· If You Need Help ·

Washington Poison Center.
Call the toll free number for Poison emergencies, questions about poisons or questions about poison prevention. http://www.wapc.org/

Toll-free: 1-800-222-1222

24-hr Alcohol and Drug Helpline (Washington). Information and referrals about alcohol and drug abuse; open 24 hours a day for the general public, chemical dependency professionals and health professionals. http://adhl.org/

Toll-free: 1-800-562-1240
Seattle Area: 206-722-3700
Teens: 206-722-4222

Over-the-Counter (OTC) Medications: Pamphlet for Western Washington Univ. students (Whatcom County).

• Overall, dextromethorphan abuse has been reported at low to moderate levels over the last decade. No obvious trends are apparent locally, except for a possible increase in deaths in 2003.
  
  
• Deaths involving dextromethorphan (DXM) in King County have been uncommon, however the highest level of dextromethorphan-involved deaths occured in 2003 when there were 10 such deaths. All of these involved other drugs in addition to dextromethorphan; the decedents were ages 30 to 60.  A total of 18 deaths involving dextromethorphan occurred between January 1997 and June 2004 in King County. (Fig. 1)
  
  
• The Poison Center regularly receives calls about dextromethorphan, with 1,444 calls in 2001, similar to the prior 4 years. Fifteen percent of these calls in 2001 were about intentional misuse of dextromethorphan. (Fig. 2) (Fig. 2b)
  
  
• A 2003 community-based study in King County found that 18% of youth in drug treatment had used DXM at some point in their life to get high. Twenty-six percent of those surveyed at raves and clubs reported getting high with DXM. (Fig. 3)
  
  
• Emergency Department visits involving dextromethorphan in King and Snohomish Counties were fairly infrequent with an estimated 39 mentions in 2002, a level not substantially different than that in the prior 7 years. (Fig. 4 )
  
  
• National and local surveys generally have not documented use of cough medicines, including dextromethorphan in the past, so little is known about the long term patterns of use of DXM.

National Clearinghouse for Alcohol & Drug Abuse Information: "Convenience-Store High: How Ordinary Cough Medicine is Being Abused for its Mind-Altering Effects." (June 12, 2001) http://www.health.org/newsroom/rep/170.aspx

UW Healthbeat. "Over-the-counter drugs and under-the-counter solvents: the latest wave of drug abuse." (Jan. 18, 2005) http://depts.washington.edu/hsnews/hb/hb2005/01_18_05.html

National Survey from the Partnership for a Drug-Free America. "One in 11 teenagers (9 percent), or 2.2 million young people, has abused OTC cough medications intentionally to get high. Such products contain the active ingredient dextromethorphan." (April 21, 2005))
http://www.drugfree.org/Portal/About/NewsReleases/Generation_Rx_Teens_Abusing_Rx_and_OTC_Medications