LATEST TEEN DRUG CORICIDIN IS LEGAL, CHEAP

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 teenagers 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 teenagers 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.

As word of the drug spreads, Children's Hospital Medical Center of Akron
has treated teenagers who were rushed to the emergency room with Coricidin
overdoses.

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

"There has been a new infatuation with Coricidin," said Dr. Chris
VanDevere, a child psychiatrist at Children's. "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 teenage 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 teenagers.

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."

'A different state of mind' One 15-year-old Ohio 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, which handles calls from this area.

Teens who took it as a one-time experiment took six to 23 tablets, 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 recently have shown up in the Children's Hospital ER
suffering hallucinations and having endangered themselves after 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. "You can be more than
what that is. You can be somebody better than that."

She said she hasn't taken the drug since her friend had a bad trip earlier
this year.

"She thought she was crying blood, and she wasn't," the girl recalled. "I
just tried to calm her down. I was about to call 911. I was that freaked out."

A Juvenile Court judge recently ordered the girl and several of her
classmates into a treatment program after a school official found several
teens with the drug.

Nothing new Dextromethorphan abuse isn't new. For decades, teens seeking a
cheap buzz have downed over-the-counter cough syrups that contained it.

But the new fad is to pop Coricidin pills instead of drinking a bottle or
two of cough syrup, which often causes nausea.

Each Coricidin pill contains 30 milligrams of dextromethorphan, while most
over-the-counter cough syrups have 15 milligrams or less per teaspoon.

The Internet, a vital source of information for many teens, has many Web
sites offering tips for abusing the drug, which is commonly referred to as DXM.

For example, one user writes: "DXM is fun and easy to get so I recommend
trying it if you want to get bent and have some fun that's a lot harder
than weed. Just be careful with Coricidin because it can hurt you and/or
make you throw up."

Some drugstores have responded by putting the product behind the pharmacy
counter and selling it only to adults who ask for it.

Discount Drug Mart, an Ohio-based chain, started keeping the drug behind
the counter at all its stores a couple of years ago after noticing a high
number of thefts, said Pete Ratycz, its director of pharmacy.

But teenagers are resourceful when it comes to getting drugs, said Raynard
Packard, a counselor in the Akron Health Department's adolescent program.

He urges parents to look for signs of drug abuse, including discarded
medicine packaging; children who are disconnected from school and their
peers; and children with a flat expression or a glazed-over stare.

"We always encourage an open and honest dialogue," Packard said. "Educate
your children, and stay aware."