Join the Fight Against Cough Medicine Abuse

Cough syrup has been around for ages as a quick, over-the-counter (OTC) remedy for cold symptoms and has long been a source of dread among children, staring down the tiny plastic cup fighting against a cherry-coated throat. I was one of those dreadful children who did not enjoy taking cough syrup every few hours so I could go to school the following day feeling fine. However, it seems some children and teenagers nowadays like the taste of cough syrup so much so that they are abusing it. An increase in overdoses of cough syrup in the past few years has led to an alert on cough syrups and OTC medicines being monitored at store checkouts and inventories and has sparked national awareness for this dangerous, growing trend.

Nicknamed “robotripping” after the cough syrup Robitussin, those abusing these substances are using the main ingredient Dextromethorphan, known as DXM to get high. A CBS news special report in March of 2008 reported that 3 million American pre-teens and young adults between the ages of 12 and 25 admitted to using cough syrup or cold medicines to get high. Just type in “DXM” or “Robotrippin” on You Tube and any number of videos come up of kids willing to broadcast their risky behavior. From a kid in a parking lot asking his friends to punch him in the face because he, “can’t feel anything,” to three guys sitting in a room—delirious on DXM—speculating about the effects they would feel when they add alcohol to the equation. Although alcohol was never introduced in the two-minute video, it’s safe to assume the speculation is enough to rapidly increase any parent’s heartbeat.

A normal dose of DXM within the confines of a cough syrup dosage is about 20 milligrams every four hours, but teens are giddily drinking two or three or four bottles at a time absorbing up to 1,200 milligrams into their bloodstreams causing shocking reactions to homemade online video coverage.

With our culture richly steeped in internet usage, the next generation has grown up online and become a product of You Tube and MySpace. Using the internet to create new opportunities for parents to gain awareness of drug abuse is genius because it mimics what teenagers and young adults all over the world have been doing for years: building a relationship over the web with people from all walks of life and finding friends through a shared reality.

Whether kids are Facebook friends through their favorite band, MySpace messaging about missed homework, or sharing an alternate gaming universe in World of Warcraft, parents are finally getting into the mix. With every innocent internet friendship there are more than a few borderline dangerous ones and hundreds of web sites are readily available with the kind of destructive information on how/where/when to buy and get high with various OTC medications. Now that parents are able to monitor their children’s activities on the internet and even go so far as to befriend them on social networking sites, kids are not very likely to be bragging about inappropriate behavior or posting incriminating photos and videos.

Since launching an awareness campaign in May 2007, The Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA) has been busy spreading the word about cold and cough medicine abuse. A collaboration was made between the CHPA and five individual moms across the country who have banded together to share stories, spread awareness, and blog about cough medicine abuse. Their website Five Moms: Stopping Cough Medicine Abuse offers a place where parents can help each other learn about the different types of overdose and what they can do to help.

The five moms are made it their mission to communicate this problem to the world through one medium: networking. By introducing the “Tell a Friend” feature on their website which sends a personal email from one mom to another, over 98,000 emails have been sent to date making this application the most valuable part of their efforts as a grassroots campaign.

With 1 out of every 10 teenagers and young adults trying to hallucinate by overusing non-prescription cold medications, CHPA, Five Moms, and their affiliate organizations are hoping for a bright future full of education by staying up-to-date on web trends.

By making parents aware of all medicinal abuse, some states have put an age requirement on purchasing such products (18 and older with proof of ID) and new labels hope to be appearing on cold and cough medicines about the dangers of overdose and abuse in order to branch out the initiative. If you are worried about cough medicine abuse in your home, be aware of how much you have on hand and keep it out of curious eyes and minds. Next, log on to learn how to educate yourself and your children, discuss strategies with other parents, and continue to be actively involved and knowledgeable about their activities on and off line.