COLD MEDICINE CAN BE AS DANGEROUS AS HEROIN

Recent Overdoses. There's No Buzz Worth Dying For.

There is no such thing as a completely safe drug. And two recent incidents
in Merrill make that point painfully clear.

In March, two teenage girls took large amounts of the over-the-counter
motion sickness drug Dramamine. According to police, the teens gorged on
the pills in search of a hallucinogenic high.

On Aug. 7, two 20-year-old Merrill residents ate at least 32 Coricidin HBP
tablets each, sending them to the hospital with overdoses, according to
police. Coricidin HBP is an over-the-counter cold and flu medicine.

There's a lesson here for both parents and young people who might be
inclined to experiment with drugs.

For parents who are worried about marijuana, cocaine or other "hard" drugs,
you'd better keep a close eye on the medicine cabinet and what your
children have tucked under their mattresses or in their backpacks.

For young people, you can die just as easily by taking more than the
recommended dose of many medications. Just because you buy it in a drug
store or supermarket doesn't mean it's safer than drugs you buy on a street
corner.

And it's just as possible to become addicted to over-the-counter medication
as it is to grow dependent upon alcohol or illicit drugs.

According to the federal Department of Health and Human Services, 14 people
died in 2001 by misusing cold medicine, and abuse of drugs such as
Coricidin HBP is rising among teens.

According to the department's Web site, "the most dangerous cold medicine
abused by teenagers goes by the brand name Coricidin Cold and Cough, also
called 'Triple C's' or 'Candy.' The drug is dangerous compared to other
over-the-counter medications because it contains the highest amount of DXM,
dextromethorphan. DXM is a chemical that produces psychedelic effects when
taken in large quantities. More than 80 over-the-counter cold medicines
contain DXM, which can be an effective cough suppressant when taken as
directed." DXM and similar medications block the brain's ability to tell
the lungs to breathe. It also can increase heart rates to the point of
cardiac arrest.

No national statistics are kept on the abuse of cold medications, but
poison-control centers across the country are reporting increasing numbers
of overdoses.

"Although the practice isn't nearly as prevalent as alcohol or marijuana
use, the fact that almost twice as many DXM overdoses occurred from one
year to the next could be a cause for concern for parents," according to
the HSS Web site.

Thankfully, stores in Merrill that sell medicine that might be abused are
taking steps to ensure that the pills don't fall into irresponsible hands.

Some are keeping the drugs locked behind counters where tobacco products
are kept. Others are demanding identification and refusing to sell some
medicine to juveniles.

"The way things are going, everything will have to be put behind the
counter, it seems," said Rita Bonnell, co-owner of Dave's County Market in
Merrill.

She may be right.

We'd like to see all drugs that can be abused kept in secure locations in
every store in the area. It's the only good way to make sure kids that are
determined to get high won't steal it.

DARE instructors and parents also must take the time to explain to young
people that drugs of any sort are harmful when abused. And adults should be
watchful for empty bottles or bubble packaging that could indicate a kid is
abusing medicine.

And saying this to young people seems a waste of breath, but we'll try it
anyway: There is no buzz worth dying for.