Robotripping on Dextromethorphan

How teens misuse an over-the-counter cough remedy which causes one to dissociate and hallucinate as if you’ve just taken ketamine or PCP

Disclaimer: Dextromethorphan is one of the few drugs I write about that I haven’t tried. It doesn’t sound like fun to me.

What are these nutty teens up to? Sure, in high school, I might have been spotted taking the occasional puff from a joint, and maybe a mushroom or two – all in the course of being a straight-A student. But “Robotripping?” Fuck no! Robotripping means binging on over-the-counter Robitussin, active ingredient: dextromethorphan (DXM), until you feel euphoria, hallucinate, dissociate, and experience profound disruptions in consensus reality. People frequently end up in the emergency department completely agitated and disoriented. The ages that succumb to the highest rates of dextromethorphan (Robitussin) misuse are ages 15-16. This can’t be good for brain or emotional development.

How many kids are actually partaking in this dangerous practice? Estimates of 5% are probably low, as mostly the severe cases get reported, when bad outcomes are encountered. Calls to poison centers for dextromethorphan are rising.

Why are teens chugging down this disgusting elixir of cough syrup? What do they think it doing for them?

What is dextromethorphan?

Dextromethorphan is an over-the-counter cough suppressant that is readily purchased in any major pharmacy chain or supermarket. There is no age limit to buy it and no I.D. is legally required (though some stores/states are cracking down). It is also easily bought on Amazon with no controls – there are literally dozens of selections. For example, the bottle pictured below contains 3000 mg of dextromethorphan – you can start to hallucinate and dissociate with doses in the 250-400 range. It is not expensive, and it can be delivered right to your doorstep.

One of many dextromethorphan products freely available on Amazon for kids to poison themselves with.

Original uses

Dextromethorphan was originally developed as an anti-tussive replacement for codeine. What we traditionally had been using, codeine, is extremely effective at suppressing cough, but it can cause euphoria and opioid addiction. Dextromethorphan doesn’t tickle the opioid receptors nearly as efficiently as codeine does, so it’s not addictive in an “I’m addicted to opioids” kind of way. In fact, in 2013, a randomized clinical trial found that dextromethorphan may reduce the overall discomfort and duration of withdrawal symptoms – an interesting potential indication to help with opioid addiction – but, beyond the scope of today’s missive.