A new craze has hit our high schools. It's called "Robo-tripping". The name refers to Robitussin, the favored brand name for these drug abusers.
http://www.wyethconsumer.com.au/images/08robitussin_pack1.jpg
It's a cough medicine whose active ingredient, DXM, causes the high these boneheads are after:
Robo tripping refers to the effects DXM users feel when they take high doses of cough syrup or other DXM products. “Robo” stems from the name of a common cough and cold product, Robitussin (and because users chug Robitussin or another cough syrup to achieve their desired high.) When “Robo tripping,” some users describe different "plateaus" ranging from mild distortions of color and sound to visual hallucinations, "out-of-body" dissociative* sensations, and loss of motor control, along with other side effects such as confusion, dizziness, double or blurred vision, slurred speech, impaired physical coordination, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, rapid heart beat, drowsiness, numbness of fingers and toes, and disorientation. This practice is extremely dangerous. DXM itself can be deadly, especially when combined with other drugs or alcohol. And DXM is often combined with other active ingredients that can be fatal in the high doses these people take.

Yet there are websites that advocate this practice and even have calculators on them to determine the "appropriate" dosage to achieve a given "plateau".

Chugging cough medicine to get high just seems pathetic and sad. What a ridiculous way to die. If you must do drugs, can't we stick to the classics? You know, alcohol and pot?

It's my opinion that the internet sites that advocate this practice should be shut down and whoever set them up prosecuted. Perhaps even charged in any deaths resulting from this practice.

Here's the site the above quote came from. It has a lot of info and testimonials from people affected by this. http://www.dxmstories.com/index.html

A new craze has hit our high schools.]

Hardly new, the transcendental properties of DXM have been explored since the 70s, when punk house parties ended up just as littered with empty cans of cough syrup as they were with beer cans.

It's my opinion that the internet sites that advocate this practice should be shut down and whoever set them up prosecuted.

For? Robotussin is perfectly legal. Shitting on the First Amendment, not so much.
Besides, isn't it much more beneficial for someplace like Erowid.org to exist, where users will yell "Hey dumbass! Tylenol will fuck up your liver!" rather than for this sort of thing to travel by word of mouth?

It has a lot of info and testimonials from people affected by this.

Everything except, unsurprisingly, actual data.

Everything except, unsurprisingly, actual data.

What do you expect? There's nothing that requires hospitals or private doctors to report such cases.

Hey, I've got some actual data. I personally know someone who just ended up in the hospital from this nonsense. And I don't call prosecuting someone for advocating potentially lethal doses "shitting on the first ammendment".

And, sure, I'd heard of people drinking cough medicine before. Mostly bums and degenerate punk rockers, I assumed. But I hadn't heard it was all the rage among middle class high school kids.

If I prescribe a medicine to someone and they die as a result of it, I'm liable. The same should apply to people who recommend chugging cough medicine. Especially if they go so far as to recommend a specific dosage.

And if you feel the site I linked to is lacking in facts, please provide a better link.

Hey, I've got some actual data. I personally know someone who just ended up in the hospital from this nonsense. And I don't call prosecuting someone for advocating potentially lethal doses "shitting on the first ammendment".

I'm sorry about your friend. I have my own experience and mild tinnitus from a stupid mistake that I made.

But anecdote is, as they say, not the plural of data, and this is a forum dedicated to science. Is the use of this drug truely "on the rise," or is it simply being discovered by an exceptionally naive segment of the population?

Certainly the drug is toxic in extremely high doses, however this is well below the point needed to plateau. This probably belongs in ethics and morality for this point: I discovered DXM during a nasty cold. Had I overdosed then, would the drug manufacturer be liable? They're the ones who make, distribute and market the stuff.

Refusing to take responsibility for your mistakes puts you on a slippery slope. Socially, refusing en masse to be responsible for yourself pulls the rest of us with you.

I'd think that you, as a conservative, would appreciate this.

And if you feel the site I linked to is lacking in facts, please provide a better link. As I said, I was personally affected by this and am pissed off about it.
http://www.erowid.org/chemicals/dxm/dxm.shtml

The dangers and the benefits, which is something you won't see from cheap propaganda.

----

By the way I don't mean to sound like an asshole by implying that your friend made a foolish mistake, I hope I don't come off that way.

The thing about Robotussin(or Nyquil) is that it's way easier to get than alcohol if you're underaged. I did it for a minute, but I found that it was addicting after so long, and then my friend's mom died from the stuff. Plus it tastes nasty. Now I just help the stores out with their taxes when I want a good buzz.

Jeez, I just posted another thread yesterday about how painkiller use among teenagers are rising. How they are stealing them from parents, other ppls houses to get high.

Other members replied saying they did the same thing.

I don't understand why ppl will use almost anything to get high. I can't beleive how many members here use drugs, sounds like on a regular basis. Why do so many feel the need to get high.....are they trying to escape other things going on in their life?
I don't get it....:shrug:

Jeez, I just posted another thread yesterday about how painkiller use among teenagers are rising. How they are stealing them from parents, other ppls houses to get high.

Other members replied saying they did the same thing.

I don't understand why ppl will use almost anything to get high. I can't beleive how many members here use drugs, sounds like on a regular basis. Why do so many feel the need to get high.....are they trying to escape other things going on in their life?
I don't get it....:shrug:

Immaturity - need I say more?

Immaturity - need I say more?

I can understand when you are a teenager and try stuff out. Even in your early 20's. You know partytime! But when you are 30's, 40's......have a family and such I just don't get it :shrug:

Everything except, unsurprisingly, actual data.

There's plenty of data available on overdoses of cough medicine, tylenol, antihistamines, and a whole host of other medications (although they don't break it down by age):

http://dawninfo.samhsa.gov/files/DAWN2k5ED.htm#Tab15

I agree, though, that trying to stop web sites from carrying information is a ridiculous response. If there was a significant enough problem States can restrict the sale or ban the use of the medications--they've already made it difficult to purchase any quantity of decongestants. Of course, the drug companies wouldn't like this. Codeine cough syrup works a lot better anyway but they banned that one already.

From what I've read DXM is a pretty crappy high so there aren't a lot of people trying it more than once. It's also not that widely used--I'm wiling to bet a lot more kids are going to the hospital for overdoses of alcohol or even inhalant abuse.

The thing about Robotussin(or Nyquil) is that it's way easier to get than alcohol if you're underaged. I did it for a minute, but I found that it was addicting after so long, and then my friend's mom died from the stuff. Plus it tastes nasty. Now I just help the stores out with their taxes when I want a good buzz.

Were you using it for the alcohol content or for the hallucinogen effects of the DXM? My understanding that in a large enough dose to produce hallucinations it is actually a pretty unpleasant drug compared to illict hallucinogens like LSD.

A new craze has hit our high schools. It's called "Robo-tripping".

WHAT?

C'mon Madanthony, it ain't new... and as far as I know it's called "Robodosing" and it's really not all that fun. I think I did it like three or four times way back when. It can be serious stuff depending on the dosage and the ingredients, as I'm sure you well know.

~String

I can understand when you are a teenager and try stuff out. Even in your early 20's. You know partytime! But when you are 30's, 40's......have a family and such I just don't get it :shrug:

I do. It's because the immaturity isn't just limited to the young and is often accompanied by a large dose of stupidity. And there's no age limit on that either.

large[/B] dose of stupidity. And there's no age limit on that either.

That is true.

Were you using it for the alcohol content or for the hallucinogen effects of the DXM? My understanding that in a large enough dose to produce hallucinations it is actually a pretty unpleasant drug compared to illict hallucinogens like LSD.

I've never hallucinated; actually the feeling was similar to staying up for three or four days in a row. I remember it was a lot better when I smoked some weed at the same time. Nyquil is similar to an alcohol buzz though.

WHAT?

C'mon Madanthony, it ain't new... and as far as I know it's called "Robodosing" and it's really not all that fun. I think I did it like three or four times way back when. It can be serious stuff depending on the dosage and the ingredients, as I'm sure you well know.

~String
I knew guys who did pot, coke, crack,lsd, uppers, downers, and even heroin. Two friends of mine from high school went to prison for dealing. One of those guys is dead now, as a result. Another friend of mine spent some time in the nut house because of a bad experience with lsd. But, up to now, I never knew anyone who got high on cough syrup.

I'm surprised that it wasn't well liked. I much preferred the high to alcohol - sure, it's much more involved, but I've never had my ceiling open up after enough vodka.

My understanding that in a large enough dose to produce hallucinations it is actually a pretty unpleasant drug compared to illict hallucinogens like LSD.


For those of you complaining that you didn't hallucinate - well duh. It's not a hallucinogen, it's a dissociative. The trip is more "imagine and it's real" than seeing things that aren't there.

The most common thing I felt was a sensation of travelling or moving through worlds. There's a tape my friend made of me tripping and insisting that I'd confirmed the many-worlds interpretation of quantum physics (http://www.cs.mu.oz.au/~fjh/many-worlds-faq.html) and a whole bunch of nonsense about the chemical aligning the spin of the electrons in my brain and a host of random crap.

Anyways the side effects are often the result of whatever else crud is in cough medicine, but they weren't all so bad if you had a nice boy to talk to and hold and one of those scratchy sponges. (That sounds way dirtier than it is!)

Not that I'm advocating it. The risks can outweigh the benefits.

There's plenty of data available on overdoses of cough medicine, tylenol, antihistamines, and a whole host of other medications (although they don't break it down by age):

Yes, but not on the website he linked to at first. :)

how do they drink a bottle of it without barfing it back up of just going off to sleep.

how do they drink a bottle of it without barfing it back up of just going off to sleep.

I threw up 2 seconds after the first time I drank a bottle. Then I went back into the store grabbed another one so my friend who wanted me to try it didn't start talking shit. Never went to sleep. Why would you?

Xev:
You really like a robo-buzz(or anything) over being drunk?

This whole thing sounds so ridicolous to me:bugeye: Can ppl not have a good time without getting drunk or high?

I threw up 2 seconds after the first time I drank a bottle. Then I went back into the store grabbed another one so my friend who wanted me to try it didn't start talking shit. Never went to sleep. Why would you?

Xev:
You really like a robo-buzz(or anything) over being drunk?

Yeah that is vile.

And I prefer tripping to drinking in general.

Can ppl not have a good time without getting drunk or high?

Sure, but you can also have a good time getting drunk or high.

Sure, but you can also have a good time getting drunk or high.

I guess until you end up with a problem with one or the other or both.
Then it can fuck up your whole life.

I guess until you end up with a problem with one or the other or both.
Then it can fuck up your whole life.

Goodness you're a pessimist. :)

I'm surprised that it wasn't well liked. I much preferred the high to alcohol - sure, it's much more involved, but I've never had my ceiling open up after enough vodka.

For those of you complaining that you didn't hallucinate - well duh. It's not a hallucinogen, it's a dissociative. The trip is more "imagine and it's real" than seeing things that aren't there.

I do realize it's a dissociative but that doesn't mean you can't hallucinate on it--I would consider seeing my ceiling open an hallucination.

It is difficult to compare the experiences of alcohol to hallucinogens or dissociatives--a lot depends on what your looking for--but one should consider the relative safety of the drugs. Alcohol is really pretty bad physically and can also cause some dangerous behavior (albeit perhaps not as bad as what I've seen from people on PCP--I don't know about DXM). It is truly bizarre than some of the most dangerous drugs are some of the easiest for young people to acquire.

I do realize it's a dissociative but that doesn't mean you can't hallucinate on it--I would consider seeing my ceiling open an hallucination.

It's not quite like hallucinating, see? I imagined my ceiling opening it and I could see it like it was real - but I knew it wasn't. It's not like seeing something that isn't there.

Anyways what's your avatar? It's cool as hell.

It is truly bizarre than some of the most dangerous drugs are some of the easiest for young people to acquire.

True, some regulations might be in order. Then, I suffered greatly when they made Sudafed liqui-gels impossible to find. Maybe just putting the cough-and-cold stuff behind the counter would be enough.

The post in this thread are somewhat...amusing. The habitual drug user culture is an interesting. It may be hard to understand why people "need" to get high to have a good time, but once you try it you'll be like "Wow this is actually kind of cool." Arm yourself with information about the effects and dangers of drugs before you try them and you can find great appreciation for them. It's just something people like to do. Don't knock it before you try it.

Certainly the drug is toxic in extremely high doses, however this is well below the point needed to plateau. This probably belongs in ethics and morality for this point: I discovered DXM during a nasty cold. Had I overdosed then, would the drug manufacturer be liable? They're the ones who make, distribute and market the stuff.
It appears that the major problem with this drug is what it's mixed with. From your link:

SPECIAL WARNING - Coricidin Cough and Cold
There are many over-the-counter products which contain DXM. Most contain additional active ingredients which are best avoided at high doses. The higher the dose, the more likely problems are. One product which has caused problems for many people is Coricidin Cough and Cold which contains DXM and Chlorpheniramine Maleate. If you are using DXM recreationally, avoid using Coricidin Cough and Cold as your DXM source. We have collected a few reports specifically about people's experiences with Coricidin.


INGREDIENTS

* Acetaminophen
o High doses of Acetaminophen can cause serious liver damage and possibly death. Symptoms of overdose may include bloody, black, or tarry stool; bloody or cloudy urine; pain in lower back and/or side; sores, ulcers, or white spots on lips or in mouth; sore throat; or unusual bleeding or bruising.
o We have seen recommendations that no more than 4000 mg of acetaminophen be taken in a day (and no more than 2600mg/day for long-term use).
o ReadersDigestHealth.com

* Aspirin
o Symptoms of overdose may include rapid breathing, difficulty swallowing, ringing in the ears or loss of hearing, bloody urine, diarrhea, nausea, dizziness, fever, swelling of eyelids, face or lips, and convulsions.
o Toxic Aspirin overdoses can be seen beginning at 150-300 mg/kg (10,000 mg for a person weighing 160 lb).
o HealthCentral.com

* Chlorpheniramine Maleate
o High doses of Chlorpheniramine Maleate (CPM) can cause severe and life-threatening symptoms including seizures; shortness of breath or troubled breathing; weakness; loss of consciousness; severe dryness of mouth, nose, or throat; bleeding from skin, mouth, eyes, rectum, and vagina; and possibly death.
o We have seen recommendations that no more than 24 mg of CPM be taken in a day.
o Medline Plus Chlorpheniramine
o Search PubMed
o See Experiences with CPM Containing DXM Products

* Guaifenesin
o High doses of Guaifenesin can cause severe nausea and vomiting.
o MedlinePlus

* Pseudoephedrine (Hydrochloride)
o High doses of pseudoephedrine can cause irregular heartbeat, headaches, difficulty breathing, anxiety, and seizures. Though some people use pseudoephedrine recreationally, there is too much pseudoephedrine in these products to use them as a source for DXM.
o Medline Plus
o Search PubMed
* Sorbitol
o Sorbitol is a sugar substitute that is used in some "sugar-free" brands of cough syrup. High doses of Sorbitol (between 10 and 50 grams) can cause gastrointestinal distress from mild discomfort to severe diarrhea.
o MedlinePlus

The stimulants in many of these products can cause extreme elevations in blood pressure at the dosages needed for the "high". My friend took forty pills as recommended by some internet site. He was "sure" he only took a pure DXM product, but the tox screen showed high doses of other drugs in his system and he had extremely elevated BP for days afterwards.

Had he taken forty pills of a product containing acetaminophen (tylenol), he would now probably be dead. I really don't like the idea of a high school kid's life depending on him reading a label properly when he's out looking to get high.
http://www.erowid.org/chemicals/dxm/dxm.shtml
They probably just need to move all of this crap behind the counter and not sell it to kids under 18. Also, a warning label on products containing tylenol wouldn't be a bad idea either.

I must confess I don't see the attraction. I really picture cough medicine being consumed by bums. My personal drug use has been limited to alcohol, caffeine, and pot (maybe 3 or 4 times for the pot). I was always concerned with the possibility of fucking up my brain with drugs.

Also, I don't enjoy being "out of it". Of the few times I tried pot, only once did it have any effect at all, and I didn't like it. The other times were just taking a quick puff and passing it on at a party, no effect whatsoever. Pulled a Bill Clinton (didn't inhale).

Anyways what's your avatar? It's cool as hell.

True, some regulations might be in order. Then, I suffered greatly when they made Sudafed liqui-gels impossible to find. Maybe just putting the cough-and-cold stuff behind the counter would be enough.

I'm against expanding the drug war by making everything under the sun illegal, but I think there is room for making more medications available without a prescription but only from pharmacies. It just amazes me that there is so little consideration for how harmful a drug is in determining what is illegal and what isn't.

As for the avatar, it's an gif from some old computer game that I grabbed off the Web. I like your avatar as well. Cthulhuoids of the world unite!

Robo tripping does not equal a good time.

This whole thing sounds so ridicolous to me:bugeye: Can ppl not have a good time without getting drunk or high?

Eeeew. No way, ho-zay! ;)

~String

The stimulants in many of these products can cause extreme elevations in blood pressure at the dosages needed for the "high". My friend took forty pills as recommended by some internet site. He was "sure" he only took a pure DXM product, but the tox screen showed high doses of other drugs in his system and he had extremely elevated BP for days afterwards.

Well, it's good to hear that your friend is okay. Really I think that's an argument for more information, not less. Erowid's a very poor source at the end of the day - great for community, great for fairly objective information, great for warnings against some of the stupider drugs (I owe some anonymous user for great advice against GHB) but there doesn't seem to be a reliable bridge between scare tactics and obviously false information and a reasonable assessment of risk.

I'm against expanding the drug war by making everything under the sun illegal, but I think there is room for making more medications available without a prescription but only from pharmacies.

That would be really uncomfortable during cold season.