User Panel
User Panel
User Panel
|
Posted: 9/14/2010 10:00:07 AM EDT
09:29 AM ET http://pagingdrgupta.blogs.cnn.com/2010/09/14/the-fda-is-considering-prescriptions-for-common-cough-suppressants/ Last year, more than 8,000 people, mostly teens, were treated at emergency rooms because they abused over-the-counter cough suppressants, according to the Food and Drug Administration. Now in an effort to control these substances, the FDA is considering whether to make medicines like Nyquil, Robitussin and Tylenol Cold tablets, prescription drugs.  An FDA advisory committee, which is meeting today in College Park, Maryland will review data, provided to them by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. The DEA, which asked for the hearing back in 2007, says it saw a 70 percent increase in emergency room visits between 2004 and 2008, because of teens using large amounts of cough syrup to get high. The ingredient in these medicines that creates the euphoria is dextromethorphan, also known as "dex" or DXM. It's found in many products at drug stores. Kids who abuse these suppressants, many times mix them with prescription drugs or marijuana, according to experts. The practice has a few names including "robotripping". The combination can cause a spike in heart rate, blood pressure and body temperature, and if a child consumes enough of it, it can be deadly. Misty Fetko, a registered nurse from Santa Barbara, California knew the dangers of illegal drugs and alcohol. She talked to both her sons about it. But she never suspected her eldest boy, Carl, was using cough syrup to get high. That's until she started seeing empty bottles of it in their home and in his car. By the time it dawned on her that he was in danger, it was too late. A few weeks before he was scheduled to attend college, she found him in his bed, unresponsive. His heart had stopped. Autopsy reports showed a combination of high doses of DEX in his system, along with other prescription medicines. "I never would have thought this to happen." said Fetko. " We use to lock up our liquor. Instead, I should have been locking up my medicine cabinet." Fetko's family is not alone. Eight percent or 1.3 million teens have reported abusing over-the-counter cough suppressants over the last year, according to the Partnership for a Drug Free America reports. The statistic may seem high, but it's much lower than the number of teens abusing other substances like inhalants and marijuana. So to many drug experts, clamping down on these medicines, that more than 40 million people use safely to help fight coughs and colds, seems a little extreme. "This is not the biggest drug problem facing America's families, these days." says Steve Pasierb, president of Partnership. "But, obviously, the problem needs to be addressed. We think parental education is key." The Consumer Healthcare Products Association agrees. As a representative for hundreds of drug manufacturers, the CHPA believes very few parents have heard about cough suppressant abuse and if they knew, they would address it. "Many parents don't know about this type of drug abuse." notes Linda Suydam, president of CHPA. "We have found that parents who do discuss drugs with their kids have a 50 percent better outcome of keeping their kids away from any drug form." If the advisory committee agrees that these drugs should become prescription, they will forward their recommendation to the FDA, which will make its decision based on the committee's findings. Although the FDA does not have to follow the committee's suggestion, they traditionally do. |
|
|
|
Posted: 9/14/2010 10:03:02 AM EDT
[#1]
It's funny when I tell Americans that I can still get Codeine OTC in Canada. They think I'm full of shit. Now I know why. This is just another case of "legislating to the >2% of people who are dumb enough to abuse it".
|
|
|
|
Posted: 9/14/2010 10:04:41 AM EDT
[#2]
Or maybe they'll just lock it up behind the pharmacy counter like the do pseudoephedrine, making it impossible to get unless the pharmacy's open. Because nobody ever needs cough or cold medicine at night, right?
|
|
|
|
Posted: 9/14/2010 10:05:35 AM EDT
[#3]
Quoted:
Or maybe they'll just lock it up behind the pharmacy counter like the do pseudoephedrine, making it impossible to get unless the pharmacy's open. Because nobody ever needs cough or cold medicine at night, right? Sign here. |
|
|
|
Posted: 9/14/2010 10:06:31 AM EDT
[#4]
Quoted: It's funny when I tell Americans that I can still get Codeine OTC in Canada. They think I'm full of shit. Now I know why. This is just another case of "legislating to the >2% of people who are dumb enough to abuse it". Do they keep it behind the counter? I looked for some when I was in Canada in February (slept on my neck wrong and couldn't turn my head) but I couldn't find any at the pharmacy. I didn't ask at the counter because I wasn't sure if it was still legal and didn't want to look like an addict jonesing for a fix.  |
|
|
|
Posted: 9/14/2010 10:09:21 AM EDT
[#5]
Legalize all drugs and let the users die.
Parents, raise you children to not use drugs. That means leading by example and outting down that beer. |
|
|
|
Posted: 9/14/2010 10:13:54 AM EDT
[#6]
Dextramethorphine will fuck you up. I'm not for making it a prescription, but it is a no joke high,
This is the actual problem. You can drink a bottle of Robitussin DM and walk around hallucinating for a few hours without too many bad effects. But that shit sucks. So stupid teenagers go buy pills like Coricidin (skittling) because they are easy to take. But a lot of that shit has acetiminiphen or other nasty stuff in it. So kids fuck up their livers or O.D. on the extra ingredients because they are too dumb to look at the labels. |
|
|
|
Posted: 9/14/2010 10:14:10 AM EDT
[#7]
Quoted: It's funny when I tell Americans that I can still get Codeine OTC in Canada. They think I'm full of shit. Now I know why. This is just another case of "legislating to the >2% of people who are dumb enough to abuse it". No way. Canadians would be high on cough syrup and drinking milk from bags. Say it isn't so, eh? ETA - You know, I'd let Canadians drink milk from bottles if we Americans could buy just 1 bottle of real cough syrup per year without a doctor visit. |
|
|
|
Posted: 9/14/2010 10:16:14 AM EDT
[#8]
Quoted: Quoted: It's funny when I tell Americans that I can still get Codeine OTC in Canada. They think I'm full of shit. Now I know why. This is just another case of "legislating to the >2% of people who are dumb enough to abuse it". Do they keep it behind the counter? I looked for some when I was in Canada in February (slept on my neck wrong and couldn't turn my head) but I couldn't find any at the pharmacy. I didn't ask at the counter because I wasn't sure if it was still legal and didn't want to look like an addict jonesing for a fix. Yes, it's behind the counter. You just walk up and tell them that you want either "333's" or "Tylenol 1". 333's = 325mg Aspirin, 8mg Codeine and 8mg caffeine. T1 is the same as the 333's, but with 325mg Tylenol instead of Aspirin. You may need to provide your drivers license to buy it, however. I believe you are only allowed 200 pills at one time, and the drivers license tracks that somehow. It's funny because I can go to Costco, Wal-Mart and any drug store in Calgary and buy 200 at a time from 200 different stores if I really wanted to. The legislation is written (IIRC) so that any one store cannot sell you more then 200 at a time. |
|
|
|
Posted: 9/14/2010 10:18:01 AM EDT
[#9]
Freedom weeps...
|
|
|
|
Posted: 9/14/2010 10:18:39 AM EDT
[#10]
Quoted: Dextramethorphine will fuck you up. I'm not for making it a prescription, but it is a no joke high, This is the actual problem. You can drink a bottle of Robitussin DM and walk around hallucinating for a few hours without too many bad effects. But that shit sucks. So stupid teenagers go buy pills like Coricidin (skittling) because they are easy to take. But a lot of that shit has acetiminiphen or other nasty stuff in it. So kids fuck up their livers or O.D. on the extra ingredients because they are too dumb to look at the labels. Sucks to be them.....  |
|
|
|
Posted: 9/14/2010 10:24:44 AM EDT
[#11]
Quoted:
Dextramethorphine will fuck you up. I'm not for making it a prescription, but it is a no joke high, This is the actual problem. You can drink a bottle of Robitussin DM and walk around hallucinating for a few hours without too many bad effects. But that shit sucks. So stupid teenagers go buy pills like Coricidin (skittling) because they are easy to take. But a lot of that shit has acetiminiphen or other nasty stuff in it. So kids fuck up their livers or O.D. on the extra ingredients because they are too dumb to look at the labels. So now because of some teens stupidity and their parents lack of supervision I will have to take time off of work to see a doctor then pay prescription co-pays to get a friggin bottle of Nyquil. Pure unadulterated bullshit. No need for this crap. Darwin rules. My careometer registers zero for these kids or their parents. |
|
|
|
Posted: 9/14/2010 10:25:07 AM EDT
[#12]
More and more i'm getting convinced that the perscription "system" is mostly a scam.
|
|
|
|
Posted: 9/14/2010 10:28:12 AM EDT
[#13]
Well they wouldn't want anyone to opt out of government healthcare would they?
Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile |
|
|
|
Posted: 9/14/2010 10:29:26 AM EDT
[#14]
Quoted: More and more i'm getting convinced that the perscription "system" is mostly a scam. Look at it this way, if every drug was sold over the counter, people currently making a lot of money off of the system would be without jobs. |
|
|
|
Posted: 9/14/2010 10:30:58 AM EDT
[#15]
Let Darwin do his fucking job.
|
|
|
|
Posted: 9/14/2010 10:34:20 AM EDT
[#16]
I need to get some mother fucking sleep when I have a cold.
Let these little fuckers die. |
|
|
|
Posted: 9/14/2010 10:35:05 AM EDT
[#17]
Quoted: Quoted: More and more i'm getting convinced that the perscription "system" is mostly a scam. Look at it this way, if every drug was sold over the counter, people currently making a lot of money right now would be without jobs. I'm not saying EVERY drug, but does my wife really need to go to a doctor, pay a copay, get a perscription to refill the birth control pill she's taken every day for the past ten fucking years? Are they worried she's forgotten how to take it? Why the fuck is all that necessary? |
|
|
|
Posted: 9/14/2010 10:36:15 AM EDT
[#18]
Quoted:
Legalize all drugs and let the users die. Bingo! |
|
|
|
Posted: 9/14/2010 10:37:28 AM EDT
[#19]
Quoted: Legalize all drugs and let the users die. Parents, raise you children to not use drugs. That means leading by example and outting down that beer. So much logic in this post. It hurts.... |
|
|
|
Posted: 9/14/2010 10:39:43 AM EDT
[#20]
Quoted:
Legalize all drugs and let the users abusers die. Parents, raise you children to not use drugs. That means leading by example and outting down that beer. Winner, with one edit. 
|
|
|
|
Posted: 9/14/2010 10:43:37 AM EDT
[#21]
People wanna get high. Been this way for millennia.
The reason kids are chugging Robitussin, is because the stuff they'd RATHER do (like smoke weed) is harder to get. You're never going to cover all the bases, and some kids are going to get fucked up notwithstanding any law that attempts to prevent it. |
|
|
|
Posted: 9/14/2010 10:48:01 AM EDT
[#22]
Quoted:
People wanna get high. Been this way for millennia. The reason kids are chugging Robitussin, is because the stuff they'd RATHER do (like smoke weed) is harder to get. You're never going to cover all the bases, and some kids are going to get fucked up notwithstanding any law that attempts to prevent it. Anarchist Cookbook even has a bit about mixing ginger ale with Cough syrup.
Where there's a will... |
|
|
|
Posted: 9/14/2010 10:53:18 AM EDT
[#23]
I will give up my NyQuil when they pry my cold dead fingers from it.
Stuff tastes nasty but man does it work. |
|
|
|
Posted: 9/14/2010 10:56:05 AM EDT
[#24]
Quoted: Quoted: More and more i'm getting convinced that the perscription "system" is mostly a scam. Look at it this way, if every drug was sold over the counter, people currently making a lot of money off of the system would be without jobs. And we would have no effective antibiotics, because they'd all be abused, overused, and used improperly, leading to widespread resistance. |
|
|
|
Posted: 9/14/2010 11:09:39 AM EDT
[#25]
They need to ban nutmeg....
|
|
|
|
Posted: 9/14/2010 11:16:19 AM EDT
[#26]
Quoted:
Legalize all drugs and let the users die. Parents, raise you children to not use drugs. That means leading by example and outting down that beer. I will second that motion. Further I would like to see an end to the requirement of prescriptions to buy drugs for everything short of chemo and certain other drugs. Personal responsibility, we can't protect the stupid from themselves. |
|
|
|
Posted: 9/14/2010 11:23:45 AM EDT
[#27]
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
More and more i'm getting convinced that the perscription "system" is mostly a scam. Look at it this way, if every drug was sold over the counter, people currently making a lot of money off of the system would be without jobs. And we would have no effective antibiotics, because they'd all be abused, overused, and used improperly, leading to widespread resistance. Surprise, read any medical journal and there are frequent studies and articles warning Dr.s about over prescribing of antibiotics for patience and the increased rate of drug resistant. |
|
|
|
Posted: 9/14/2010 11:31:39 AM EDT
[#28]
80% sure its a dupe.
|
|
|
|
Posted: 9/14/2010 11:32:29 AM EDT
[#29]
Quoted: This is just another case of "legislating to the >2% of people who are dumb enough to abuse it". First post. And strangely, it's from the OP... |
|
|
|
Posted: 9/14/2010 11:34:50 AM EDT
[#30]
|
|
|
|
Posted: 9/14/2010 11:39:56 AM EDT
[#31]
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
It's funny when I tell Americans that I can still get Codeine OTC in Canada. They think I'm full of shit. Now I know why. This is just another case of "legislating to the >2% of people who are dumb enough to abuse it". Do they keep it behind the counter? I looked for some when I was in Canada in February (slept on my neck wrong and couldn't turn my head) but I couldn't find any at the pharmacy. I didn't ask at the counter because I wasn't sure if it was still legal and didn't want to look like an addict jonesing for a fix.
Yes, it's behind the counter. You just walk up and tell them that you want either "333's" or "Tylenol 1". 333's = 325mg Aspirin, 8mg Codeine and 8mg caffeine. T1 is the same as the 333's, but with 325mg Tylenol instead of Aspirin. You may need to provide your drivers license to buy it, however. I believe you are only allowed 200 pills at one time, and the drivers license tracks that somehow. It's funny because I can go to Costco, Wal-Mart and any drug store in Calgary and buy 200 at a time from 200 different stores if I really wanted to. The legislation is written (IIRC) so that any one store cannot sell you more then 200 at a time. i was in whislter and folks were buying hydrocodone + tylenol over the counter. very small amount of hydrocodone though (vicodin) in each tablet. so its more than just codeine. back in the day you could buy paragoric over the counter. ever heard of paragoric pall malls? |
|
|
|
Posted: 9/14/2010 11:42:39 AM EDT
[#32]
Quoted:
People wanna get high. Been this way for millennia. The reason kids are chugging Robitussin, is because the stuff they'd RATHER do (like smoke weed) is harder to get. You're never going to cover all the bases, and some kids are going to get fucked up notwithstanding any law that attempts to prevent it. Exactly! They made the pseudoepedrine (sp) behind the counter out here to make it harder for meth makers to get.Meth makers figured out a way around it,so now the rest of us are stuck with another "feel good" law that didn't do shit except inconvience the vast majority of law abiding citizens. Stupidity in action. |
|
|
|
Posted: 9/14/2010 11:46:34 AM EDT
[#33]
Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: It's funny when I tell Americans that I can still get Codeine OTC in Canada. They think I'm full of shit. Now I know why. This is just another case of "legislating to the >2% of people who are dumb enough to abuse it". Do they keep it behind the counter? I looked for some when I was in Canada in February (slept on my neck wrong and couldn't turn my head) but I couldn't find any at the pharmacy. I didn't ask at the counter because I wasn't sure if it was still legal and didn't want to look like an addict jonesing for a fix. Yes, it's behind the counter. You just walk up and tell them that you want either "333's" or "Tylenol 1". 333's = 325mg Aspirin, 8mg Codeine and 8mg caffeine. T1 is the same as the 333's, but with 325mg Tylenol instead of Aspirin. You may need to provide your drivers license to buy it, however. I believe you are only allowed 200 pills at one time, and the drivers license tracks that somehow. It's funny because I can go to Costco, Wal-Mart and any drug store in Calgary and buy 200 at a time from 200 different stores if I really wanted to. The legislation is written (IIRC) so that any one store cannot sell you more then 200 at a time. i was in whislter and folks were buying hydrocodone + tylenol over the counter. very small amount of hydrocodone though (vicodin) in each tablet. so its more than just codeine. back in the day you could buy paragoric over the counter. ever heard of paragoric pall malls? I'm 99.9999% sure that you can't but Hydrocodone OTC (unless you were in east side Vancouver and you buy it off the street). |
|
|
|
Posted: 9/14/2010 11:50:35 AM EDT
[#34]
Quoted:
Quoted:
Or maybe they'll just lock it up behind the pharmacy counter like the do pseudoephedrine, making it impossible to get unless the pharmacy's open. Because nobody ever needs cough or cold medicine at night, right? Sign here. War on drugs is working out great So now a doctor gets 150 bucks for a visit every time someone needs cough drugs at 2am. |
|
|
|
Posted: 9/14/2010 11:52:58 AM EDT
[#35]
Hey, here's an idea:
JUST REQUIRE A FREAKING DRIVER'S LICENSE. Crap... now there's another thing I'm going to have to stock up on so I'll have it when I need it. |
|
|
|
Posted: 9/14/2010 12:05:16 PM EDT
[#36]
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
More and more i'm getting convinced that the perscription "system" is mostly a scam. Look at it this way, if every drug was sold over the counter, people currently making a lot of money right now would be without jobs. I'm not saying EVERY drug, but does my wife really need to go to a doctor, pay a copay, get a perscription to refill the birth control pill she's taken every day for the past ten fucking years? Are they worried she's forgotten how to take it? Why the fuck is all that necessary? Because your wife's doctor is held to monitoring her for things that OCPs make her at high risk for such as HTN, blood clots, and so forth. The reason why some things should be prescription is because some medications can have dangerous side effects and interactions. I would have no problem with removing the system if there was no lawsuits allowed if someone kills themself with a wrong dose of blood pressure medicine or insulin or an number of problems. With freedom comes responsability. If people want the freedom to medicate themselves, then they should also take the responsability for bad outcomes. Antibiotics should still be Rx, however. If someone abuses them, they can hurt everyone by causing resistant strains of bacteria. OTC meds should not be made Rx just because a few idiots abuse them and misuse them. |
|
|
|
Posted: 9/14/2010 12:09:44 PM EDT
[#37]
Quoted: More and more i'm getting convinced that the prescription "system" is mostly a scam. The scam is they are going to take away all OTC items. Soon you'll need to see a government health care official just for a simple aspirin. God help anyone caught using some whiskey and electrical tape to treat a simple cut.  They will be charged with receiving unauthorized medical treatment from a non approved health care official, administering medical treatment without a government license AND administrating treatment not approval by government. All a felony. Once convicted the person will be sent to a reeducation camp so they can be taught why it is in every one's best interest to listen to Government as Government is "Mother and Father" or sent off to a bio-diesel plant if an "Education and Mental Health specialist" determines the individual is unfit for reeducation.Note to self, go to store and buy more Reynolds wrap
|
|
|
Win a FREE Membership!
Sign up for the ARFCOM weekly newsletter and be entered to win a free ARFCOM membership. One new winner* is announced every week!
You will receive an email every Friday morning featuring the latest chatter from the hottest topics, breaking news surrounding legislation, as well as exclusive deals only available to ARFCOM email subscribers.
AR15.COM is the world's largest firearm community and is a gathering place for firearm enthusiasts of all types.
From hunters and military members, to competition shooters and general firearm enthusiasts, we welcome anyone who values and respects the way of the firearm.
Subscribe to our monthly Newsletter to receive firearm news, product discounts from your favorite Industry Partners, and more.
Copyright © 1996-2024 AR15.COM LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Any use of this content without express written consent is prohibited.
AR15.Com reserves the right to overwrite or replace any affiliate, commercial, or monetizable links, posted by users, with our own.
