Pubdate: Mon, 26 Nov 2001 Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (WI) Copyright: 2001 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Contact: http://www.jsonline.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/265 Author: Amy Hetzner Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth) COLD MEDICINE IS LATEST DRUG FOR TEENAGERS TO MISUSE Waukesha - It started with a 16-year-old North High School junior whose teacher claimed he was "acting strange" in class and who was suspected to have taken drugs. After the student blamed his disoriented state on an over-the-counter cold medication called Coricidin, school and police officials soon discovered the problem may be larger than the one student. "In talking with him, that's what it sounds like the kids are doing these days," Waukesha school resource officer Tom Wallschlaeger said. "He says that he would take anywhere from eight to 12 (Coricidin tablets). He says that it makes him hallucinate." Coricidin HBP Cough & Cold is popular enough among young drug users that it has its own street name, "Triple C." Wallschlaeger and Waukesha School District officials first heard of its possible abuse this month involving that North High School student, whom they eventually determined was on a different drug that day. Since then, Waukesha officials already have disciplined another student caught with a box of Coricidin in her locker. And they say they have talked to other students who report even wider use. Some drug counselors and health professionals in the state also say they have seen a recent resurgence in teen misuse of over-the-counter medications - particularly substances that contain the cough-suppressing ingredient dextromethorphan, as does Coricidin. Drug Calls Arrive Daily "I would say, daily, we are getting calls about individuals who are being seen in emergency departments who are taking dextromethorphan-containing products as a means to get high," said Ernest Stremski, director of the poison center at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin in Wauwatosa. In fact, the center has received so many calls from throughout the state that it created a pamphlet that discusses the dangers of abuse of over-the-counter drugs to be distributed to schools, Stremski said. The Council on Family Health, a group supported by the pharmaceutical industry, also provides a warning on its Web site for parents and educators about the possible misuse of dextromethorphan. Products Called Safe To Use "The thing that we're trying to do here is share whatever knowledge we have about the misuse of this product with appropriate folks, whether they be parents, educators, schools and school officials," said Jim Lawenda, a spokesman for Schering-Plough HealthCare Products, which manufactures the Coricidin line. "We can only stress that our products, when used as directed, are safe and effective. We are very concerned as well about consumer health." Many times, the danger with overdosing on cold medicine comes from ingredients such as antihistamines and acetaminophen, which can't get you high but can make you sick, Stremski said. Children's Hospital recently admitted two adolescent girls with liver failure after each had taken 15 to 20 dextromethorphan-loaded tablets, he said. In 2000, the poison center recorded 146 cases of dextromethorphan abuse, with the majority of those using the drug to get high and the rest to attempt suicide. Sixty-five percent of the users were ages 13 to 19, Stremski said. "My suspicion is we're probably going to see higher numbers in 2001," he said. Technique Dubbed 'Robo-ing' Dextromethorphan, or DXM, has been around for years in medications such as Robitussin DM or Vicks 44D. That's why some have dubbed misuse of the drug as "robo-ing." The over-the-counter availability as well as the palatability of the powdered form of DXM - which is used in Coricidin tablets - have aided its abuse among teenage and young adult drug users, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration. The DEA has recently started monitoring the drug. Drug Is Not Controlled But neither the DEA nor any other law enforcement agency has control over distribution of the drug. "It's a concern for us," said school resource officer Wallschlaeger. "I mean, everyone has access to it and you really don't think that much about it if someone would have it in their possession. . . . I don't know how many red flags it would set off if someone were to go in and buy a box of Coricidin." Marijuana and other illicit drugs and alcohol are still, by far, the high of choice for most Wisconsin teen drug users, almost everyone agrees. Out of 10 students questioned outside of Waukesha North High School earlier last week, nine said they had never heard of students abusing over-the-counter drugs, or Coricidin. Only junior Tracy Pillsbury, 17, said she had heard of Coricidin use, although she said she had never taken the drug. "I know a lot of people who do it," she said, adding that they were students at all grade levels at the school. "I guess it's a cheap form of acid." What concerns drug counselors and others about abuse of over-the-counter medications is that it seems to attract younger users and indicates some reckless experimentation among teens. "What I have seen is an increase in kids using any kind of over-the-counter stuff. And sometimes what I've seen kids do is mash a bunch of this stuff up," said Kathy Sorenson, program director of Project HUGS in Madison, which works with families of kids with drug and alcohol problems. "I've never seen this kind of carefree attitude with kids (before) - not looking at what the result is, just looking for the next escape." In addition to monitoring closely the contents of their medicine cabinets, parents who suspect their children could be abusing cold medicines should watch for disorientation or lethargy in their kids, health officials say. But, because many teen drug users are adept at hiding their behavior, parents also just need to be on the lookout for larger indicators, such as depression, Sorenson said. "I think that parents, in general, need to look at their kids and they need to say, 'Is this normal behavior?' - no matter what it is," she said. "So many of the kids that I work with are heavy-duty drug users, but you won't see the drug use." The poison center at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin can be reached at (414) 266-2222. Those outside of the Milwaukee-area can call (800) 815-8855, if dialing in Wisconsin, or (800) 222-1222, if dialing from outside of the state. - --- MAP posted-by: Josh