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Editorial
Be on the lookout for the latest teen drug trend
Tuesday, October 1, 2019
For those of us more concerned about memory loss and mental sharpness, the idea of deliberately sabotaging our mental faculties is a mystery.
For some, that may be because we had no shortage of mind-altering chemicals in our younger years, but we digress...
We’re entering into the traditional cough and cold season, but parents of teens might want to be cautious about one of the latest remedies.
Abuse of cough syrup is nothing new, but authorities are warning of a new teen drug trend called “Robo Tripping.”
A powerful new cough suppressant called RoboCough is legal, but it carries enough of the active ingredient in many cough suppressants, DXM, to get teens high if taken in large amounts, according to authorities in Fort Bend, Texas.
A Fort Bend County teen talked anonymously in a video about his terrifying experience after using a new over-the-counter cough suppressant called, Robo Cough.
"We didn't really expect to end up in the hospital." The teen had taken Robo Cough with another teen and was later found unresponsive by a parent. They were both rushed to the hospital and treated.
Texas recently joined 18 other states that passed laws restricting access to over-the-counter cough medicines like Nyquil and Robitussin.
Symptoms of a DXM overdose include slow or labored breathing, blueish colored fingernails and lips, blurred vision, coma, constipation, seizures, drowsiness, dizziness, hallucinations, nausea, vomiting, rapid heartbeat, raise body temperature and stomach spasm, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
More and more states are expected to restrict the sale of cough suppressants to teens, but until they do, and even after they do, parents have an important role to play in keeping their children safe.