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Parents warned about dangers of DXM

  • Published
  • By Staff. Sgt. Angie Perez
  • 18th Wing Public Affairs
Abuse of over-the-counter medications continues to be a problem on Okinawa and officials here caution parents to be aware of this potentially fatal trend as medical emergencies among youth have increased in the past year. 

Paul Howell, 18th Medical Operations Squadron Drug Demand Reduction program manager, said at least one person is treated weekly at the U.S. Naval Hospital at Camp Lester for over-the-counter medication intoxication or overdose. 

The major misconception is that kids think it is semi-safe to use because it is an over-the-counter medicine, but the consequences and effects can be life-threatening. "It is addictive and in super-high doses it will lead to death," said Mr. Howell. "That's pretty much guaranteed." 

Abuse of these medications causes internal damage, liver damage, heartbeat irregularity, and can bring on cardiac arrest, among many other long-term side effects. 

"In high doses it can cause hallucinations," said Mr. Howell. "There is only a couple of milligrams difference between a psychoactive high and death." 

One of the key ingredients in several over-the-counter cough and cold medicines that is sought after by youth is Dextromethorphan, widely known as DXM. DXM is being used more and more to get high rather than help heal colds and coughs. 

The recent trend for youths ranging from 12-20 years of age is to buy medicines containing DXM in bulk and ingest large quantities at a time. This gives a euphoric feeling similar to LSD and can be boosted by drinking alcohol. 

This trend is dangerous because users build a tolerance to the drugs and then need to take more, said Marreese Blunt, 18th Security Forces Squadron investigator. Most kids will start off with 5-6 pills and build a tolerance to take up to 20 to 30 pills at a time. 

"There was one case where a kid had to be hospitalized because he failed to build up his tolerance," said Mr. Blunt, "there have been recorded cases where DXM abuse has been related to deaths because the effects can cause users to be unaware of their surroundings." 

There has been a drastic increase in over-the-counter medication users, both active duty and dependent, here and in the states. 

Medications with DXM can be bought in just about any drugstore, supermarket, or convenience store. They are perfectly legal to buy and use, if used properly, and they are very attractive to users because they are cheap. Prices range from $1.99 to $5.99 depending on the brand. When people begin taking more than the recommended dosage they cross the line into criminal drug use. 

Kadena Air Base officials are currently investigating individuals buying these items in bulk and reselling them to the youth. 

"Parents need to be more involved in their kids' lives as far as knowing what their kids are doing, what's in their child's room, and the friends that they hang around with," said Lawrence Vaden, also an investigator with 18th SFS. "Any time you've got a good kid who makes a drastic change and goes bad suddenly...just really paying attention to your environment and dealing with it as it comes up helps to prevent future problems." 

The internet is part of the problem. Lots of web sites give kids information on which medicines contain the drugs they are looking for and the exact dosage for the different levels of high. But parents can take action. They can block access to these web sites or at the very least, check the computer history to see what sites have been visited. 

The Army and Air Force Exchange Service is aware of the problem and is taking action. AAFES is changing their process and making it a little bit more difficult for teenagers to purchase these products. "Those procedures are going to be even more increased," said Mr. Vaden. 

"With our investigations along with AAFES loss prevention and other agencies on the island, the kids will understand that we're not playing with this," said Mr. Vaden.

Programs are in place to help combat the addiction that comes with extended misuse of DXM. 

"The school-aged kids have the Adolescence Substance Abuse Counselors," said Mr. Howell. "They can get evaluated, counseled, and treated." 

Child psychologists are provided for counseling sessions at Life Skills along with an alcohol and drug treatment program for active duty as well.