Teen Drug Abuse: Cough Syrup Is Called High Robotripping

Teen drug abuse and alcoholism ruin a teenager’s life and tear his family apart. Adolescence is characterized by risky behaviors and impulsiveness. An example of a teenager experimenting with a different way of getting high is by swallowing excessive amounts of cough syrup. This method of getting high is called “robotripping.”

The active ingredient in cough syrup is called dextromethorphan, also known as tussin. Dextromethorphan acts as a cough suppressant at recommended doses. It is sold without a prescription and is therefore legal and readily available. Just as excessive alcohol consumption in adolescence is typical for adolescents (drinking large amounts of alcohol in a short period of time), take 25 to 50 times the recommended dose of cough syrup (medicine to drink excessively or excessively) is a form of drug abuse among adolescents.

As a psychiatrist who specializes in addictions, I have found that parents lack education about alcoholism and drug abuse among adolescents in today’s world. The world is a different place compared to how we grew up. The ease of sharing information through electronics makes it easy to start trends. Parental denial that their adolescent experiments with drugs and alcohol is strong.

RT I am 16 years old who I treat for teenage alcoholism and cough syrup abuse. He said he drank the cough syrup frequently because he enjoyed hallucinating and feeling like he was “out of” his own body. He informed me that I felt “really high” on the cough syrup. However, one day he drank so much cough syrup that he had a seizure and ended up in the emergency room. He could easily have died. At that time, his parents were faced with the reality that their son had a serious problem with drugs and alcohol. He was admitted to a rehabilitation center.

Here are 7 facts parents need to know about robot shooting; the high cough syrup:

1. 1 in 10 adolescents has tried the robot technique.

2. Teenagers are very naive and think that mediation is safe if it is over the counter. They do not understand that taking something above the recommended doses can cause serious harm to their health.

3. Swallowing cough syrup causes hallucinations, an out-of-body experience, and perceptual distortions. It is thought to be a cheap form of ecstasy or LSD and is similar to the effect caused by the animal tranquilizer, ketamine.

4. The high from cough syrup is called a robotic drip. Other terms for cough syrup or the active ingredient, dextromethorphan, are DXM, boluses, syrup, Tussin, Triple-C, Special K.

5. The dangerous effects of robo-trip include slow breathing, cardiac arrhythmias, bleeding in the brain, seizures, loss of sensation in the fingers and toes, coma, and death.

6. Fatal overdoses occur when mixed with alcohol, sleeping medication, or anti-anxiety medications and pain relievers. Nyquil and other mixed cold / cough preparations can be very dangerous when taken in high doses.

7. Tussin is addictive if it has been taken for a long time.

Parents must wake up to the world of teen drug abuse. Teens are risk takers, susceptible to peer pressure, trying to adjust, and trying to deal with confusing feelings and often difficult family situations (divorce, an alcoholic parent). Adolescents tend to self-medicate feelings of depression and anxiety with drugs and alcohol. Adolescents most at risk for drug abuse and alcoholism in adolescence are those with low self-esteem, those who complain of feeling lonely, and those with an addicted parent.

Part of our responsibility as parents is to educate our teens about the dangers of drugs and alcohol, including cough syrup and prescription pills such as pain relievers. It is important to explain that “over the counter” drugs do not equal “safe.” We must be careful with the medicines available at home and keep them under lock and key as if we were closing a liquor cabinet.