Over-the-Counter OTC Medication Abuse Part I

Accidental deaths by celebrities like Heath Ledger and Brittany Murphy, in addition to large national campaigns by the Drug Council of America have turned America’s attention to this once silent danger.

Parents are beginning to lock up their medicines, dispose of them carefully, and talk to their kids about the hazards of abusing prescription drugs.

However, it seems that with the recent focus placed on the abuse of prescription drugs, one of the growing trends that has slipped by, is the abuse of over-the-counter medications.

Since they are available without a prescription, many people, especially young people, feel that they must not be dangerous. However, the real truth is that taken in high doses, an OTC medicine can be just as deadly as the strongest prescription medicine.

We should learn more about some of the most commonly abused OTC medicines and the dangers these drugs hold for those that abuse them.

What is an OTC medication?
An over-the-counter medication is any drug that can be bought legally without a prescription. They are legal to own, and since most don't have any age restrictions, can easily be purchased at any store by high-seeking teenagers or adults.

What are the most commonly abused OTC medications?
The amount of drugs that someone can take in order to get high is too long to be listed in its entirety. Almost any medicine can be taken to excess with a physical or mental reaction occurring. However, the following are among the most commonly abused:

Diet Pills
Pills specializing in weight loss often do so by incorporating stimulants that suppress appetite. Some of the ingredients commonly found in these medicines are herbal (and non-FDA approved) like ma huang or ephedra. Taken in excess they can cause similar symptoms to amphetamines, including insomnia, paranoia, and a rapid heartbeat.  Many of the men who end up in our drug rehab for meth abuse start out abusing over the counter meds.

Sleep Aids
Various sleep aids, like Tylenol PM, Excedrin PM, or Unisom and many more are abused because of the active ingredient Doxylamine, which gives a feeling of sleepiness. However, taken in high doses, they can actually have the opposite effect, leading to insomnia, euphoria, hallucinations and the possibility of seizures, or cardiac arrest. Concurrently, caffeine pills, like No-Doz are also abused, but they can be taken as a counter to the effects of depressants including over-the-counter medications like sleep aids.

Cough and Flu medications
Dextromethorphan, known commonly as DXM, is the main active ingredient in cough/cold medications like Benadryl, NyQuil, and Robitussin (and many many more.) Taken in high doses, this chemical may cause hallucinations, and is known as “Dexing” or “Robo-tripping”. Many of the users describe the effects as a pleasurable delirium, but at high levels, a toxic psychosis can occur, which can lead to hospitalization. In 2004, over 12,500 cases of DXM abuse resulted in hospitalization (with 48% of those hospitalized being between the ages of 12-20.) 

Many of the people who we treat and come to our family treatment programs are familiar with the disturbing A&E Intervention episode where "Ben" was addicted to medications that contained DXM.

Read Part II of Over the Counter Drug Abuse