The materials found in this toolkit address the trend of young people taking large amounts of over-the-counter cough medicines containing dextromethorphan (sometimes abbreviated DXM) to get high. What’s alarming is the fact that parents and kids don’t know the harm these medicines can cause when abused in extremely large amounts. This, coupled with how accessible the medications are in home medicine cabinets, local retail stores, and on the Internet, is catching parents by surprise—especially once they learn that this kind of behavior can be extremely dangerous.
Do You Know What Skittling Is? How About Tussing? Chances Are, One in Every 10 Teenagers Does.
Recent research shows that while parents are aware of warnings against the dangers of illicit street drugs, both prescription drugs and over-the-counter (OTC) cough medicine often are overlooked as potential threats. While an estimated one in five teens has abused prescription drugs, an estimated one in 10 youths—or 2.4 million young people—has intentionally abused cough medicines to get high. Data collected in 2008 by the National Institute on Drug Abuse for its Monitoring the Future study estimate the intentional abuse of cough medicine among eighth, tenth, and twelfth graders is at 3.6 percent, 5.3 percent, and 5.5 percent, respectively.
Dextromethorphan is a cough suppressant found in many over-the-counter cough and cold remedies, and is generally safe when taken in recommended doses. With over 100 medicines containing dextromethorphan on the market today, these medicines come in the form of liquids, capsules, gelcaps, lozenges, and tablets. Examples include Alka-Seltzer Plus Cold & Cough Formula, Coricidin HBP Cough and Cold, Dimetapp® DM, Mucinex® DM tablets, PediaCare cough medicines, certain Robitussin® cough products, Sudafed cough products, TheraFlu Cough products, Triaminic cough products, Tylenol Cough and Tylenol Cold products, Vicks 44 Cough Relief products, and certain Vicks DayQuil and NyQuil LiquiCaps. There also are a number of store brands that contain dextromethorphan, as well.
Since it was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in the 1950s, dextromethorphan has become the most widely used cough suppressant in the U.S.
At recommended doses, OTC cough medicines have little or no physical or psychological side effects. When abused, medicines containing dextromethorphan are taken in extreme excess—sometimes 25–50 times the recommended doses. Large amounts can produce hallucinations and other effects similar to the high experienced with ecstasy. Dextromethorphan abusers experience mild distortions of color and sound, strong visual hallucinations, “out-of-body” sensations, confusion, slurred speech, and the loss of motor control. Other serious side effects include:
Side effects can be worsened if the dextromethorphan-containing cough medicine being abused also contains other ingredients to treat more than just coughs. Cough medicine also is sometimes abused in combination with other medications, alcohol, and illegal drugs, which can increase the dangerous side effects.
Signs that a child could be abusing OTC cough medicines or other drugs include:
StopMedicineAbuse, an effort by the leading makers of OTC cough medicines
Consumer Healthcare Products Association
StopMedicineAbuse.org
Preventing Teen Cough Medicine Abuse: A Parent’s Guide
Partnership for a Drug-Free America and Consumer Healthcare Products Association
OTCsafety.org/publications
Battling the Over-The-Counter High
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
http://ncadistore.samhsa.gov/catalog/mediaDetails.aspx?ID=371
Teens: Make Up Your Own Mind About DXM
Partnership for a Drug-Free America
dxmstories.com
All content © 2009 StopMedicineAbuse.org. All rights reserved.