Coricidin is not a joke....believe me.

Speaking of mind altering substances . . .
http://www.janegalt.net/index2.php

I was a little surprised by Jane Galt's remarks in the post "Speaking of mind altering substances".... kids overdosing on cold medicines such as Robotussin and Coricidin is not something to be taken lightly.

I remember in High School when Coricidin became the new craze... I was at an outdoor concert in Sacramento when I spotted some friends popping the little red pills. Within 30 minutes, Amanda was rolling around on the lawn screaming "I'm a blubbering whale, I'm a blubbering whale." Later did I find out, the blanket over her head was the "sea" and she was drowning beneath it.

As always in High School, word spread fast. Before I knew it, half the school was tripping off the cold medicine. It was a cheaper alternative to drugs and, at 17, we didn't exactly have easy access to alcohol.

I was offered the medicine many times, but thank God I haven't been one to pop pills. A few months later, the issue made national news... kids were actually dying from this drug and most had taken significantly less than the amounts my friends were taking.

Apparently the drug contains a small dose of dextromethorpan, DMX, that has pyschedelic effects when taken in high doses. Amanda said it was the weirdest high she ever felt. She couldn't feel her arms or her legs and she was hallucinating like crazy. The recommended dosage for adults is one every six hours, but I knew people who took up to 18 at a time!

Local stores took the brand off the shelves and eventually the trend died down, but believe me... the stuff is scary.

Today there are no legal restrictions on buying Coricidin, but the Drug Enforcement Administration has classified DXM as a "drug of concern" because of its potential misuse... My advice? Stay away from it. Any drug that makes you act like a "blubbering whale" in PUBLIC can't be good.