As a parent, it is important to be aware of the many dangers out there, especially when it comes to over-the-counter drugs such as cough medicine. In Arizona, 1 out of every 10 teenagers, grades 8-12, has abused cough medicine.
Most over-the-counter cough medicine contains Dextromethorphan or DXM. Currently, DXM is popular among teenagers as it can cause an immediate “high” and it is cheap and easy to buy.
In the past, cough medicine was an easy choice for teens looking to get high, as there was no age restriction for purchasing it as there is with alcohol. However, the state of Arizona recently stepped up to the plate and passed a new law so that anyone buying medicine containing DXM must be 18 years old or older. But even with this new legislation in place, it is important for parents to know the dangers of DXM and what to be on the lookout for.
When DXM (also known as Dex, Robo, or Skittles) is taken it can create a dissociative high, which creates a feeling of drunkenness with hallucinations. Social media can be a factor in pushing cough medicine to your teens because of all the media attention around celebrities such as Lil Wayne and Justin Bieber. These celebrities use the code words Purple Drank and Sizzurp to talk about their high from abusing prescription-strength cough syrup (which contains codeine and promethazine and not DXM) in songs and on social media sites.
Some signs and symptoms to look for with the misuse of DXM are:
- Vomiting
- Dizziness
- Lack of Motor Control
- Impaired Vision
- Slurred Speech
- Memory Loss
- Rapid Eye Movements
There are additional precautions parents should consider:
- Clean out medicine cabinets and properly dispose of all expired and no-longer-needed medications. Your medicine cabinet is one of the top places that kids access cough medicine and other drugs.
- Make a plan to sit down and have a discussion with your child about the dangers of drug use. Studies have shown that kids who have an open dialogue with their parents about the risks of drugs are 50% less likely to use.
