Legal News for Florida Personal Injury Attorneys. Ten Hialeah Middle School students were transported to area hospitals after overdosing on cough medications.
Florida personal injury lawyer alert- Ten middle school students from Hialeah, FL taken to hospitals for drug overdoses due to abuse of over-the-counter medications.
Hialeah, FL—Almost a dozen middle school students were hospitalized after abusing over-the-counter cough medication as a means of hallucinating. The teens, whose ages ranged from 13 to 14, reportedly took excessive amounts of the decongestant Coricidin HBP, known to many youngsters as “C-C-C,” “Red Devils,” and “Candy”, according to information provided by CBS4 and the Orlando Sentinel.
Reports stated 10 Hialeah Middle School students required medical attention after overdosing on the cough medication, which contains dextomethorphan and an antihistamine. Young teens often abuse dextomethorphan, otherwise known as DXM, to achieve a feeling of inebriation or disorientation. According to KidsHealth.org, many refer to the act of using DXM to hallucinate as “dexing,” “robotripping” or “robodosing”. Symptoms are said to include “confusion, impaired judgment, blurred vision, paranoia, excessive sweating, slurred speech, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and headache”.
Hialeah fire rescue crews were dispatched to Hialeah Middle School, located at 6027 E. Seventh Avenue, after receiving notification that 10 students consumed excessive amounts of Coricidin HBP and subsequently became ill. Eight of the sick teens were taken to Palmetto General Hospital, while two others were transported to Jackson Memorial to be treated for overdoses.
While none of the students were arrested, Coricidin HBP was allegedly deemed to be the culprit in several other in-school incidents of youth substance abuse. According to data provided by the Texas Poison Center Network’s Toxic Exposure Surveillance System, C-C-C abuse increased 60 percent from 1998 to 1999. Authorities are expected to investigate the incident.
Legal News Reporter: Sandra Quinlan- Legal News for Florida Personal Injury Lawyers.