Prescription Drug abuse is a problem that has gotten national recognition. Parents are more aware of these dangers as it has been widely reported that prescription drugs abuse can be as dangerous as street drugs. But are parents aware of how dangerous abuse of cough medicine can be? It seems perfectly harmless, as you can buy it over the counter and it is hard to imagine drinking enough of the medicine to cause any harm. But a study done in 2008 showed that one in ten American teenagers have abused products containing DXM to get high. This makes it more popular than cocaine, LSD, meth and ecstasy in this age group.
Why is it so popular among teenagers? Part of the reason is that parents have no idea that the abuse is going on. It is easy to buy cough medicine. You can walk into any drug store and purchase a bottle. If a parent sees a beer bottle or smells marijuana, they will know that there might be a problem, but they may not think twice when they see an empty cough medicine bottle. Parents may also think that teens that drink a bottle of cough medicine are after the alcohol in the bottle, but really it is the DXM that can make you high. DXM is an abbreviation for dextromethorphan, which is a popular cough suppressant that is used in more the 125 different drugs for colds and cough. DXM is also cheap compared to street drugs. When taken as directed, cough medicines can help a person feel better after the cold or flu, but when taken in large does, 10-50 times the recommended dose, it can have hallucinatory affects similar to what you might experience when you take PCP or ketamine.
When taken in high doses, DXM can cause real trouble. A person can experience impaired vision, sweating and fever, rapid breathing, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, memory loss, and coma. There is also a greater risk of death and other serious problems when taken with other substances or while drinking. The hallucinatory effects can also cause teenagers to engage in irrational or dangerous behavior.
This issue has been getting national attention, and advocacy groups are making recommendations to drugstores to have restrictions on people buying these products, for example setting an age restriction or keeping all medications behind the counter to lessen the possibility of shoplifting. In the meantime, parents need to be vigilant, and watch what is in the medicine cabinets and keep track of how much cough medicine is used. Also they should talk to the teens about abuse of cough medicine as well as street drugs. And, keep an eye out for empty medicine bottles as this may be a sign of abuse.