Texas news station KRGV is warning that a growing number of teens in the area are using cough syrup to get high.

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

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An middle school student in Iowa collapsed outside his classroom on Tuesday after overdosing on Coricidin, an over-the-counter cold medicine called.

Coricidin contains dextromethorphan, a substance that, if taken in high doses, can cause hallucinogenic effects similar to PCP, according to the University of Maryland Center for Substance Abuse Research. Excess amounts of the drug can also cause liver damage, a heart attack, stroke or death, according to the center.

An assistant police chief who was familiar with the case wouldn't comment on how much medication the student had taken, but confirmed that an investigation is underway to determine how the student obtained the pills.

Source: The Telegraph-Herald (Dubuque, Iowa)

Labels: over-the-counter-drugs, overdose, cold_medicine

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A 12-year-old girl in New York died of a methadone overdose after taking pills she got from a 15-year-old friend. The friend took the pills from his dad's drawer and he, the girl, and another friend all took some together.

"[Investigator Charles] Lopez said the boy told him he and a male friend each took two pills, and [the girl] downed about four. The boy told Lopez he soon felt sick and went home, leaving [the girl] with his friend..."

The boy is facing several criminal charges. Methadone overdoses have increased dramatically in the United States, a trend that is mostly blamed on the drug's increased use as a painkiller. Source: A.M. New York

Labels: over-the-counter-drugs, overdose, criminal_charges

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Prescription drug abuse has become more common than the uses of heroin and crack/cocaine combined. Most parents take proactive steps to keep their prescription medications where they can't be found or stolen, but teens can also buy them online - often without a prescription.

"According to CASA [The Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse], there are 581 websites that advertise or sell controlled prescription drugs... One of the most disturbing things about this study is that 84 percent of these websites don't require a prescription to buy these drugs."

It's becoming increasingly important for parents to monitor what their kids are doing online. Prescription drugs can only be bought online using a credit card, so careful scrutiny of credit card statements is important as well. Read more at Fox16.com.

Concerned about adolescent substance abuse? DrugRehabTreatment.com has the answers you're looking for about prescription drug abuse and other more about drugs and teens. Visit DrugRehabTreatment.com for help on teen drug addiction.

Labels: over-the-counter-drugs, internet, prescription_drugs

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A grassroots campaign called Five Moms launched today, in an effort to educate parents about the very real dangers of cough-medicine abuse among teenagers. The campaign was developed by the nation's cough-medicine makers, who conducted a nationwide search to find the Five Moms.

"The Five Moms Campaign will use the very same tactics medicine abusers are using: spreading and promoting information on the Internet. The Five Moms' goal is to get the word out to as many parents as possible that cough medicine abuse is happening in their homes, and that the Internet is a driving force."

Recent studies have shown that as many as one in 10, or 2.4 million young people, report having used cough-medicine to get high. Read more online.

Over the counter drugs and teens don't mix. Today's teenagers are using and abusing prescription medicines as never before. Get more help for parents of troubled teens at ByParents-forParents.com.

Labels: over-the-counter-drugs, prescription_drugs, medications

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The recreational abuse of cough suppressants such NyQuil to  is becoming a relatively common form of adolescent substance abuse. As a result, the FDA was considering whether to control them via prescriptions -- but for the time being, such regulation will not take place.

“The FDA advisory panel recognized that abuse was a concern in adolescents, but decided that DXM [dextromethorphan] was not enough of a threat to general public health to warrant its classification within the Controlled Substance Act, which would have allowed states to consider it for prescription-use only.” [Source: National Examiner]

Though products containing DXM won’t be listed as controlled substances, the FDA considered the possibility of requiring drug stores to keep the products behind the counter. The committee is also considering instituting a minimum age requirement for purchases.

 

Labels: cough_syrup, over-the-counter-drugs

Posted By: Stefanie Hamilton 0 Comments