Danger: What could happen if your child abuses...

As a nurse practitioner in a high school, I deal with injuries and sickness every day. But sprains and headaches are much easier for parents to deal with than drug abuse. It's especially difficult to cope with an unfamiliar, dangerous behavior like the abuse of over-the-counter and prescription drugs.

It's important that parents know that when taken in the correct dosage, over-the-counter cough medicines containing dextromethorphan are safe and effective. But when kids choose to take 25-50 times the recommended dosage, the effects of these medicines can be very dangerous. And this is exactly what teens are doing.

The side effects of taking excessive amounts of cough medicine can include:

· Blurred vision

· Stomach pain, nausea, and vomiting

· High blood pressure and rapid heart beat

· Numbness of fingers and toes

· Drowsiness and Dizziness

· Fever and headaches

· Loss of consciousness

The abuse of dextromethorphan becomes even more dangerous when cough medicine is combined with other drugs or alcohol, and taken to excess.

Talk to your kids, and listen to them. Be aware of changes in their attitudes or behaviors, and communicate about your concerns. Be prepared by reading about the warning signs of cough medicine abuse and find out how to protect your children.

~ Julie Bermant

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Comments: 8

Mandi -Watch where the chalk-white arrows go. To the place where the sidewalk ends. S.S. May 9, 2007, 11:02pm EDT

I am the mother of an almost 19 year old daughter. From the age of 7 or 8 I started talking to her about sex, drugs, alcohol, AIDS, pregancy, smoking etc... not all at once of course! But I never missed an opportunity to talk to her..if there was something on TV or on the radio pertaining to one of those things I would say something. When we drove around anywhere we talked about something...you just can not waste time when it comes to your kids!
So many parents don't discuss these things with their kids until they are teens or worse never at all. I am sorry but by the time your kid is 13 it is too late!
My daughter has never done drugs, drank, smoked and waited to have sex. When asked why she doesn't want to drink or do drugs like nearly all her friends she replied "Because I know what all that crap can do! I'm not an idiot!" Then she goes into her own knowledge of what all that crap does to the human body from her own research (she wants to be a doctor.)
translation: She had the knowledge that I gave her before she needed it. Which is key! If I had waited until she started drinking or taking drugs with her friends it would have been too late...

But I never thought of cough syrup! My God, parents have it tough these days...thankfully my daughter doesn't even like taking pain meds for a headache.

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dex head420 May 16, 2007, 3:29am EDT

DXM is used responsibly by hundreds of recreational trippers every day. There is no legitimate medical evidence to suggest irreversible damage from the responsible use of this drug. Why promote fear and panic when education and harm reduction are far more effective? Your children are smarter than you think...

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Clare Stella May 16, 2007, 10:26am EDT

I am aghast at the reply from dex head (very appropriate name). As a counselor in a detox, I am all too aware of how young people think they can control their drug use and end up dead or in jail. Thank you, Julie, for the information and education you have shared with Gather readers.

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Julie Bermant May 17, 2007, 11:30am EDT

Clare - Thank you for your support. As you noted in your comment, spreading education and information is exactly what the Five Moms strive to do. Bad things can happen when kids abuse cough medicine. For example, nine middle school students in Pennsylvania were recently sent to the hospital for abusing cough medicine: http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474977001656. My goal in this campaign is to make sure that parents are aware of what may be happening so they can communicate with their kids. The Five Moms will continue to do our best to educate and spread the word about cough medicine abuse.

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Karin Karhem May 18, 2007, 11:29am EDT

I'm with you, Julie and Claire. I think most recreational drug users, whether old or young, don't realize how quickly addiction can happen or that many of the "safer" drugs are a gateway to more addictive and destructive patterns of living, not just drug-usage.

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Lisa M. May 18, 2007, 11:32am EDT

Thank you for your input and listing of the side-effects for this drug. Good luck with your campaign.

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dex head420 May 21, 2007, 4:12am EDT

Clare: My mantra of responsible use, executed with a clear head and extreme caution, has allowed me to control my occasional drug use for years. I've also managed to avoid hospitalization, incarceration and even death! Perhaps people like me are the exception rather than the rule...but accurate statistical data about taboo and illicit activities is pretty hard to come by. Either way, for now I'm giving the benefit of the doubt to human willpower and self restraint.

Karin: I'm 19 years old, and have been a recreational drug user since 14. While I'm not sure what you mean by "destructive patterns of living," I can tell you I've never been addicted to any of the substances I've ingested over the years.

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Joan M. Feb 24, 2008, 3:22pm EST

I think awareness to this dxm is what we need to get out to other parents. I am going through a nightmare right now and I really do not want anyone elce to go through this pain. I think our government should help with at least removing all products with this highly addictive dextromethorpan from the shelves. I have a 21 year old who is very sick and there is not much out there to help him because this drug is still not known about enough. I have been to emergency room hospitals that asked what DXM was!
I can tell you for sure this drug grabs you so bad that he can not stop on his own. I wish some one had advice for me now besides getting help for myself because I wont be better until my son is. I have always taught my son about the dangers of drugs and never would have thought this could possibly happened to him. He is a smart and well liked among his peers and other adults. He has a big supportive family behind him but none of this matters ! Help! Thanks for listening

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Danger: What could happen if your child abuses cough medicine

Comments: 8

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