Abusing Over the Counter Drugs: Illicit Uses for Everyday Drugs by kim etingoff

Author:kim etingoff
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-11-29T16:00:00+00:00

Medications as seemingly harmless as Sudafed are now controlled by law to keep them from being used to create meth.

As well intentioned as these new regulations are, they are not without their own problems. According to journalist Sarah Fenske of the Phoenix New Times, Arizona’s government was convinced that if they cut the supply of the ingredients used to make crystal meth—namely, OTC cold medicines—the demand would drop as well.

But when a law went into effect that regulated all cold medicines containing pseudoephedrine—one of the key ingredients meth cooks use—the results took them by surprise. Under the new law, everything from Sudafed to Tylenol Cold has to be kept behind the counter, and customers must sign a logbook that is faxed monthly to the police.

As the cops read through the logs, they kept noticing the same name over and over at the same address in a small town outside Phoenix. So the police went out to investigate. They were ready to bust a ring of meth cookers.

Instead, they found a large family with the flu.

In today’s world, the Internet has acted as a new tool to spread DXM abuse. The freedom of the Internet allows people to set up sites promoting its use, telling users how much to take and how to get high. Some even have charts and calculators to help people take the amount of DXM necessary to get high, based on age and weight. Sites called pill mills also make it easier for users to get their drug of choice. These “pharmacies” do not require buyers to have prescriptions or even to travel to a store to buy medicine. This allows people to easily buy a large supply of medicine without alerting suspicion.

This information has led to a shift in preferred methods of consuming DXM. Before the advent of easy-to-get instructions on how to use DXM more efficiently and effectively, users would drink entire bottles of cough syrup, which was unpleasant and could produce vomiting. Today, with better information and the possibility of buying powdered DXM online, more users are choosing to snort this form of the drug.

Other OTC Drugs Being Abused

DXM is not the only OTC drug now on the menu for individuals looking to get high. Painkillers, or analgesics, are another common category of OTC drugs that are subject to abuse. Normally, these medications combat muscle aches, headaches, menstrual cramps, and the pain of everyday bumps and bruises. Acetaminophen, better known as Tylenol®; acetylsalicylic acid (ASA), or aspirin; and ibuprofen, found in Advil®, are some of the more commonly abused analgesics. If taken in large amounts, these medicines all create feelings of euphoria and hallucinations similar to products containing DXM.

Antihistamines are yet another category of abused OTC drugs. Antihistamines are used to treat allergies and acute allergic reactions. Antihistamines are also sometimes found in sleep aids and motion sickness pills. Like DXM and analgesics, they also produce a type of high if taken in excess. Abuse of these medicines, such as Tylenol PM and Excedrin® PM, is not uncommon.

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