Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2006 Dec;160(12):1217-22.
doi: 10.1001/archpedi.160.12.1217.

Dextromethorphan abuse in adolescence: an increasing trend: 1999-2004

Jodi K Bryner  1 , Uerica K Wang, Jenny W Hui, Merilin Bedodo, Conan MacDougall, Ilene B Anderson
Affiliations

Dextromethorphan abuse in adolescence: an increasing trend: 1999-2004

Jodi K Bryner et al. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2006 Dec.

Abstract

Objectives: To analyze the trend of dextromethorphan abuse in California and to compare these findings with national trends.

Design: A 6-year retrospective review.

Setting: California Poison Control System (CPCS), American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC), and Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) databases from January 1, 1999, to December 31, 2004.

Participants: All dextromethorphan abuse cases reported to the CPCS, AAPCC, and DAWN. The main exposures of dextromethorphan abuse cases included date of exposure, age, acute vs long-term use, coingestants, product formulation, and clinical outcome. Main Outcome Measure The annual proportion of dextromethorphan abuse cases among all exposures reported to the CPCS, AAPCC, and DAWN databases.

Results: A total of 1382 CPCS cases were included in the study. A 10-fold increase in CPCS dextromethorphan abuse cases from 1999 (0.23 cases per 1000 calls) to 2004 (2.15 cases per 1000 calls) (odds ratio, 1.48; 95% confidence interval, 1.43-1.54) was identified. Of all CPCS dextromethorphan abuse cases, 74.5% were aged 9 to 17 years; the frequency of cases among this age group increased more than 15-fold during the study (from 0.11 to 1.68 cases per 1000 calls). Similar trends were seen in the AAPCC and DAWN databases. The highest frequency of dextromethorphan abuse occurred among adolescents aged 15 and 16 years. The most commonly abused product was Coricidin HBP Cough & Cold Tablets.

Conclusions: Our study revealed an increasing trend of dextromethorphan abuse cases reported to the CPCS that is paralleled nationally as reported to the AAPCC and DAWN. This increase was most evident in the adolescent population.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
A comparison of California Poison Control System (CPCS), American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC), and Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) dextromethorphan abuse cases. Dextromethorphan DAWN data were unavailable for 2003 and 2004. Dextromethorphan abuse reported to the AAPCC represents 15 543 cases; and to DAWN, 6447 cases.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The proportion of California Poison Control System (CPCS), American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC), and Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) dextromethorphan abuse cases compared with the total exposures reported to each database. Dextromethorphan DAWN data are unavailable for 2003 and 2004.
Figure 3
Figure 3
A comparison of the trends in abuse according to age for cases reported to the California Poison Control System (CPCS) and the American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC) during the study. The age was not reported in 22 of the CPCS cases and in 733 of the AAPCC cases. U indicates unknown.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Ramachander G, Williams FD, Emele JF. Determination of dextrorphan in plasma and evaluation of bioavailability of dextromethorphan hydrobromide in humans. J Pharm Sci. 1977;66:1047–1048. - PubMed
    1. Ginski MJ, Witkin JM. Sensitive and rapid behavioral differentiation of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonists. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 1994;114:573–582. - PubMed
    1. Bobo WV, Fulton RB. Commentary on: severe manifestations of Coricidin intoxication. Am J Emerg Med. 2004;22:624–625. - PubMed
    1. Price LH, Lebel J. Dextromethorphan-induced psychosis [letter] Am J Psychiatry. 2000;157:304. - PubMed
    1. Sharma A, Dewan V, Petty F. Acute psychosis with Coricidin cold medicine. Ann Pharmacother. 2005;39:1577–1578. - PubMed

Publication types