Skittles, Triple-C, Robotripping and Dex?

An old trend among teens and college students has resurfaced: using cough syrup to get high.  In addition to Skittles or Triple-C, teenagers are calling the drug Tussin, Robotripping, and Dex.  But essentially, it is simply over-the-counter cough syrup, often mixed with soda or other drugs such as marijuana.

Abusers are after the active ingredient in regular over-the-counter cough syrup, dextromethorphan, or DXM.  DXM is a dissociative anesthetic, meaning it can cause “out-of-body” side effects that include hallucinations. Taking a high dose of DXM can produce similar effects as the drug PCP.

Local drug programs are starting to focus on cough medicine abuse, and parents are urged to keep an eye on the medicine cabinet.  Cough syrup does not show up on a drug test, so it can be hard to detect abuse at first.

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