Pubdate: Wed, 15 Aug 2001
Source: Columbus Dispatch (OH)
Copyright: 2001 The Columbus Dispatch
Contact:  http://www.dispatch.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/93
Author: Misti Crane

COLD PILLS 'A POOR MAN'S ECSTASY'

Looking for a cheap, accessible high, teens are turning to a common 
cough-and-cold pill that one local doctor likens to a popular nightclub drug.

Taken as recommended, Coricidin is an over-the-counter solution to minor 
health problems. Taken by the handful, it's a hallucinogen that can send 
users to the emergency room and might kill them.

"In a sense, it's kind of a poor man's Ecstasy,'' said Dr. Peter Rogers, a 
pediatrician at Children's Hospital in Columbus.

Rogers saw three young patients for Coricidin-related problems last week 
and is alarmed by the increasing number of kids trying the pills.

"It's out there, and kids are abusing it like crazy. I'm just seeing so 
much of it,'' he said.

Compounding the problem is the fact that most parents, teachers and others 
might have no idea that the medicine can be dangerous.

"It's so easily available, and no one really knows much about it right 
now,'' said Mohamad Moinzadeh, a counselor who works with adolescent drug 
and alcohol abusers at University Hospitals East's Talbot Hall.

Those who take excess Coricidin are looking for the dextromethorphan in the 
pills -- a substance sometimes called DXM, red devils or Robo. The cough 
suppressant also is found in products such as Robitussin cough syrups.

Symptoms of dextromethorphan abuse include increased heart rate, elevated 
blood pressure, increased pupil size, drowsiness, dizziness, slurred 
speech, unsteady gait, hallucinations, confusion and involuntary rapid eye 
movement.

Last year, the Central Ohio Poison Control Center had 41 calls about 
Coricidin. Numbers for this year aren't available, but calls from parents 
and doctors continue to come in, pharmacist Jill Griffith said.

Cough-medicine abuse is nothing new, but the ease of swallowing tablets of 
Coricidin might make it a more popular drugstore high, Moinzadeh said.

"It's easier to consume than cough syrup -- it's eight to 10 pills compared 
to a bottle and a half of Robitussin.''

He estimates that about 30 percent of the young people he sees have abused 
Coricidin. It's almost always a secondary buzz to accompany alcohol or 
marijuana.

"And that becomes quite lethal,'' Moinzadeh said.

Taken in enough volume, Coricidin by itself can kill.

Other products with different cough-and-cold formulas -- acetaminophen, 
decongestants and antihistamines -- also are dangerous in large doses, 
Griffith said.

Reports of Coricidin abuse have been cropping up across the country in the 
past couple years, including in Cincinnati, where Children's Hospital 
Medical Center put out an alert on the drug last year.

Rogers said abuse seems to have increased here recently.

On the Internet, sites devoted to dextromethorphan provide details on how 
to use it, which indicates a growing network of users.

Paul H. Coleman, president and chief executive officer of Maryhaven, a drug 
and alcohol treatment center, isn't surprised that Coricidin seems to be 
gaining popularity.

"Over-the-counter and in some cases prescription drugs have always been a 
thread that has run through drug abuse,'' he said.

"We're constantly amazed at the inventiveness of some of our patients in 
terms of using and misusing substances.''

Rogers would like to see the drug restricted in pharmacies.

Several pharmacists in Columbus who were contacted yesterday said they had 
not noticed any indication of Coricidin theft or abuse.

"We need to educate the sellers themselves and warn them that there's this 
high potential of abuse,'' Moinzadeh said.

"It's something they should keep their eyes open for.''

Officials with Schering-Plough, the maker of Coricidin, have said they are 
monitoring claims involving abuse of the medication.
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