Pubdate: Tue, 04 Jun 2002
Source: Reuters (Wire)
Copyright: 2002 Reuters Limited
Author: Alison McCook

WEB CONTAINS WEALTH OF INFO ON ILLICIT DRUGS

NEW YORK - The Internet is rife with information about recreational drugs, 
which may be influencing teens' drug-taking patterns, according to a US 
researcher.

Dr. Paul M. Wax of Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center in Phoenix, 
Arizona based his findings on the case reports of two teenagers who visited 
the emergency department after taking recreational drugs, and on a 
subsequent online search for drug-related sites.

One 14-year-old girl was experiencing intense confusion after taking high 
doses of the over-the-counter drug Coricidin, a quantity which she later 
reported had been recommended by an Internet site. Another 18-year-old boy 
suffered seizures after consuming the new designer drug "blue mystic," 
about which the doctors could find no information in the medical 
literature. A perusal of the Internet, however, uncovered Web sites that 
contained extensive information about the hallucinogenic drug.

"This is the new life," Wax told Reuters Health. "And one should be aware 
that these resources are out there."

As part of the study, Wax also surveyed a number of Web sites that provide 
a wealth of information about illegal drugs.

In the June issue of Pediatrics, Wax reports that while some sites are 
clearly anti-drug, other sites he examined "seem to convey a pro-drug 
message couched with warnings about drug safety," he writes.

Some of these mixed-message sites are extremely popular, Wax notes, with 
one reporting 18,000 visitors per day.

And based on Wax's experience, online drug information can have direct 
consequences on readers. In the first example, the girl suffered 
complications after taking the cold medication Coricidin, which contains 
the potential hallucinogen dextromethorphan, or DXM. She was brought to the 
emergency department when she was found trying to climb the walls at 
school. She was experiencing hallucinations, mild agitation and confusion, 
and could not report which drugs she had taken.

When her mind cleared a few hours later, she said that she had taken 8 
tablets of Coricidin, a dose that had been recommended by a Web site.

In the second instance, the boy had taken "blue mystic," a phenethylamine 
derivative. This family of drugs includes amphetamines and mescaline. The 
boy said he had taken the drug before, but had just decided to increase the 
dose. He took several tablets, then fell into a seizure. He was observed at 
the hospital for a few hours, then released.

One of the interesting things about the Internet, Wax noted, is that it 
extends a person's influences beyond peers to include the whole world. So 
while a person's friends may avoid drugs, she can still easily learn all 
she needs to know using the Internet. "And that's, for me, the striking 
thing," he told Reuters Health.

"It just provides a lot more information than we're used to having," he added.

He did not recommended that parents limit a teen's exposure to the 
Internet--which will likely just increase their curiosity--but instead said 
parents should talk to their children about drugs. And, he stressed, both 
parents and doctors should be aware that a plethora of drug-related 
information is just a mouse-click away.

SOURCE: Pediatrics online 2002;109:e96.
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