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Media Inquiries: 434-924-5679 U.VA. EMERGENCY ROOM PHYSICIANS SEEING INCREASE IN ABUSE OF COUGH SUPPRESSANT |
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Physicians in the emergency medicine department at the University of Virginia Health System are seeing an increase in cases of Dextromethorphan (DXM) abuse. DXM is a legal, FDA approved, over-the-counter drug available in many cough suppressants in the United States. Recent publications have suggested an increase in the abuse of products containing DXM. The product that researchers found to be abused most frequently is Nyquil®. Street names given to products containing DXM include “DXM”, “DX”or “dex”. Coricidin HBP Cough and Cold contains 30 milligrams of DXM per tablet, which is the largest amount of DXM per dosage unit on the market. The high quantity of DXM in this product makes it very attractive to teens, who otherwise become nauseated with the large amounts of cough syrup they need to ingest to achieve a “high”. Because of other ingredients present in products like these, their abuse could lead to various forms of toxicity. What’s more, there are websites devoted to helping teens learn how to best abuse dextromethorphan. For example, one website provides information on how to drink two bottles of Robitussin DM without vomiting. Another shows how to extract pure DXM from syrups and yet another shows how to order the drug in pure powder form and how to determine how much DXM you need to get “high” based on weight. Following some of the advice provided in these websites could lead to overdoses and drug interactions. Teenagers abuse DXM to get an LSD-like “high” described as an “out of body” experience. Hallucinations or vivid dreams that involve visions and sounds can also occur. At high doses, DXM abusers can experience lethargy, slurred speech, confusion, hallucinations and seizures. While most of the effects are short term, there are rare occasions of DXM abusers developing a dependency or they begin to seek other “hard-line” drugs. For more information about spotting DXM abuse and what to do if someone is abusing the substance, please call the Blue Ridge Poison Center at 1-800-222-1212. November 20, 2003 |