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Cough medicine is quickly becoming a drug of choice among teenagers and pre-teenagers looking for a quick, cheap, and hard-to-detect high. Since most cough medicine can be bought over-the-counter, it's easily accessible to young people, and most parents are generally unaware that cough medicine, taken in quantity, can produce a "buzz" that appeals to kids looking to get high. Such cough medicine abuse is called "robo-tripping" because Robitussin cough medicine is the cough medicine many kids choose. Cough medicine abusers often go to extraordinary lengths to get the cough medicine they want, according to police. Some drug store chains have noticed an increase in in shoplifting of cough medicines, although sometimes the bottles of cough medicine themselves never leave the store. The Wilmington Star newspaper recently reported that just before Christmas, a man walked into a drug store, grabbed three bottles of different types of cough medicine, took them into a restroom, and drank them all. Many such incidents are never reported. And unfortunately, many parents who have never heard of "robo-tripping" and are completely unaware of the dangers of cough medicine abuse. When used in compliance with label directions, cough medicine produces few side effects. But when large doses of cough medicine are taken, a number of dangerous side effects can result, including confusion, dizziness, blurred vision, slurred speech, loss of physical coordination, abdominal pain, rapid heartbeat, drowsiness and nausea. These cough medicine side effects can be especially dangerous when teen drivers get behind the wheel. A recent study by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America shows that one out of 10 teenagers from across the country--or about two million--used cough medicine to get high in 2005. Abuse of cough medicine and other over-the-counter medications has increased tenfold among teenagers since 1999, according to a study by the California Poison Control System. For more information on the topics covered in this article, click on Coughing and Cough Medicine George McKenzie is a retired TV anchor, medical reporter and radio talk show host. He often contributes articles to The Stop Coughing, a resource site about respiratory health and wellness.
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