I just wanted to warn all the parents of teens about the dangers of Robitussin abuse.

I just spent the night at the hospital with my 16 year old son who OD'd on this stuff. THANK GOD he recovered and is home; but it was quite scary yesterday when I found my son "tripping" and unable to walk or talk. His blood pressure was way up, his heart rate was up, he was hallucinating, mumbling, etc.

This is my straight-A student with grand plans after high school, well-liked, respected son... doing something I NEVER thought he'd EVER do because he KNOWS better. We've had so many talks about the dangers of drugs; even specifically Robitussin. Yet he STILL did this stupid thing.

My son's friend was his cohort/partner in crime, and needed to be hospitalized as well. He has recovered, too, thankfully.

I now know that they were planning to do "bigger & harder" drugs in the near future... PCP, LSD, Mushrooms and Ecstacy(sp?). I just pray that this scary experience has made an impact on my son & his friend and that they mean it when they say they'll "never" do anything like this again. They apparently had a "bad trip." And I'm so glad they made it through what could have been a tragic situation.

Please watch your teens. They think this is "fun" and "cool." They think it's harmless because it's an OTC medication. A lot of times, stores won't sell it to minors; but they DID this time - to my son's 15 year old friend. If the store doesn't have it behind the counter, and/or won't sell it to the kids, they often times steal it... all for a moment of "fun."

It can be fatal, though. OR, they could get stuck in a hallucination loop permanently.

Just thought I'd share my story.

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Shannon - SAHM to 3 kids (Ages 16, 13 and 8)
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Joh 10:10 ...I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

1Pe 5:6-7 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

Tit 3:2 To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men.

OMG! Thanks for sharing with us. It just goes to show you that you never know. I'm glad he's OK. I'm sure you're still in a tizzy.
Take care.

I'm so glad your son and his friend will be fine. Please remember that Robitussin is far from the only drug that can be abused by kids and I know most people know about huffing as well.

It's scary -- it's like you have to lock up more stuff from your teens than you ever did when they were toddlers.

Oh my. I am glad your DS is ok. I would never have thought Robitussin could hurt your child permanently. I thought maybe they could just get drunk off it. My oldest is 9 and I am helpless when it comes to knowing what they do to get high now. Thank you for sharing your story.

He is feeling remorse and guilt today and thinking that he's ruined his life & like he has lost his best friend (since they are not allowed to hang out together anymore). And you're right - you never know. I honestly thought, "Not MY son." *sigh*

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Shannon - SAHM to 3 kids (Ages 16, 13 and 8)
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Joh 10:10 ...I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

1Pe 5:6-7 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

Tit 3:2 To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men.

I knew Robitussin could be harmful or fatal -- but now it really hits home.

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Shannon - SAHM to 3 kids (Ages 16, 13 and 8)
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Joh 10:10 ...I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

1Pe 5:6-7 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

Tit 3:2 To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men.

Yes, "huffing" is something else kids do for "fun." CRAZY!

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Shannon - SAHM to 3 kids (Ages 16, 13 and 8)
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Joh 10:10 ...I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

1Pe 5:6-7 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

Tit 3:2 To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men.

Could you tell us how much he drank? Can just one bottle do that...or do they drink more?

Last night, he said "One and three quarters of a bottle." Today, he is saying, "Nearly three bottles." I believe he took around 700mg... I think...? And I think they bought 4 oz. bottles. I'm still trying to sort out the details.

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Shannon - SAHM to 3 kids (Ages 16, 13 and 8)
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Joh 10:10 ...I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

1Pe 5:6-7 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

Tit 3:2 To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men.

I, personally, would have to be desperate to drink enough Robitussin to get high--it makes me gag.
That said, kids do stupid, stupid stuff. And sometimes they do these things, regardless of how they've been raised. Teenagers have a tendency to feel 10 foot and bullet proof--with the attitude "oh it can't happen to me".

I am glad that your DS is ok. I hope that your relationship with him is strong enough that you can have some heart to heart talks and figure out if this was just "something to do" (kids do experiment), or if there is some underlying issue(s) that needs to be addressed.
My thoughts are with you---it's hard being a parent!

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Mental that one, I'm telling you. ---Ron Weasley, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets"

Thank you for sharing with us.....I'm glad that your son is ok.

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Nicole

"robotripping" is what they call it.

I think a lot of people, particularly kids mistakenly believe OTC medication is safer than illegal drugs. Even Tylonal can be fatal, in fact overdose is probably more common than you think.


DXM (the active ingredient in Robotussin) is one of the most common adulterants linked to death in ecstasy users.

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Once the game is over, the king and the pawn go back in the same box.

I've been hearing that a lot the past day or two - that kids do stupid stuff. And, what IS it with teens, anyway??

My relationship with my son has always been pretty good. He's always confided in me and asked me for advice. That's why this is such a huge shock for me -- I never believed MY son would do such a thing. KWIM?

Yes, I will be finding out what his issues are. I can't just brush this off.

Thank you for your thoughts and concerns.

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Shannon - SAHM to 3 kids (Ages 16, 13 and 8)
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Joh 10:10 ...I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

1Pe 5:6-7 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

Tit 3:2 To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men.

I'm hoping that by sharing, others will be made aware.

__________________
Shannon - SAHM to 3 kids (Ages 16, 13 and 8)
--------------------
Joh 10:10 ...I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

1Pe 5:6-7 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

Tit 3:2 To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men.

Yep! "Robotripping" and other such terms... I've even heard about "robowalking." I'm being quite educated by all of this.

DXM is also another term I'm hearing from my son... the ingredient that causes the high, I believe.

And YES!! These OTC meds can be fatal! That's why I'm sharing all of this here. I hope that my son's experience will help inform others of the dangers of OTC meds - and please don't ever think, "Not MY kid." I regret having that thought!!!!!

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Shannon - SAHM to 3 kids (Ages 16, 13 and 8)
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Joh 10:10 ...I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

1Pe 5:6-7 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

Tit 3:2 To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men.

I'm glad your son and his friend are both fine. I do hope it taught them both a lesson and they'll not try anything like that again. Thank you for sharing your story. I think many of us parents think just like you "not my child". It puts us back on our toes and makes us watch our own kids or kids that we know even closer! My kids are only 9 and 7 but I like to stay in the know because anything can happen, to any person at any time.

Down the road a bit, your son may be even able to help other kids. My DH, a school psychologist, coordinates these high impact assemblies for the high school students. Many of the kids he's worked with are eager to share their stories and lessons learned from equally shocking situations that they've survived. These assemblies, complete with question/answer sessons, seem to make a huge impact!

It is mutually beneficial - the kids are hearing directly from other KIDS - so they actually respect the message more, since it doesn't seem to many HS kids that we grownups know what we're talking about!

It benefits the speakers (the kids who have beeen through something they're sharing) because they feel like they're making a big difference in possibly helping to save others. The more they tell their message and answer questions of their peers, the stronger they'll stand against that behavior in the future. Participating as a speaker in these assemblies helps pit the speaking/sharing kid squarely against the drug/risky behavior, and it supposedly helps to shape decision-making in the future. Makes sense to me. It might be worth looking into.

Obviously it's not the time yet. But down the road, when your son has gained some clearer perspective, he might want to do something like this. Your son sounds like a great kid. And he may be just the kind of kid who would want to "make lemonade out of the lemons..."

In the meantime, what a great thing YOU'VE done by sharing with us! There's no telling how many conversations you're helping start within all of our families! Thanks so much, sabal5.

Thanks for sharing this.

I'm so glad your son recovered from this. I know everyone says 'not my son', but yes, it can happen to anyone. No matter how well you've raised your children, you can't be with them every minute and it seems everything they're taught just goes out the window sometimes. (And it is NOT your fault!)

Hopefully this has taught him a HUGE lesson. Sometimes that's the only way they'll learn is thru hard lessons such as this one.

I hope you can have a good talk with him and find out what's really going on.

((HUGS))

I am so sorry to hear about your son. I am happy that he is going to be OK.


I think that people have been abusing Robitussin for years now.

We used to live a block from a super market and someone kept tossing the boxes in our alley. I picked up several a week.

I sure hope it taught them both a lesson as well!

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Shannon - SAHM to 3 kids (Ages 16, 13 and 8)
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Joh 10:10 ...I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

1Pe 5:6-7 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

Tit 3:2 To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men.

I read this post last night and thought about it while falling asleep. This has encouraged me so much! You're right -- my son may turn this terrible situation around and use it to help somebody else. I love this idea; because you're right, kids respect the message much more when they hear it from other kids. I'm going to remember this post and refer back to it when those feelings of hopelessness creep in again. Thank you for reminding me that this is not the end of the world.

I do hope that my post has helped start conversations within other families. I also hope it has caused other parents to watch their children more closely for signs of drug use; behavioral changes, personality changes, depression, and if you sense your child is trying to hide something, s/he probably is. Trust your instincts. I tried to brush off what I was sensing. At one point, I even confronted my son & asked him if he was using drugs. (He tells me now that that freaked him out.) He denied it, of course. But I TOLD him, "You might as well tell me, because I will find out." I just kept praying for him and asking God to somehow let me know the truth.

Anyway, I appreciate this post so much. It is very encouraging for me!

__________________
Shannon - SAHM to 3 kids (Ages 16, 13 and 8)
--------------------
Joh 10:10 ...I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

1Pe 5:6-7 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

Tit 3:2 To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men.

Why is it that everything we teach our kids seemingly goes out the window once they hit those teen years???? It's so frustrating!

I see some kids just sail through those teen years with no problem. Some, however, seem to have to make mistakes in order to learn life's lessons. (That, apparently, is how MY son is, unfortunately.)

Yes, I have been having MANY talks with my son over these past couple of days; and I will be putting him into counseling as well.

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Shannon - SAHM to 3 kids (Ages 16, 13 and 8)
--------------------
Joh 10:10 ...I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

1Pe 5:6-7 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

Tit 3:2 To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men.

I had heard about Robitussin abuse years ago; and even talked to my son about it quite a few times - warning him about the dangers; so he KNEW better. He always said that he would "NEVER" do ANY drugs of ANY kind; but here we are! It's scary right now, knowing that he's not living by these important things he's been taught all his life.

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Shannon - SAHM to 3 kids (Ages 16, 13 and 8)
--------------------
Joh 10:10 ...I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

1Pe 5:6-7 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

Tit 3:2 To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men.

My kids are not near adolescence yet, so I don't have the same exact perspectives and knowledge as parents who have adolescents at home, but I'll bet one thing - your son is probably MORE trustworthy now than he's ever been.

I think that for me, the feeling of immortaility during my teenage years was something no parent's lectures would have been able to penetrate. But the ordeal your son just went through - that will probably prove to be one of the pivotal experiences of his teenage years. He is probably now more open to the wisdom in all those lectures than he's ever been. Ironic, because as a parent dealing with the aftermath here, you probably are questioning him more than you ever have.

I believe he's going to come away from this as a more inightful, trustworthy kid. I really do. And in the meantime, as another poster has said, you're doing (and have done) the right things.

Keep the faith.

I think that kids often have to learn the hard way. I am so happy your son has a second chance. I bet this will scare him into leaving it alone.

I saw a program where people that had talks with their kids said they were sure that their kids would never touch a gun. (One was a police officer ) they had a secret camera there and the adults left the room. There were toys and the gun on a table.
EVERY one of the kids eventually picked up the gun! The parents were shocked! these were younger kids but most kids are curious.



You still need to keep talking to him. I once heard that we have to tell them 50 times and the first 49 don't count!



Back then I had thought that it was easier to shop lift than booze until I found out about it.
hugs!
Shirley

I don't believe that for a minute. Not what you're seeing, but that it's easy on some kids. I think some just hide it a lot better than others. What your son did was dumb, but the vast majority of teenagers do stupid things, and fortunately, most learn, and make it out alive. It sounds like he should be one of them. Seeing puberty as being like a mental illness makes the most sense to me; it does make otherwise sensible kids do irrational things. A lot of it mirrors symptoms of depression, bipolar disorder, or OCD, and in some cases, I think those disorders are present. I also think that explains substance abuse, frequently. It's not so much that teens feel immortal, as that they want to feel something different, or feel they'd rather not live at all. Sometimes medication helps, sometimes it's just a matter of holding on, and hoping to surface eventually. Either way, if this was his crisis point, that's probably a good thing, as that could well be the turning point.