abuse Program (ASAP) provides brochures titled “A Parent’s Guide to Preventing Teen Cough Medicine Abuse” to parents who want additional information.
Story Here: http://tradoc.monroe.army.mil/casemate/sta...0204cmabuse.htm (http://tradoc.monroe.army.mil/casemate/stack/040204cmabuse.htm)
There are 125 to 135 over-the-counter cold medicines that contain DXM. When used correctly, DXM is a safe and effective way to suppress cough and cold symptoms. Often teenagers who are looking to get high turn to over-the-counter drugs that contain DXM because they are readily available at home or a local drug store.
DXM has been used safely for more than 47 years in several over-the-counter drugs, such as Vicks 44 Cough Relief and Robitussin Maximum Strength Cough Suppressant. However, since 1994, reports of abuse of DXM have increased.
Since DXM’s psychoactive effects only kick in when massive amounts are consumed, common side effects blur together with symptoms of overdose. Besides the predictable nausea and vomiting, DXM can also cause itching, rash and profuse sweating. Excitability and impaired coordination are common signs of overdose, which requires immediate medical attention.
Making DXM especially risky is that many over-the-counter medications, which contain the drug, also contain other active ingredients, including acetaminophen, which can raise the risk of overdose complications, even death.
Slang terms for Dextromethorphan vary by product and region. The most common terms include: Dex, DXM, Robo, Skittles, Syrup, Triple-C and Tussin.
Terms for using Dextromethorphan include: Robo-ing, Robo-tripping and skittling.
There is little in current teen culture music, movies, fashion and entertainment that promotes or even mentions cough medicine abuse. The one exception is the Internet.
A number of Web sites promote the abuse of DXM. The information on these sites ranges from recommending how much to take, suggesting other drugs to combine with DXM, instructing how to extract DXM from cough medicines, and even selling a powder form of DXM for snorting.
Other sites display art, movies and music produced by people promoting DXM and other forms of drug abuse. Parents should be aware of what their teens are doing on the Internet, the Web sites they visit and the amount of time they are logged on.
The Army Substance Abuse Program (ASAP) provides brochures titled “A Parent’s Guide to Preventing Teen Cough Medicine Abuse” to parents who want additional information.
Story Here: http://tradoc.monroe.army.mil/casemate/sta...0204cmabuse.htm (http://tradoc.monroe.army.mil/casemate/stack/040204cmabuse.htm)