TEENS' NEW DRUG FAD IS 'CORE'

Pills Sold Over-the-Counter for Cold, Cough Now Abused

AKRON, Ohio -- They're little red pills that send users on a trip similar
to an LSD high.

They're cheap. They're easy for teen-agers to get.

And they're perfectly legal.

Authorities say a growing number of teens are abusing an over-the-counter
medicine called Coricidin HPB Cold and Cough.

As many as 85 percent of the teen-agers undergoing treatment for chemical
dependency at Edwin Shaw Hospital for Rehabilitation in Lakemore, Ohio,
admit that they've abused Coricidin, said Kathryn Andreozzi, the hospital's
adolescent assessment counselor.

The problem has gotten so bad that some drugstores have pulled the product
from the shelves and stashed it behind the pharmacy counter to keep it out
of teen-agers' hands.

"There has been a new infatuation with Coricidin," said Dr. Chris
VanDevere, a child psychiatrist at Children's Hospital Medical Center of
Akron. "It's kind of becoming the drug of choice. We've been seeing in the
past year or so a marked increase. It's such an easy thing to try."

The active ingredient that teen-age users are seeking is dextromethorphan,
a narcotic derivative commonly found in over-the-counter cough
suppressants. The medicine also contains an antihistamine.

Experts say Coricidin still trails alcohol and marijuana in popularity
among teens. But the fact that the cold drug is legal, easy to get and
affordable -- typically $5 to $6 for a box of 16 tablets -- makes it
appealing, particularly to middle-class, suburban teens.

The discovery of a box of Coricidin won't raise the suspicion of unknowing
parents. And users will pass urine drug tests.

"If you find a Coricidin, it's a cold medicine," Edwin Shaw's Andreozzi
said. "You don't think of it as an illicit drug. There are so many kids
getting into trouble with it because nobody watches for it."

One 15-year-old girl who used Coricidin daily last summer said she and her
friends had no problem getting the drug. When they couldn't buy it, they'd
steal it.

She often would swallow all the pills in a box, wait a couple of hours, and
then down another box to keep her trip going through the next morning.

"Everything gets kind of blurry, and it feels like you're in a different
state of mind," said the girl, who asked not to be identified. "You can
feel your bones. You get all numb inside. You get lightheaded. Your heart
goes real fast."

When taken at the recommended doses, Coricidin is considered so safe that
many doctors and pharmacists recommend it for people with high blood
pressure, a condition that limits the cold remedies people can take.

Taken in large amounts, however, it can cause serious problems, including
an accelerated heartbeat, high blood pressure, hallucinations, slurred
speech, sedation, tremors, seizures, temporary blindness, dilated pupils,
severe flushing or coma.

Some Coricidin products also contain acetaminophen, which can cause liver
damage in excessive doses.

Those who are abusing Coricidin daily have reported taking an average of 51
tablets per day, according to a study by the Cincinnati Drug and Poison
Information Center.

Teens who took it as a one-time experiment took six to 23, the study said.

"There's a misconception that just because they're over-the-counter,
they're not potent," said Earl Siegel, co-director of the information
center. "Over-the-counter things can be very dangerous in overdose."

In fact, several teens have shown up in the Children's Hospital ER
suffering hallucinations and having endangered themselves by taking too
much of the drug, said Dr. Maria Ramundo, a pediatric emergency medicine
physician at the hospital.

"They do come in agitated," she said. "They appear acutely psychotic. They
can also be very jittery."

The 15-year-old girl who regularly used Coricidin, or "Core," as she calls
it, could feel no pain after taking large doses. One time, she put out a
cigarette on her arm. Another time, she let someone carve a name into her leg.

"I say that it's fun, but it's stupid," she said.