What is robo-tripping? It’s the abuse of over-the-counter cough medicine such as Robitussin. A decision by the Food and Drug Administration will determine whether this will continue.
The Food and Drug Administration advisory committee will decide on Tuesday evening whether or not to restrict access to over-the-counter cough medicine.
This move by the FDA is prompted by several reports of kids taking too much bottles of cough syrups in order to get high. According to an NBC report, at least five percent of teens admit to have taken eight to 20 times the recommended dosages of the cough medicine in an attempt to get high.
This over-the-counter drug abuse is called “Robo-tripping” after the cough medicine brand named “Robitussin” which contains dextromethorphan or DXM.
According to Steve Pasierb of the Partnership for Drug Free America, an overdose of cough medicines could lead to heart palpitations, seizures, and loss of consciousness. Since 2004, the number of emergency room visits because of DXM overdose has risen to more than 70%.