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veggie

Registered: 07/25/04
Posts: 17,504
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5 students OD on Coricidin [VA]
#5608198 - 05/09/06 10:42 AM (17 years, 8 months ago) |
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Five Middle School Students Alleged To Have Overdosed On Coricidin
May 9, 2006 - leesburg2day.com
May 09, 2006 -- Five teenagers from Seneca Ridge Middle School were taken to the hospital last Wednesday for elevated blood pressure after they took an over the counter cold medication while at school, according to the Loudoun County Sheriff’s office. The students are alleged to have taken excessive amounts of Coricidin HBP Cough and Cold medication. One student came to the school’s clinic mid-day with an elevated blood pressure and admitted taking the medication, according to sheriff’s office spokesman Kraig Troxell. A school resource officer determined that five students may have been involved in the incident, four females and one male, ranging in age from 12- to 14-years-old.
“It’s concerning that its middle school students,” Troxell said. “What also stands out about it is the majority of them are female. That’s something you don’t see as well.”
During a forum sponsored by the School Community Coalitions—a coalition designed to try and reduce youth substance abuse—earlier this year, two Loudoun County Public School substance abuse specialists said the use of cough and cold medicines has trended upward in recent years.
Allyne Zappalla, one of the substance abuse prevention specialists, said this week some students are looking for an ingredient called dextromeththorphan or DXM, which in high doses will causes visual hallucinations and disorientations like being intoxicated. In some circles, this form of substance abuse is called “Skittling.”
In overdose situations, DXM can cause coma or even death. Treating patients who are under the influence of high amounts of DXM can be difficult, Zappalla said, and the drug can depress the central nervous system. “Over the past years, it has become more and more prevalent,” she said.
Loudoun Sheriff’s Office Deputy Mike Hanson, Seneca Ridge’s SRO, said it is the first time he’s seen an incident like this at the school. In many instances, Hanson said, drug stores keep these types of products behind the counter. But in this case, the medicine was readily available in front of the counter. The SRO said the drug store has made changes and has placed the medicine behind the counter.
“I think it might have been a bad decision, a bad experiment,” Hanson said.
Troxell said all of the students were treated at the hospital and released. The incident, he said, is still under investigation.
Troxell said taking cough-syrup-type products to get a “buzz” is nothing new and has been going on for decades. Taking over the counter medications in pill form, Troxell said, is “something new we haven’t seen.”
Zappalla said there has been an effort to force pharmacies to place products containing DXM behind the counter. She also said that there are similar products parents can buy, which don’t contain DXM, that accomplish the same result as products like Coricidin and Robitussin. Warning signs, Zappalla said, include drowsiness, dizziness, dry mouth and increased blood pressure and heart rate.
Schools spokesman Wayde Byard said all of the students are in the “disciplinary pipeline.” He also noted an incident two years ago at Harmony Intermediate School where eight students overdosed on DXM. At the time, he said, the school board lobbied the local state delegation to introduce legislation to have such products placed behind the counter. A directive was made to such establishments to place products containing DXM behind the counter. Byard said most outlets have coalesced.
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Jim


Registered: 04/07/04
Posts: 20,922
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Re: 5 students OD on Coricidin [VA] [Re: veggie]
#5608260 - 05/09/06 10:58 AM (17 years, 8 months ago) |
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it is taking them an awfully long time to ban DXM
-------------------- Use the Fucking Reply To Feature You Lazy Pieces of Shit! afoaf said: Jim, if you were in my city, I would let you fuck my wife.
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Seuss
Error: divide byzero


Registered: 04/27/01
Posts: 23,480
Loc: Caribbean
Last seen: 2 months, 20 days
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Re: 5 students OD on Coricidin [VA] [Re: Jim]
#5609056 - 05/09/06 02:40 PM (17 years, 8 months ago) |
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Follow the money...
-------------------- Just another spore in the wind.
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Banez
Stranger


Registered: 09/23/05
Posts: 15,181
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Re: 5 students OD on Coricidin [VA] [Re: Seuss]
#5609596 - 05/09/06 05:27 PM (17 years, 8 months ago) |
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yeah they have been trying desperately to get dxm banned.. but since its a pharmacuetical and thats CASH, they wont fuck with it.. government is ran by big business
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