Editor's note: The Post has granted anonymity to some of the sources in the story because the activities they describe are illegal.
Amanda, a sophomore, came to Ohio University last year not knowing anything about the new type of drug use she would encounter. Sure, she expected alcohol and marijuana, maybe, but not this.
During Amanda's first Fall Quarter at OU, her friends invited her to try Coricidin, a cough and cold medicine in pill form, for recreation. Never having heard of the drug, she didn't take any but watched as her friends took between four and eight times the prescribed dose of two pills.
After an hour, her friends became tired and Amanda tried to keep them awake. After two hours, the full effects of the drug kicked in and their pupils dilated, their senses dulled and they couldn't walk in a straight line. They later reported being in an alternate reality and having hallucinogenic dreams when they finally fell asleep, Amanda said.
The drug present was dextromethorphan ' or DXM ' commonly found in over-the-counter cough syrups and cold medicines like Triaminic, Robitussin and Coricidin. Taken in prescribed doses, DXM has little to no side effects other than suppressing coughs. But in higher doses, it causes intoxication similar to that of alcohol and hallucinogens, as in the case of Amanda's friends.
According to a government study released in early January, about 3.1 million Americans ages 12 to 25 have used or still use cough or cold medicine to attain a high. The rise in over-the-counter medication abuse has led to the recent removal of pseudoephedrine ' found in Sudafed products ' from shelves; it must now be bought at pharmacy counters in controlled amounts.
However, the OU Department of Health Promotion hasn't seen cough medicine misuse as a problem on campus. The office surveyed 1,555 students last spring for its biennial drug and alcohol survey and did not find any indicators of DXM being abused. Not one of the responders said they had used DXM. -
he said.
Nate said he hasn't used DXM since that one instance.
Somebody told me it really messes with you so I decided not to ever do it again he said. I feel dumb for even doing it.
Terry Koons, associate director for Health Promotion, worked for a year with junior high and high school aged students in his previous job in Delaware County. Within this age group, such drug use is much more prevalent than at OU, he said.
Either if (college students) are doing it
they're embarrassed to admit it or it's maybe something they tried as a teen or a preteen and for whatever reason stopped doing it
Koons said.
He cited the availability of beer and other drugs as reasons for college students' declining interest in over-the-counter medications.
But Amanda disagrees.
I think it's more popular than most people know
she said.
Her group has gotten together to use Coricidin a few times since that first incident. Normally, her friends take between eight and 16 pills at a time, but Amanda never uses.
I'm always the designated sober one in the room
she said.
O'Bleness Memorial Hospital sees many college-age and younger people taking over-the-counter medications at unprescribed rates, said Sherri Bush, a registered nurse. In those cases, people sometimes go to the hospital intoxicated after taking NyQuil in attempts to get drunk. Many emergency room cases involve people intentionally overdosing on Tylenol in suicide attempts, she said.
It's a combination of irresponsible behavior and ignorance
Bush said. Any over-the-counter medicine should be taken as it's prescribed.
Few data exist about the psychological effects of DXM because the majority of the people who seek medical help after overdosing die because of organ failure, Koons said. Like most other psychoactive drugs, it takes larger doses every time to attain the same high.
For Amanda, knowing the risks is enough to keep her from using DXM. She has researched the results of overdosing, among which liver failure is most common. One woman's firsthand account, posted online, detailed her inability to become pregnant after she repeatedly abused Coricidin, Amanda said.
They're not worried about the consequences (at the time)
she said. They're just worried about getting high.
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