Students find a new drug over the counter

Andrew Edwards

Alcohol. Tobacco. Marijuana. Parents and teachers have known for

years the importance of protecting children and teenagers from these

substances. But a new danger lurks in drug stores and home medicine

cabinets.

Three students at Marine View Middle School were suspended last

week for possessing potentially dangerous over-the-counter cold

pills. Designed to relieve cold and flu symptoms for patients with

high blood pressure, Coricidin HBP tablets have become new ways for

kids to get high.

“It’s not a hard drug, but it’s dangerous,” said Barbara

Boskovich, president of the Ocean View School District Board of

Trustees.

The incident was the first time students at an Ocean View School

District campus have been caught with Coricidin HBP tablets,

Boskovich said.

It is a new drug, but an old problem. Beverly Hempstead, the

district’s director of student services, compared the misuse of cold

medicine to the practice of inhaling glue fumes to get high.

“I think our teens get very creative with things,” Hempstead said.

The active ingredient in the medication is dexotromethorphan, also

known as DXM. High doses of dexotromethorphan can act as a

hallucinogen, according to information on the Partnership for a Drug

Free America’s website. Misuse of the drug, which is also used in

some cough syrups, can be fatal.

Symptoms of dexotromethorphan abuse can include nausea, diarrhea,

abdominal pain, rapid heart rate and dizziness. Overdoses can slow,

or even stop breathing, according to the website.

School administrators became aware that the pills were on campus

after being informed by other students.

“We had kids right away who told,” Marine View Principal Elizabeth

Williams said.

While telling on fellow students may not be popular in the

schoolyard, it can help keep campuses safe.

“If we have students who inform ... then we can stay on top of

it,” Hempstead said.

Marine View students are not allowed to bring any medicine to

school, even common pills such as aspirin, unless they have a

doctor’s note, Williams said.

When the Mothers Against Driving Drunk program visited the school

on Wednesday, it added information about the drug to the

presentation, Williams said.

The school will also schedule a full assembly to educate students,

she added.