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OTC Cough medicine abuse
http://atlanticville.gmnews.com/news/2005/
Mother explains horrors of local OTC drug abuse
BY JANE MEGGITT
Staff Writer
It's in many medicine cabinets. It can be purchased easily at any
pharmacy or supermarket. And, according to one local mother, its abuse
among local youth is widespread.
It is called Triple C (CCC), a nickname for the cough medicine
Coricidin HBP Cold & Cough, the most popular brand of dextromethorphan (DXM)
and
chlorpheniramine maleate that is abused, according to the coricidin.org
Web site. While abusers take huge doses of the medication for its
psychedelic effects, the Web site states, side effects may include
nausea, vomiting, irregular heartbeat, loss of consciousness and death.
Corinne Szydlowski, of Upper Freehold, has experienced problems with
her oldest son, Nicholas, 18, because of Triple C. She said her son would
come home from school around 2:30 p.m., go to his room and not come out
again until 6 a.m., when he had to leave for school again.
"I was unable to wake him," Szydlowski said. "In the beginning, I
thought he is a teenager who is tired, who needs sleep and who's simply
growing."
When her son's routine did not change, Szydlowski said she started to
question him.
She said she tried to tell her children not to fall into the dark world
of drugs.
"Once it happens, it's a hard road ahead of you," Szydlowski said.
"This is a fight that very often can't be beat. I am trying, and it is on
my
mind 24 hours a day."
While she asks herself what she might have done differently, she wants
to warn other parents about the dangers of abusing over-the-counter
(OTC) medication.
Szydlowski believes that there is a huge drug abuse problem in the
community. While most parents are familiar with alcohol, marijuana,
cocaine, heroin and OxyContin, she said, they may not be aware of the
dangers of Triple C.
Kids have also nicknamed DXM Robo, Skittles, Rojo, Dex, Tussin and
Vitamin D.
"DXM abuse is called 'robotripping' or 'tussing,' Szydlowski said.
"Users might be called 'syrup heads' or 'robotards,' " she said.
According to Szydlowski, Coricidin, which comes in tiny red pills, is
the most popular brand for abusers.
"In my research, I have been told by several pharmacists that any
over-the-counter medication [used] for the purpose of cough suppressant
is the one to stay away from," she said.
When DXM mixes with other drugs, such as NyQuil, Robitussin or alcohol,
the side effects increase.
She said if an abuser takes a lot of the pills at one time, the drug
"could put you in a coma."
"It could make your heart stop," she said.
Users of Triple C have described the drug's effects as "numbness in the
feet and hands" and "numbness that slowly travels throughout the body,
making the user feel as if he or she is floating," according to
Szydlowski.
"It has been called the poor man's Ecstasy," Szydlowski said. "[The
feeling] lasts for about three hours and then [the user] falls asleep
for many hours."
Szydlowski added, "If I take one dose of NyQuil, I feel similar to this.
I can only imagine how one feels when taking 10 times the normal
dosage."
A normal dose of DXM is 15 to 30 milligrams. Mind-altering effects can
occur at doses as low as 100 milligrams, she said. Abusers she has
spoken with have consumed as much as 6 ounces of cough syrup with eight
to 10 pills, resulting in a dose of 240-360 milligrams, she said.
Because this type of medication does not show up on regular drug tests,
Szydlowski said, kids who may be receiving outpatient care or other
treatment can use Triple C and still pass drugs tests.
"They beat the system," she said. "The end result could be death."
According to the Web site coricidin.org, a large number of
hospitalizations - and even deaths - have resulted from people taking
Coricidin as a recreational source of DXM. It states that Coricidin
appears to be more dangerous as a source of DXM than OTC medicines that
contain only dextromethorphan, such as Robitussin Maximum Strength Cough
Syrup, or DexAlone, which is the only gelcap containing DXM that is sold
in the United States.
Coricidin is produced by Schering-Plough.
Schering-Plough spokeswoman Julie Lux said there are 125 OTC medications
containing dextromethorphan.
Lux said her company is working with the Consumer Healthcare Products
Association (CHPA) and the Partnership for a Drug-Free America, among
other groups, and with retail partners on a variety of educational
programs to curb the problem at the retail level.
"We are actively aware of all reports [of abuse], and they are taken
very seriously," she said.
Liz Rudder works with adolescent substance abusers at CPC Behavioral
Healthcare Inc. in Middletown. She said 80 percent of the children they
see at CPC have used Triple C, and 20 percent use it regularly.
"It's so readily available," she said.
Rudder said parents are often unaware of the abuse of such products.
She said parents who are very alert and question everything their
child
does may notice the use of OTC medications, but others don't notice
the
excessive use of cough syrup or other drugs available OTC.
Besides the short-term effects, Rudder said long-term effects of DXM
abuse include extreme irritability, increased defiance, lack of
concentration and behavioral problems.
For more information, visit
www.antidrug.com or
www.drugfreeamerica.com/DXM.
~Ryan J. Androsiglio
Research & Technology Coordinator
Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey
Phone: 201.798.7171 Fax: 201.798.6867
www.drugfreenj.org
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