COLD PILLS 'A POOR MAN'S ECSTASY'

Looking for a cheap, accessible high, teens are turning to a common
cough-and-cold pill that one local doctor likens to a popular nightclub drug.

Taken as recommended, Coricidin is an over-the-counter solution to minor
health problems. Taken by the handful, it's a hallucinogen that can send
users to the emergency room and might kill them.

"In a sense, it's kind of a poor man's Ecstasy,'' said Dr. Peter Rogers, a
pediatrician at Children's Hospital in Columbus.

Rogers saw three young patients for Coricidin-related problems last week
and is alarmed by the increasing number of kids trying the pills.

"It's out there, and kids are abusing it like crazy. I'm just seeing so
much of it,'' he said.

Compounding the problem is the fact that most parents, teachers and others
might have no idea that the medicine can be dangerous.

"It's so easily available, and no one really knows much about it right
now,'' said Mohamad Moinzadeh, a counselor who works with adolescent drug
and alcohol abusers at University Hospitals East's Talbot Hall.

Those who take excess Coricidin are looking for the dextromethorphan in the
pills -- a substance sometimes called DXM, red devils or Robo. The cough
suppressant also is found in products such as Robitussin cough syrups.

Symptoms of dextromethorphan abuse include increased heart rate, elevated
blood pressure, increased pupil size, drowsiness, dizziness, slurred
speech, unsteady gait, hallucinations, confusion and involuntary rapid eye
movement.

Last year, the Central Ohio Poison Control Center had 41 calls about
Coricidin. Numbers for this year aren't available, but calls from parents
and doctors continue to come in, pharmacist Jill Griffith said.

Cough-medicine abuse is nothing new, but the ease of swallowing tablets of
Coricidin might make it a more popular drugstore high, Moinzadeh said.

"It's easier to consume than cough syrup -- it's eight to 10 pills compared
to a bottle and a half of Robitussin.''

He estimates that about 30 percent of the young people he sees have abused
Coricidin. It's almost always a secondary buzz to accompany alcohol or
marijuana.

"And that becomes quite lethal,'' Moinzadeh said.

Taken in enough volume, Coricidin by itself can kill.

Other products with different cough-and-cold formulas -- acetaminophen,
decongestants and antihistamines -- also are dangerous in large doses,
Griffith said.

Reports of Coricidin abuse have been cropping up across the country in the
past couple years, including in Cincinnati, where Children's Hospital
Medical Center put out an alert on the drug last year.

Rogers said abuse seems to have increased here recently.

On the Internet, sites devoted to dextromethorphan provide details on how
to use it, which indicates a growing network of users.

Paul H. Coleman, president and chief executive officer of Maryhaven, a drug
and alcohol treatment center, isn't surprised that Coricidin seems to be
gaining popularity.

"Over-the-counter and in some cases prescription drugs have always been a
thread that has run through drug abuse,'' he said.

"We're constantly amazed at the inventiveness of some of our patients in
terms of using and misusing substances.''

Rogers would like to see the drug restricted in pharmacies.

Several pharmacists in Columbus who were contacted yesterday said they had
not noticed any indication of Coricidin theft or abuse.

"We need to educate the sellers themselves and warn them that there's this
high potential of abuse,'' Moinzadeh said.

"It's something they should keep their eyes open for.''

Officials with Schering-Plough, the maker of Coricidin, have said they are
monitoring claims involving abuse of the medication.