COUGH MEDICINE GAINS POPULARITY WITH TEENS

The Drug May Be Legal, But High Is Still Deadly

They're cheap, legal and easy to get.

For anyone who needs relief from symptoms of colds or flu, that's good.

But officials in the Clear Creek school district say a number of teens have
been using certain cold medications lately for another purpose - to get high.

While it isn't against the law, drug counselors are warning that the sort
of abuse they've been seeing can have dire consequences.

"It's kind of one of the new trends," said Kristi Allen, program director
for youth works for the Bay Area Council on Drugs & Alcohol. "Years and
years ago, they used to drink the whole bottle of (cough medicine) to get
high. This is just kind of the new wave."

The problem does not yet appear to be widespread in the Houston area,
officials say, but similar trends have shown up from time to time in school
districts nationwide.

The Clear Creek district, which includes parts of north Galveston County
and southeast Harris County, recently mailed a newsletter to the homes of
all intermediate-school pupils, warning parents about the problem. The
letter, titled "Danger," was prepared by Deanne Cooney and Julie Purser,
the district's drug-prevention and safety coordinators for middle schools.

One of the more popular medications being abused is Coricidin HBP Cough &
Cold tablets, which pupils call "Triple C," authorities said.

The product, which sells for about $6 for 16 tablets, is especially popular
because it has a larger dose -- 30 mg -- of the drug dextromethorphan than
most other medications, said Jane Maxwell, a researcher with the Texas
Council on Alcohol & Drug Abuse.

Dextromethorphan, also called DXM, is a synthetic drug related to morphine.
It acts upon the central nervous system to suppress the cough reflex.

Drug counselors say abusers of dextromethorphan experience effects similar
to those of alcohol, marijuana and PCP. It causes a loss of motor control,
and users say they lose touch with reality.

MIXTURES CAN BE FATAL

Mixed with other medications, however, the result can be fatal.

The directions on the Coricidin Cough & Cold box suggest taking one tablet
every six hours, not to exceed four in a 24-hour period. Officials say
teens looking for a quick high often take double-digit doses at a time.

Alcohol and marijuana use is still more prevalent among teens, but the
abuse of Coricidin "is becoming more and more popular," said Allen. "They
are mixing it with alcohol, which is really dangerous."

She said she alerted Clear Creek school officials and parents several
months ago after noticing an increase in abuse of over-the-counter medicines.

"It's something we tell our parents regularly. We tell them it's something
they should be on the lookout for," Allen said. "It's not uncommon for the
parents to be very shocked to find out kids are taking cold medicine."

Three recent cases involved pupils who showed up at Seabrook Intermediate
School disoriented after overdosing on Coricidin.

Seabrook police officer Berna McMahan, who is assigned to the 970-pupil
campus for sixth-through eighth-graders, said the problem persists because
the medicine is cheap and easy to get.

"We were just letting the parents know because a lot of parents are
clueless about it," McMahan said. "We had one girl who actually called her
mom and specifically asked her to get Coricidin.

"The nurse heard her and got on the phone and told (the mother) not to
bring it and explained what was going on. This is the drug of choice for
the kids."

A week later, McMahan said, that 14-year-old girl suffered an overdose
after buying the medication at a grocery store. She told authorities she
had swallowed 24 tablets.

In the other two cases at Seabrook Intermediate, officials said, one pupil
took 11 pills and the other took eight.

McMahan said pupils who abuse Coricidin are showing up at school "spaced out."

"It's like an LSD high, depending on how many they take," she said. "They
start hallucinating."

HIGH SCHOOLS AFFECTED

Other recent cases of cold-medicine abuse have been reported at Brookside
Intermediate and at the district's three high schools, McMahan said.

In addition to products containing dextromethorphan, Cooney and Purser said
some pupils also have been using Extra Strength Robitussin cough syrup and
cold medications containing phenylpropanolamine, chlorpheniramine or
acetaminophen. (Phenylpropanolamine, or PPA, was removed from store shelves
in November after it was found to increase the risk of stroke in women.)

"The effects of taking excessive amounts of these types of medications can
not only be harmful but can be deadly," the counselors warned in their
newsletter. "Given that adolescence is a time associated with
experimentation and questioning authority, even the best pupils have been
known to experiment in this manner, especially when they are unaware of the
consequences."

The Coricidin package is printed with a warning against taking the drug if
the user is taking -- or has taken in the past two weeks -- a prescription
monoamine oxidase inhibitor, a drug used to treat depression, psychiatric
or emotional conditions or Parkinson's disease.

The Coricidin instructions also advise against taking it with sedatives,
tranquilizers or alcohol.

Officials with Schering-Plough Healthcare Products, the makers of
Coricidin, said they have heard reports that some teens abuse the
medication, among others.

"We are actively monitoring claims and stories concerning possible misuse
of our products that contain dextromethorphan, and we take these reports
very seriously," company officials said in a prepared statement.

The company reported that it has spoken with school officials, parents and
retailers about the misuse of dextromethorphan and are working with
industry organizations, parents and educators on the importance of proper
use of over-the-counter medications.

"In addition, we are developing a Web site for parents and educators that
addresses the abuse of over-the-counter products by teen-agers and the
company is implementing a packaging system that will provide an additional
product safety seal for Coricidin products," the statement said.

The company said dextromethorphan has served as a safe, effective cough
suppressant for more than 37 years and is used in more than 135
over-the-counter products.

INFORMATION ON INTERNET

Some Internet users have created Web sites specifically about abusing
dextromethorphan. One person said he tried Coricidin because he had
"chugged syrup" before and was nauseated by the taste, "so pills seemed
like a great idea."

The writer, who did not give his name or age, said he took eight tablets
and felt lightheaded in about 15 minutes.

After an hour, he wrote, "it hit me like a freight train."

"When I turned my head, it felt like my physical head would move first and
my spirit would slowly lag behind in turning," he wrote. "I truly felt much
more intoxicated than I ever have with syrup."

He added that he had double vision and could not focus.

While saying he enjoyed the experience, he wrote that "it was very strong
and much too powerful for the average Joe."

Another Web site lists the positive effects of using dextromethorphan as
mood elevation, dissociation of mind from body and creative, dreamlike
experiences.

Negative side effects that were mentioned included upset stomach, vomiting,
body itching, diarrhea, red, blotchy skin, fever and abnormally fast heartbeat.

The mother of the 14-year-old Seabrook Intermediate pupil who overdosed
said she asked area drugstores to remove Coricidin from their shelves. They
have not done so.

"Eckerd is not aware of any abuse regarding over-the-counter cough
medications, and our warehouses do not stock Coricidin," said Tami
Alderman, a company spokeswoman in Clearwater, Fla.

Carol Hively, spokeswoman for Walgreen's in Deerfield, Ill., said the
company is monitoring sales of the medicine.

"We have not noticed any unusual problem in our stores," she said. "We have
not pulled the product, but we are just watching the situation right now."

Kathy Lussier, a spokeswoman for Randalls Food Markets, said that company
also has not removed the product.

The Clear Creek counselors offered these tips to parents concerned about
abuse of any medication:

. Talk with your children, and explain the dangers.

. Keep prescription and nonprescription medications locked away. Make sure
they are taken under parental supervision.

. Make sure that any medication, including cold medicine sent to school for
your child, is accompanied by a note, is in its original container and goes
directly to the school nurse.