DXM Extraction from Coricidin Cough & Cold ****************************************** Copyright (C) 2000 Delysid Dreamer BACKGROUND: Dextromethorphan Hydrobromide (hereafter refered to as DXM HBr) is a common over-the-counter antitussive (cough supressant) which replaced codeine in the early 1960's because of concerns over abuse of cough syrups by down and out junkies. However, DXM HBr was later discovered to have recreational effects, albeit ones not as universally enjoyable as codeine and other opiates. It is a member of the drug class dissassociative anaesthetics, and has psychedelic effects similar to Ketamine ("Special K") or Phenylcyclidine (PCP). The most common venue for recreational DXM abuse is the drinking of cough syrup, which many people find extremely unpleasant. Until recently, Drixoral CoughCaps, which contained nothing but DXM HBr (30mg) per tablet, were widely availible and the best source of recreational DXM around. They were taken off the market, allegedly because of poor sales, but probably because of abuse. A new product, Coricidin Cough & Cold, appeared on the market. Coricidin Cough & Cold (CC&C) contains, in each tablet, 30mg DXM HBr and 4mg of the antihistamine chloropheniramine maleate (CPM). Coricidin Cough & Cold tablets became popular recreationally, as they are much easier to take than cough syrup. However, overdosage of CPM (on the order of anywhere from 12-300mgs) can cause severe anticholigenic side effects in susceptable persons, and there *HAVE* been confirmed deaths due to it's use. CPM is highly contraindicated in such large doses, and even though most individuals can handle a medium dose of it, individual susceptibility varies widely, and even from use to use by one person, the user is rolling the metaphorical dice every time it is used. OBJECTIVE: To, given a supply of Coricidin Cough & Cold (30mg DXM HBr, 4mg CPM), yield a portion of usable DXM HBr reasonably equal to the amount in the pills, discarding all or effectively all CPM. - MATERIALS - Cold water Coricidin Cough & Cold pills Stirring instrument Crushing instrument (a heavy book or board works fine, if you have a sturdy plate to collect the powder in) Fine-grained cloth for extraction (test it out with flour) Petroleum Ether (optional -- for creating a more refined product) Gelcaps (optional -- for consuming product in a way that won't make your stomach turn) - PROCEDURE - (1) Obtain a sizable quantity of Coricidin Cough & Cold pills. Note that some 1-10% of the DXM HBr in question will be lost in the process of the extraction of the CPM, (varying with the amount of water and the skill of the operator), so adjust your amounts accordingly. For 1050mg DXM (a mid-3rd plateau DXM dosage -- if this menas nothing to you, read William White's excellent DXM FAQ[1] -- for a 70kg person [i.e. your humble author]), 35 Coricidin pills would be needed (yielding an extreme overdose of 140mg CPM). 10% of 1050 is 105, so use (rounding down) an additional 3 pills, yielding an extraction ranging from 945mg to 1039mg DXM. This is a high dosage, and not appropriate for beginners. Please consult the FAQ for an appropriate dosing for your weight and experience, and use a similar procedure to calculate the amount of Coricidn you need. (2) Place the pills flat (i.e. not on top of one another) on a wide, sturdy plate (the large rectangular ones you get at a cafeteria are perfect) and use a board, book, other plate, or some other heavy instrument to crush them into a very fine powder. Make sure that there are NO large particles of pill left, only very fine powder. (3) Collect all the powder, and place it at the bottom of a flask or (for the equipment-impaired) a glass. Pour in enough cold water to cover over the pwoder several times over -- the more water, the more perfect of a CPM extraction you get, but also you will loose more DXM in the process. (4) Stir the water slowly until you get bored (a blender on a *VERY* slow setting might work, and a blender doesn't get bored), and let sit for a few hours. (5) Discard the water. This is not easy, as the powder will have the annoying tendancy to go with the water, and is far too small to be strained off. Evaporation will *NOT* work, as the CPM will be released back into the powder mix. You need a very fine grain of cloth to do this (you can test it first with flour ... see if the flour passes through when you pour water over it ... most garment cloth is okay). (6) The remaining powder should be DXM HBr, dyes, bindings, and other shit. Removing dyes and bindings can be easily done with petroleum ether, but for most purposes it isn't really important. Fill gel caps and swallow or take in a different method. Read the FAQ, have a safe trip. - PRECAUTIONS - (1) Bad thins happen if the CPM doesn't get extracted. Make bloody sure it does. (2) Use a trip sitter at all times. (3) Do not operate heavy machinery, drive, or do anything dangerous. (4) Obey all other percautions in the DXM FAQ. (5) This procedure is *UNTESTED*, and is sound as far as chemical theory goes, but neither the author nor to his knowledge anyone else has ingested the product. DON'T be a guinea pig unless you understand the risks. - CHEMCIAL BACKGROUND - Dextromethorphan Hydrobromide is around 1.5% soluble in water. Chloropheniramine Maleate is very soluble in water. Most dyes and binders are soluble in ether. DXM ain't. 'Nuff said. - RESOURCES - [1] The DXM FAQ: http://www.frognet.net/ - READ this thing in it's entirety before trying *ANYTHING* remotely related to DXM. -======================= [ Comment ] =======================- (the following is not the author's words, just a revision) Solubility for DXM HBr in water is 1.5g/100mL at 25 C That means for every 100ml of water at room temperature, 1.5g of DXM HBr will dissolve in it. -======================= [ Comment ] =======================-