Information About OTC Cough Medicine Abuse

Side Effects

At recommended doses, OTC cough medicines give you cough relief and have little or no physical or psychological side effects. When abused—sometimes at 25–50 times the recommended dose—dextromethorphan-containing cough medicines can cause strong visual hallucinations, mild distortions of color and sound, out-of-body sensations, confusion, slurred speech, or the loss of motor control. Other serious side effects can include:

• Delusions
• Panic attacks
• Memory problems
• Blurred vision
• Stomach pain, nausea, and vomiting
• High blood pressure and rapid heartbeat
• Numbness of fingers and toes
• Drowsiness and dizziness
• Fever and headaches
• Rashes and itchy skin
• Loss of consciousness

The effects can be worsened if the DXM-containing cough medicine being abused also contains other ingredients to treat more than just coughs or if it is being abused in combination with other medications, or taken with alcohol and illegal drugs.

Size of the Problem

Recent research shows that while parents are aware of the dangers of illicit street drugs, both prescription medicine and over-the-counter (OTC) cough medicines are often overlooked as potential threats. The lack of awareness about this type of substance abuse is a barrier to preventing it.

According to data from the Partnership for a Drug-Free America, 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 estimates 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.

DXM abuse is becoming more common in teen culture, especially on the Internet. There are hundreds of web sites and online communities promoting the abuse of DXM-containing medicines. Some of these sites provide guides on how to achieve a high based on a user’s height and weight, how to combine DXM-containing medicines with other drugs, and what effects are to be expected at specific dosage levels. Some web sites serve as dangerous Internet drug dealers, allowing teens to buy large amounts of pure, unfinished DXM online.

Web sites promoting DXM abuse information are not the only online sources providing dangerous content to kids. Social networking sites such as MySpace, YouTube, LiveJournal, and Facebook are filled with detailed instructions, user conversations, and videos of DXM abuse. Users blog and post videos about specific plans to take DXM, how and when they will take it, and even experiences while abusing. Through these outlets, users actively compare notes, exchange approaches, and further promote this dangerous type of abuse.

Warning Signs

You likely already know some of the warning signs of alcohol or illegal drug abuse. But do you know the signs of medicine abuse?

Signs that abuse may be taking place:

• Empty cough medicine boxes or bottles in the trash of your child’s room or in your child’s backpack or school locker
• Purchase or use of large amounts of cough medicine when not ill
• Missing boxes or bottles of medication from the medicine cabinet
• Visiting pro-drug web sites that provide information on how to abuse dextromethorphan
• Internet orders (for example, note the arrival of unexpected packages, or payments by credit card or PayPal account)
• Changes in friends, physical appearance, or sleeping or eating patterns
• Declining grades
• Loss of interest in hobbies or favorite activities
• Hostile and uncooperative attitude
• Unexplained disappearance of household money
• Unusual chemical or medicinal smells on your child or in his or her room
• Hearing your child use certain slang terms for DXM abuse, such as Skittling, Tussing, Robo-Tripping, Triple Cs, Robo-tripping, and Dex

Cough Medicine Abuse Can Touch Any Family

We hear it from parents all the time – "not my kid." Our answer: Even if your teens don't have an issue with over-the-counter cough medicine abuse, they live in a world where they are confronted with it daily. Roughly 33 percent of American high school teens know someone who has abused cough medicine containing dextromethorphan, or DXM.

The Issue is Increasingly Prevalent in Teen Culture

DXM abuse is becoming increasingly present in teen culture. There are hundreds of web sites and online communities promoting DXM abuse with instructions on how much medicine it takes for different types of highs.

Don't Wait to Address the Issue

So, even if you think your teens don't have an issue, don't wait to talk to them about the real risks. In order for teens to take cough medicine abuse seriously, they need to know that their parents do not approve of any sort of substance abuse behavior.

Your To-Do List: Prevent Teen Cough Medicine Abuse

There's no doubt about it: teen substance abuse is a huge concern for parents. Preventing drug abuse involves a long-term effort. Where cough medicine abuse is concerned, there are a number of steps to take to help keep your teen from abusing:

1. Communicate the dangers of abuse to your pre-teens/teens. If you already talk to your kids about drug abuse, include cough medicine abuse in those conversations. If you are not talking to your kids about drug abuse, now is a perfect time to start.

2. Safeguard your medicine cabinet and know exactly what medicines you have and how much medicine is in each bottle or package. Monitor your teens' Internet use and learn about who your teens interact with in social media sites.

3. Share what you know about teen cough medicine abuse with other families and parents.

4. Seek the help of a professional, such as your teen's school nurse, if you see signs of abuse.

Parents DO Have the Power to Keep Their Teens Drug-Free

Just remember that as a parent you are the most powerful voice in your teen's life, especially concerning attitudes towards substance abuse. Research shows that kids who learn a lot from their parents about the risks of drug abuse are up to half as likely to use.