Dextromethorphan overdose

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Overview

Symptoms

Treatment

Dextromethorphan overdose

Definition:

This is poisoning from swallowing a large amount of dextromethorphan, a medicine that helps stop coughs (cough suppressant).

Alternative Names:

DMX overdose; Robo overdose; Orange crush overdose; Red devils overdose;Triple C's overdose

Poisonous Ingredient:

Dextromethorphan

Where Found:

Dextromethorphan is found in many over-the-counter cough and cold medicines, including:

Robitussin DM
Triaminic DM
Rondec DM
Benylin DM
Drixoral
St. Joseph Cough Suppressant
Corcidin
Alka-Seltzer Plus Cold and Cough
Nyquil
Dayquil
Theraflu
Tylenol Cold
Dimetapp DM

The drug is also abused and sold on the streets under the names:

Orange crush
Triple C's
Red Devils
Skittles
Dex

Note: This list may not be all inclusive.

References:

U.S. Food and Drug Administration. FDA Warns Against Abuse of Dextromethorphan (DXM). Rockville, MD: National Press Office; May 20, 2005. Talk Paper T05-23.

Review Date: 4/4/2006
Reviewed By: Janeen R. Azare, PhD, MSPH, Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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