Commonly Abused Medications- Cough Medicines

If it is not the flu season, yet your bottle of Tussin cough syrup or your box of cough suppressants is missing, be wary. These cough suppressant cold medicines may be getting somebody high.

“Up until two years ago not much research was done on how many children in school purposefully overdose on cough medicine to get high,” comments Mary Rieser, Executive Director for Narconon Drug Rehab GA. “The facts are that more children and adolescents are abusing DXM in the form of cough suppressants than was ever imagined.

“In many cases these same students then turn to harder drugs to get the same high, and drug addiction to cough medicine is not a pretty sight.

“One lady addicted to DXM cannot trust herself to go to the grocery store, for fear she will buy cough medicine and chug it in the parking lot.”

Cough and cold medicines containing dextromethorphan, have beneficial effects when taken as recommended, but they can also be abused and lead to serious adverse health consequences.

Parents should be aware of the potential for abuse of these medications, especially when consumed in large quantities, which should signal concern and the possible need for intervention.

Dextromethorphan or DXM - Street Names: DXM, CCC, Triple C, Skittles, Robo, Poor Man's PCP.

What is DXM?

Dextromethorphan is the active cough suppressant found in OTC cough and cold medications. When taken in recommended doses, these medications are safe and effective.

How is DXM Abused?

DXM is taken orally. In order to experience the mind-altering effects of DXM, excessive amounts of liquid or gelcaps must be consumed. The availability and accessibility of these products make them a serious concern, particularly for youth, who tend to be their primary abusers.

What are the Consequences Associated with the Abuse of DXM?

In very large quantities, DXM can cause effects similar to that of ketamine and PCP by affecting similar sites in the brain. These effects can include impaired motor function, numbness, nausea/vomiting, and increased heart rate and blood pressure. On rare occasions, hypoxic brain damage has occurred due to the combination of DXM with decongestants often found in these medications.

In 2006, a question about the use of cough and cold medicines to get high was asked for the first time.  In 2007, 4% of all 8th graders surveyed had abused cough medicine, with 5.4% of 10th graders and 5.9% of 12th graders saying they had.

Source: NIDA

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