No parent wants to believe that their teenager would willingly consume up to 25 times the recommended dose of an over-the-counter cough medicine in order to get high. But the unfortunate reality is that 1 in 20 teens will abuse excessive amounts of dextromethorphan (DXM), the effective ingredient (cough suppressant) found in many OTC cough medicines.
It’s easy to get. Easy to abuse.
And extremely dangerous.
So, parents, this is what you must know. Arm yourself with knowledge, talk to your teens, and stay proactive to prevent your teen from succumbing to this dangerous teen trend.
Important Facts:
- 1 in 3 teens know someone who has abused cough medicine to get high. So chances are, your teen has already heard about it. Get in on this conversation today so YOU are their go-to person for advice and guidance.
- In excess, DXM can cause hallucinations, loss of motor control, out of body sensations, and even death if abused with prescriptions drugs and alcohol. Often, teens don’t think they’re doing any harm since it’s an ingredient found in OTC medicines. The problem is, they’re consuming it in doses upwards of 20 times the safe amount!!
Prevent by talking to your teen:
Studies show that teens actually DO listen to their parents. It may not seem like it at the time, what with all the eye rolling going on…but teens who learn about the risk of drugs (OTC or not) from their parents are 50% less likely to use these drugs.
- Ask them what they know about cough medicine abuse and learn the “lingo”: DXM is often referred to as skittling, tussin, robo-tripping, CCC, triple Cs, and dexing.
Recognize the warning signs of abuse:
- Start by knowing what’s in your own medicine cabinet: missing bottles of cough medicines are a definite red flag.
- Finding empty cough medicine bottles in your teen’s room, backpack, locker, etc.
- Your teen has lost interest in favorite activities/friends/family outings.
- Grades are dropping, not sleeping well, and/or changes in behavior/personality.
Here’s a great infographic to share with friends and family on social media:
I think as parents, one of the most important things we can do to keep our children safe is to BE IN THE KNOW. October is National Medicine Abuse Prevention Month and it’s a great time to educate yourself and your teens about the dangers of cough medicine abuse. Visit Stop Medicine Abuse for more tips and advice, follow them on Twitter @StopMedAbuse, and join in on the conversation tomorrow, October 1 from 9-10 PM EST using #NotMyTeen. I’ll be there too!
Here’s to keeping our teens safe and healthy while empowering them to protect their own future.
Disclosure: I receive compensation for my participation in the CHPA educational foundation’s OTC Safety Ambassador program. However, the content and opinions in this post are my own.
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