Tuesday, May 16, 2006

DXM


We interrupt today’s update to the latest Mia tortures Reina saga. Instead I will attempt to get a little serious here and impart some knowledge on the masses especially moms out there with teenagers about the dangers of DXM. No DXM is not the newest rapper on the Ruff Ryders lable...please read on....


According to research done by The Partnership for a Drug-Free America more than 11% of children 12 – 17 are using and have used illegal drugs in the past year. One in eleven teenagers (9%) or 2.2 million young people have intentionally abused cough medication to get high. So what is in these cough medications that make it so appealing to those seeking a quick high? The answer is Dextromorphan, which is found in cough medicines that are labeled with “DM” or “TUSS” in it. Dextromorphan also known as DXM is a synthetic drug chemically similar to morphine, approved by the FDA as a cough suppressant in 1954. Drug manufacturers developed and began putting it in cough syrups in the 1970s as a suppressant that would be less addictive and have fewer side effects than the narcotic, codeine. There are over 100 over the counter drugs that contain DXM among them; Robitussin, Delsym, Pertussin, Drixoral, Vicks Formula 44, Triaminic, Coricidin, Sudafed, and Contac not to mention the countless generic and store brands as well that contain DXM.


DXM users will drink between three to four bottles of cough syrup in one day sometimes more. Some of the DXM abusers prefer to use Coricidin tablets over cough medicine because of the taste; they take 20-30 Coricidin tablets at once to get high. Coricidin is an acetaminophen pain and fever reducer. Poison control experts consider the most dangerous in large amounts to be “Coricidin HBP”, which contains an additional antihistamine that makes the abuse of it riskier than with other DXM products.

DXM is also a central nervous system depressant, it is often used in combination with other drugs such as marijuana, ecstasy, or alcohol, which only increase the dangerous physiological effects. The reason behind DXM’s popularity is due to its easy availability, and affordability in comparison to other drugs. There is no risk factor of getting arrested when purchasing and using it. It is also discreet no one would think twice if they see a kid with a bottle of cough syrup in hand as opposed to some weed. The most common source of abused Dextromethorphan is “extra strength” cough syrup, which typically contains 3mg of the drug per milliliter of syrup. DXM has gradually replaced codeine as the most widely used cough suppressant in the United States. DXM is available in pill form, lozenges, gelatin capsules; powered DXM is also sold over the internet. This form of DXM is preferred by DXM abusers for several reasons no cough syrup taste, they can get high quicker because the drug is in its pure form as opposed to being diluted with other ingredients in medication.

The effects of DXM differ with each dose and individual. Some experience a mild stimulant effect with hazy visual perceptions at low doses of approximately 2 ounces. Then there is a sense of complete dissociation from one’s body at doses of 10 ounces or more. The effects typically last for six hours. Like all drugs abusing DXM does have harmful and deadly side effects. Some of the effects experienced with using DXM have been reported are as follows: enhanced awareness, impaired judgment, loss of coordination, loss of consciousness, irregular heat beat, dizziness, nausea, seizures, panic attacks, psychosis, brain damage, and addiction. High doses of DXM can cause the inability to move arms or legs or to talk, slowed breathing, cerebral hemorrhages, stroke, comas, and even death. In addition, individuals risk hypothermia if they use the drug in a hot environment or engage in any physical activity that causes a rise in body temperature for example sports, or dancing.

Despite the fact that DXM when used properly is a non-addictive medicine the potential for addiction exists with extended abuse. Like with any drug a person becomes dependent on there are withdrawal symptoms experienced by the addicted DXM user. Withdrawal symptoms include restlessness, muscle or bone aches, insomnia, diarrhea, vomiting, and cold flashes with goose bumps. According to The Partnership for a Drug-Free America, poison control experts point to a four-fold increase in abuse cases since 2000. These cases primarily involve school-aged kids and young adults, especially those who are part of the clubbing and “rave” scene. Like all drugs DXM has it’s own slang terms. Among dealers and their customers DXM is known as Dex, DXM, Syrup, Triple-C, Vitamin D, and Tussin. Robo-ing and robo-tripping are terms used to describe the act of taking the drug. People that drink cough syrup to get high are known as “syrup heads” and the term “skittles” is used to describe DXM in its pill form because of the colors of the pills are reminiscent of the popular rainbow colored candy Skittles.

There aren’t many studies or articles about DXM being abused as a drug because this is fairly new. It is a silent addiction and tends to go unnoticed. Parents are more concerned with their kids using marijuana, tobacco and alcohol. This is the type of stuff they look for when they enter their child’s room a so a bottle of Robitussin in a kids room is easily over looked when they are more concerned over drug abuse. A bottle of cough syrup or a package of flu medication can be explained away easily and no one would doubt the person’s word, after all no one thinks of cough syrup as a potentially addictive drug. As with any drug the reason behind its abuse tends to vary among individuals. For some it’s a way to escape their problems, others give in to peer pressure or just want to experiment and get caught up in it. I personally know a 23 year old man who is addicted to DXM. Knowing him made me curious to learn about the abuse of DXM . He never experimented with drugs in his life, never even smoked a marijuana joint. Now he is a syrup head consuming several bottles of cough syrup per day and purchasing DXM in pill form. I’ve warned him about the harm he is doing to himself but he is caught up in his addiction and I worry that this will serve as a gateway to other drugs for him. He has already started mixing the drug with alcohol and he has inquired about buying ecstasy pills. He’s even asked me to get high with him only to be given my evil eye in response. I won’t even drink cough medicine or take pills when I’m sick and this fool thinks I’m going to take meds for fun? The man is outta his mind, I’ve seen him go through withdrawal symptoms when he doesn’t have it and have watched his sweet nature and charming personality be altered when he is on it. He was exposed to DXM while living in California. His brother’s 15 year old step-daughters turned him on to it. These girls had access to the drug in cough syrup form and Coricidin via their medicine cabinet. They were using it almost everyday and going to school high.

This shows how important it is for parents and teachers to informed and educated about DXM. The best way to keep kids away from drugs is for the parent to be actively involved in their child’s life and to talk to them honestly about the drugs. If you simply tell a child that drugs are bad without offering anything else it just makes them curious like Eve and the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. Parents have to sit down and explain in detail and offer examples as to what drug use can lead to. For example I don’t do drugs and the reason for that is simple. At an early age I think around 7 or so my parents began talking to me about the danger of using drugs. They would point out the local drug addicts to me and tell me how their life had denigrated due to their drug habit. They would point out the nose bleeds or mood swings of the local cocaine addicted businessman this is how they educated me as to the effects of drug on my body. By the time I got to the age where kids start experimenting I had no interest in drugs at all.

The key to keeping a kid away from drugs is education, honesty and communication within the home. When my parents started talking to me about drugs my mother admitted to having experimented with marijuana as a teenager she also told me why she no longer smoked weed. She was honest with me and things like that tend to remain with a child and give them the strength to walk away from peer pressure. Sadly too many parents are afraid to talk to their own children about this stuff instead they take the head in the sand approach thinking that if they don’t talk about it, it wont happen at least not to their child. The current statistics I quoted in the opening of this post stated that more than 11 % of children ages 12-17 have tried and are currently using drugs. I guess that proves the head in the sand theory wrong.

Labels: Mia Explains...

Posted by @ 11:41 AM
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