A relatively new twist on this trend is that many teens are mixing prescription cough syrup (containing promethazine and codeine) with Sprite to create a drug beverage referred to as "Purple" or "Lean".
"It is very common now, but it's very dangerous," a former "Purple" abuser told KRGV. "It's addicting. I woke up at a house. I did not know where it was. I was coughing, just coughing. One time, I coughed up blood."
Pharmacist, Buddy De La Rosa told KRGV that "Purple" is highly addictive because of the main ingredient, codeine. "The euphoria, the good feeling you get from too much codeine, causes you to want to have that effect again, so you search for the drug," De La Rosa said.
Previous reports have indicated that teen abuse of cough syrup can result in a wide range of negative health consequences, including death.
Labels: cough_syrup, over-the-counter-drugs
Posted By: Aspen/CRC