A Discussion On Over-The-Counter Cough Syrup Misuse
See @chubbyemu video • A Student Drank 2 Bott...
Featuring: Dr Sonal Jagasia
Patient GG depicted by @MerryRoseHowley
Additional patient depictions by @JustinWhangYt
Video with @JustinWhangYt : • A TikToker Chugged 1 L...
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Dextromethorphan is an over the counter cough medicine. It is for coughs. Misuse of it can cause life threatening side effects.
Thumbnail case courtesy of Dr Derek Smith, Radiopaedia.org, rID: 53692
References:
Dextromethorphan, chlorphenamine and serotonin toxicity: case report and systematic literature review. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21175...
Case of Serotonin Syndrome Initially Presenting as Diffuse Body Pain. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...
Serotonin Syndrome. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...
Bromism: An overlooked and elusive toxidrome from chronic dextromethorphan misuse. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31864...
Dextromethorphan-induced serotonin syndrome. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19238...
Cognitive Deterioration from Long-Term Misuse of Dextromethorphan:A Case Report. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...
Pediatric Fatalities Associated With Over the Counter (Nonprescription) Cough and Cold Medications. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19101...
"DXM": a new drug of. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9624331/
Thanks to Dr. Jagasia for the psychiatric perspective!
Can you do one of these on Dimenhydrinate? (Aka Dramamine or Gravol)
I did all of them when I was i highschool nothing bad happened to me. I got the coridcedine pills did it multiple times with friends. took 6-8 each time. which was plenty. it was quiet enjoyable to be honest. codeine cough syrup I did too. it was even better. I also did benadryl which was the least enjoyable alls it did was give me audio hallucinations of my mom calling out for me. it was not fun at all. dramamine it makes you way more tired but if you can stay up I had the craziest hallucinations on that one. not psychedelic like lsd which I took or dmt mushrooms 2ci 2cb bromodragon fly 5meodmt 5meodipt maclaine ayahuasca ect which I also took before. nutmeg which I also did was its crazy own non psychedelic hallucinations. I did however never try hard drugs like meth crack or herion seems too risky and its not a hallucinogen. I smoked marijuana too before. the allure of tripping always interested me when I was a teenager to probably about 24 when I started having kids. ever wanna wounder what any of that stuff is like let me know.
@@DavidBentley23 I took it before it makes you super tired. its not psychedelic but its a hallucinogen. I saw a lot of bugs on it and most things looked realistic but mostly black in color. that stuff is crazy.
@@MrChris7582 I abused it a lot. I see very few videos on the long-term effects. I could take 100 pills in 2 - 3 days too give you an idea of how insane my tolerance/abuse was. I thought it would be a good subject because of the lack of content and ease of access too it.
Yes! Enjoyed her contribution!
I had an addiction to dissociative drugs as a teenager, started with dextromethorphan, led to pcp, and eventually to opioids. I don't know why i enjoyed it so much, nearly destroyed my life. I just finished my my masters in synthetic organic chemistry, one good thing i can say from that experience i fell in love with chemistry
Pro tip: if you develop deppression and/or anxiety you can dissociate for free Just kidding, it's just that, as someone w involuntary dissociation, the idea of causing that on purpose is pretty wild
@@verybarebones yh i agree iv been dissociated since i was 5 and im 28 now.... Why would anyone want to feel nothing. Barely even feel as if im living but not taking anything in. Do cannabis once in a while but no drugs to cause it xD
Amen!
Hey congrats on being clean! It's a hard habit to get out of.
Rock on. Not crack rock...but the normal kind. Like stones.
I almost ruined my life with this stuff as a dumb teenager. There needs to be more discussion about it, its use is more common than is typically perceived
I thought was being smart because I bought capsules where DXM was the only active ingredient - as if it wasn’t fucking terrible me, regardless. Ugh
It's locked up at local drug stores because of that kind of thing. Kinda sucks when you're coughing so hard you're puking and can barely stand upright.
@@lactofermentation ironic that it was made to replace codeine, no? Not sure what is worse if I am honest
@@lactofermentation and it being locked up impigned on your buying it, how? Just seems non sequitur
@@DS-ej7zt I think they both have their legitimate uses. I just wish it were easier to identify people at high risk of of prescription and OTC drug abuse and intervene before they even start. Teaching young people how and these drugs work, the difference between the effects of a normal dose and an overdose, and making it legal and acceptable to suggest or provide safer alternatives for the determined. If you could talk openly with a pharmacist about ANY drugs you're taking or plan to take and ask questions without the risk of being jailed, that'd be great. Pharmacists are awesome, they're so much more than pill dispensers and need the freedom to do those other things.
Changed my life. Did dxm religiously from age 16 - 24. Took many different drugs in my life, including acid, 2cb, ketamine, mdma, etc. but went back to dxm. The long duration and serotonergic effect just kept me going back. I changed my life eventually and have a good life and stable job. I still feel permanently changed 4 years after stopping, though. Tripped so many times and ended up pushing myself into places I can never put into words. Almost didn't click on this video because I still have almost a ptsd effect from thinking about it now. Just too many powerful memories and I can't get back into that kind of thought. In fact, I'm going to have to click off of this now. It's almost like having been in a rock band and have traveled the world but had to leave that life. It's too hard to look back because of the powerful nostalgia / the feeling of nobody will ever understand the feeling or believe the stories. And it just consumes me. I'm already a fairly depressed person and it's easy for me to get carried away with things that take me out of reality. So with that, goodbye and good luck to everyone struggling with addiction or any issues.
Dude I completely relate. I don't think I'm changed. I just feel older like I've seen life from a very different perspective and now I'm working with that knowledge. But I completely understand dude
Sounds like you just got shitty research chemical instead of acid then.....
@@djobe420 yeah I don't like how people just buy whatever from people and take their word for it. They don't even know what they're selling you 99 percent of the time if they don't test it
In wich way it changed your life?
@@djobe420 acid is much better and saver for sure!
Took care of 13 yom who drank 2 bottles of DM. He was difficult at best to treat. He finally fell and struck his head putting him out. His parents refused to allow us to use soft restraints. He was transferred to a children's acute psychiatric center and spent 2 weeks there. A month later I sat in on his organ harvest. He was a roller coaster, emotionally. Poor kid.
Well Jesus was it the dxm that killed him due to later organ damage? Or suicide? That’s just so heart breaking to hear. I’ve worked L&D and thinking about what that baby may grow up to be and do and feel and then learning about this would be shattering.
@@the_rachel_sam suicide by overdose. Somehow he had came into possession of a half gallon bottle pharm bottle.
@@Airsoftforall that’s dreadful, what a lamentable death at that age.
@@Airsoftforall wow, half gallon bottle of cough syrup! 😮
A good candidate for the use of conscious sedation where soft restraints aren't going to be tolerated by family. A few mg/hr of lorazepam or a syringe driver of midazolam (or dexmedetomidine if BZDs are contra'd or discouraged, albeit with far more caution) isn't a bad idea. I've found that lorazepam just generally assists with alleviating the anxiogenic properties of these kind of agents in overdose, and has the added benefit of reducing tachycardia and heightens seizure threshold.
I was on Robitussin for ten years. I have only 1.5 years sober. I can't go down that aisle in the store. It's crazy how much of a hold it had on me
You're doing it! Proud of you. God bless! 💕🏅🙂
Good job getting sober man
Hell yeah! A year and half?! That's hard work put in
@@davedave6577 This is why we can’t have nice things
Proud of you for taking your life back, keep up the good fight!
I used to be a drug addict, I would steal a lot of DXM for friends. Just walk in a store walk out, I was pretty unassuming and never got caught doing it. It's a strong semi-psychedelic experience. I have taken enough to where I blacked out deliriously and disassociated from my body lol. Wouldn't recommend it, there are better ways to recreationally have fun.
I recommend Battle Toads.
@@Joehtosis Definitely a better option!
it makes hallucinations but not psychedelic. lsd is psychedelic. robo tripping in a dissociative and deliriant. more along the lines of pcp or ketamine. lsd dmt mushrooms are in technicolor lol there for are psychedelic. I have done a bunch of different drugs and figured out the differences between the types of hallucinogens and the differences between all of them. its different to be in a state of deliruim compaired to psychedelic hallucinations. alcohol with draw isnt very nice to go through but that will give you deliruim. they call that part of alcohol withdrawal the DT's. deliruim tremens. but robo trip is a dissociative first. a stronger delirium effect comes from dramamine. benadryl causes some small visual delirium but main effects audio hallucination.
@@MrChris7582 I disagree, I think psychedelic in itself is more of a pseudo sciencey term but I do think DXM can cause psychedelic like effects ( hence why I said semi-psychedelic) just like it can cause time distortion and hallucinations like hallucinogens. I don't think it has the same benefits as LSD or Mushrooms, or the same enlightening experience, but some people would say the same thing about MDMA. A lot of it is just personal experience.
Took a lot of deugs and still dxm is really good reacreational drug but not for everyone
as someone who has been struggling with DXM abuse and not having enough information to 'convince myself its bad', this video sure changes my perspective
Lol, surprising. If you don’t quit your body will shut down if your mind doesn’t first.
If someone is on an SSRI, it seems like it would be a good idea for them to consult their doctor or psychiatrist before taking this kind of cough medicine.
You can’t take cough medication when you’re on an SSRI. Probably for this reason.
Yeah. It’s always a good idea to ask even like a pharmacist would know any interactions with SSRI/SNRI
When the person has the intent to take the DXM as instructed (single 15mg dose every few hours), it might not even be dangerous as people who aren't used to ultra high Serotonin concentrations in the brain do usually react with intense nausea, which keeps them from taking more DXM.
@@foolishlyfoolhardy6004 In a perfect world, yes. As someone who's been prescribed antidepressants and has taken DXM I can tell you that the majority of psychiatrists/pharmacists just throw the medication at you with no warning or consultation.
@@AuskaDezjArdamaath Depends on the individual and the SSRI dose. Something to talk about with a doctor or pharmacist. I've never had a problem with taking dextromethorphan despite being on SSRIs, but I'm anal about taking the lowest effective dose of isolated OTCs as infrequently and for as short a time as possible, and high serotonin tolerance is a weird family quirk.
Can confirm the dependence part, I had a huge mental dependency on DXM & DPH. You never know what your brain will latch on to.
@@Trixtoxia Is it like taking 15 dramamine? diphenhydramate I think its called. I heard it causes hallucinations not like LSD or mushrooms but seeing people objects that dont exist. I always wanted to try but was to scarred to. Stick to LSD way more fun and safer even though illegal.
@@vitaeve Thats not how chemistry works. They dont cut or mix drugs they are two different but similar molecules. Caffeine is not structuly similar to either of those drugs. Look up the molecules shape on chem compare.
@@Trixtoxia Well thank you for not just making bs up and spouting it as fact.
@@daveb5041 no... @Vita Eve is completely correct. Try just googling something before claiming someone trying to help is wrong. DPH is the deliriant drug you are talking about. You said Dramamine which is different, and Vita eve explained with facts why.
@@jobis34 I took pharmacology in college and I'm a 3rd year organic chemist. Go look up those drugs using chemcompare rather then random posts off google. I'm sure dr benard would agree.
Thank you for this information @Chubby Emu. I'm a grandparent and I've never heard of "Robo-tripping." I'm appreciative that you're educating others about the fact that even OTC meds can be abused and have catastrophic results. Peace
@hello because the flood of serotonin that rushes in your brain. Try to mimic that experience without the DXM
*"just because you know what neurotransmitter a drug involves doesn't mean you know Jack about what it's like."* You're right, it's the combination of my previous experiences with it and my research of it that allows me to know what it's like. *" Saying 'you feel good bc serotonin lol' is retarded"* I see you don't have an idea of how quotations were considering I never said that. Serotonin is literally what's involved in feeling pleasure and there is not another hormone primarily involved in giving you that experience than serotonin. Your personal argument from ignorance and incredulity is not valid. *''by that logic SSRIs would be the most sought after drug on Earth"* By what logic? Because it seems the logic you are attempting to discredit isn't what I actually acquire. Your argument is based on a strawman. *"Not to mention that DXM primary works on NDMA receptors and sigma1 receptors so you're just wrong too"* My statement wasn't based on what receptors are primarily activated with the use of dxm. I was referencing as to why people tend to develop mental dependency on it. All you presented was nothing but an ignoratio elenchi.
@hello *" Your research was 2 minutes of Wikipedia article reading"* You're projecting. It's evident in your ability to articulate an actual rebuttal. *"Stop being a pseud on the internet for imaginary points"* That's pretty specific considering nobody said anything about "earning" points. I think the actual condescending pseudo intellectual here is you. That's why your emotional instability prevents you from being able to give a legitimate response. Probably that DXM screwing up that dense brain of yours. Anything else my son?
@hello So in otherwords *" I still cannot articulate a logical rebutta".* Well then, class is dismissed.
@@thakraken6995 Off topic but it's kind of weird how obvious it is that you feel the need to come off as highly intellectual but go about it in a way that you kind of come off like a smug douche. I used to do that in the past too but I found that it was detrimental to my own well being and just all around kind of pointless
This reminds me of my erowid days. Not that I'm proud of it. But I did learn a lot, both good and bad.
Yup.
you should be proud of it at least you were being somewhat responsible by instructing yourself.
That’s just the way it is. Things will never be the same for me ngl
@@quitoxictv8307 welcome to the cope. they definitely wont ever be with that kind of attitude.
Erowid was the shit
This hit me. I was a chronic DXM user for many years. I became very dependent on it to just... function. I'm glad he explained somethings. My family didn't understand what and how DXM was abused. I felt alone and even my doctors didn't know what I was talking about. It's weird to have to educate your doctor on your what you are using. I did a urine test with my former doctor and, yes, it tested positive for PCP.
I once told a doctor I abused it and he almost laughed, like it wasn't something real or having any effect. I guess they assume I wouldn't have taken it dozens upon dozens of times. Probably have a hole in my brain now, lol.
The fact that dextromethorphan can cause false positives for phencyclidine is quite interesting. After years of taking very high doses of hydromorphone for a chronic health condition and after recovering from surgery, no longer needing it, I switched to methadone to taper off such a high dose in a slow, controlled fashion over three years. I had to do weekly urine screenings, and during that time, I was using DXM at least twice a week at doses between 450 - 600 mg. The urine screenings specifically included testing for PCP, and I never tested positive for it. That being said, I'm a 2D6 poor metabolizer of DXM. Additionally, I was able to discontinue 20 mg / day of methadone cold turkey when many people say that even discontinuing 2-5 mg / day of methadone is incredibly painful. I suspect that the fact that DXM is an NMDA antagonist actually had to do with this, since NMDA antagonism is suspected to not only reduce tolerance building to opioids, but also mitigate opioid withdrawal. (For example, a single dose of ibogaine - which also demonstrates significant NMDA antagonism - has been shown not only anecdotally but scientifically to terminate heroin addiction and prevent withdrawal to the point where there are treatment centres in certain countries, e.g. Canada, where people can go to be administered ibogaine.) Note that ibogaine is illegal in many countries, and I don't recommend high-dose DXM use to prevent opioid tolerance building or terminate opioid withdrawal. (The last thing you need when in opioid withdrawal would be a difficult dissociative experience.) While there is some evidence regarding DXM and its effect on opioid use, it is far from conclusive and is still controversial, and anything I report here is purely anecdotal and should not be generalized: it could be attributed to my unique neurochemistry or even the fact that I metabolize DXM into dextrorphan poorly.
This is the best medical content on KZhead. Hands down. I'm not even involved it the medical field, and I still find it really interesting and useful. I don't understand everything 100%, but I do feel I get a good sense of what is going on and take something useful from it.
Same I dont understand all if the things like the diagrams yet but I enjoy it a lot :) and it also let's me k ow new things and beware of things in other to stay safe :)
This isnt accurate information to the core or even close, very biased and speaks down to the audience like we are a bunch of idiots. Some cool stuff sure but dont think you are gonna get spoonfed accurate information in a form you can understand without them trying to serve their own purposes
@@roberttrent4388 I don't get that impression at all... Actually, I get the impression you're the biased one. Just saying.
@@anitacigarette Maybe, but My understanding of this particular subject is far broader than the studies listed. This is lie-to-children level consumer freindly info to rack up views because if it came to actually understanding this, then no one would watch a video that long nor complex
Based Opeth PFP
Born in 1974: I haven't felt this left out since all the young whippersnappers were Robo-trippin' and calling me a square.
Born in 2001: hahaha can I join you
I was addicted to drugs as a teenager, DXM being one of them. Thank you for covering this and thanks to everyone in the comments who shared their story. Mental addictions are real and just as hard to break as physical ones. I really wonder how much damage I did to my brain with this shit.
I had a pretty bad DXM addiction myself, I just remember it being the only drug that was easy to get that made me feel actual happiness and bliss. I sort of miss a lot of the experiences I've had but know how hard DXM is in the mind and body now and just don't use drugs any more in general. Life is better now.
@@sheeeitmayn4384 thank you so much for sharing your story ❤ it means a lot to me. I honestly struggle with the same problem sometimes where i had so many fun experiences on it that part of my brain is like "go on do it a few times you'll be fine it'll be fun." But as I've gotten older ive really learned to respect my body and what i choose to put in it, i agree it really is so hard on your body and mind. I also dont want to risk going back to that place again where i lived in my own dxm world all the time.
My 3rd day on 400mg I was convinced I had died. Too worried of long term mental deterioration I quit and haven’t touched it since. I can’t believe how much of that crap I ingested… Memory and intelligence weren’t noticeably affected. I try to keep up with brain-healthy foods like omega3, mct oil etc. Meditation can put me in the same mindset I would take dxm for.
@@s7r49 You’re speaking some truth brother I did not know that about omega 3. I’m in college, usually resort to supplements as they’re pretty cheap. All the other options excluding fish are a no go for me. I’ve gotta see if I have the stomach for sardines. Organ meats are definitely another thing we should be eating more of. Preach🙏🏻
Congratulations on your recovery, I hope you're doing well now 🤍 one day at a time
I've done dxm a couple of times. The last time I did it, I made a dark and deeply disturbing abstract art piece on snapchat that was captioned "Do not do what I have done." When I woke up I listened to myself from the past and never did it again.
I'm kind of curious what that art piece is tbh...
@@neurofiedyamato8763 It was made by applying a filter to amplify the sort of static you get by taking a picture in complete darkness and then basically just scribbling patterns over it in dark colors. Not really a drawing of anything in particular except my mental state at the time.
Yeah, I took DXM at a relatively high dose once. I don’t really think I want to experience that again. The come up made me think I was dying, it freaked me out.
i did about 2 bottles of the stuff and drew Danny devito and bjork
@@Urine666Deity real niga shit
When Dr. Bernard explained stereoisomers better than the ochem professor I paid thousands of dollars for this semester 😳
walter white
You pay for the chance to get a piece of paper. Education is free and anyone can read a book, especially now with internet resources. Tho i admit hospitals are ran like the military so you need that piece of paper. Never confuse that paper for an education
Omg I thought the same thing. Years later have such nightmares of that class. Why the heck can’t professors explain it out like this.
Very true
A friend of mine, my best friend actually, in high school (late 90’s), used to chug Tussin to get intoxicated. He ended up actually getting addicted to it, and the side effects of its use were SEVERE. I tried it, but it didn’t do anything to me except cause nausea. He died a few years later from a drug overdose. He was a great guy, but the Tussin literally destroyed his life. Actually his situation was very similar to GG from the other video. He was messed up in the head, and his parents were understandably scared, took him to see doctors and he kept his Tussin use secret as they did every test in the book on him. I remember him talking about getting a lumbar puncture and how painful it was. Actually I remember now they prescribed him Lithium. He said it helped. But this guy had a bizarre obsession with Nirvana, and I swear he liked taking it because Nirvana had a song about it. I remember at one point his skin started turning this weird yellowish color, idk if that was from liver damage or what. It was just a horrible situation that never should have occurred. He did enjoy it though, at least he seemed to. Maybe he was hiding things from me too, idk. I remember he was a smart kid, at least equally as intelligent as I was at the time, and after a period of prolonged, repeated use, it’s like his IQ had dropped 30 points. He did recover some of that, but it took years after he stopped abusing the Tussin. I actually carried him through high school for quite awhile, doing his homework for him and helping him with tests. But he literally did not care anymore and I got to the point I stopped caring too, because it was so much work and I got nothing in return and he wasn’t improving. He died of combination opiate and benzo IV injection overdose, he was maybe 21-23, it was a long time ago.
That's a very sad story :(
@@neurofiedyamato8763 I know, I still think about his parents occasionally, but haven’t seen them in several years.
@@chincemagnet have u thought about contacting them?
@@chincemagnet i hope u can heal and recover from that traumatic situation
@@tasm9234 well that was at least 15 years ago so I’ve moved on
Who would have thought that organic chemistry from scishow would come in so handy
I've been too afraid of drugs from one bad experience in high school. Being in a college sport, I can't really afford to take anything anyways because we get random testing at tournaments. I've heard of this stuff. I appreciate raising awareness to this!
Bad experiences during that time are probably the best that can happen to you. I had a few but when I didn't, I didn't really feel well, always got too psychotic and afraid. I am really glad but unfortunately I am still addicted to tobacco nowadays with no plans to stop any time soon. I am also diagnosed with anxiety and I'm quite afraid of trying to stop. I don't wish this on anyone, high school is the worst place everywhere in the world.
@@WeirdDuck781 I wish you the best of luck. While what I say probably doesn't mean much but every attempt to quitting is a step forward even if it failed. You should try to remind yourself that the fear is often irrational. A good way I found to try and overcome irrational fears is to write down all possible outcomes and their likelihood. When you get to visualize these outcomes and their probability, you can make a more objective risk assessment and usually things don't seem as scary.
@@neurofiedyamato8763 thank you. Indeed you're right, even though I've mostly been a rational person and as a software developer I should be more of a logical person but ever since this started happening I cannot apply my rationale to these inner fears that I probably have yet to understand. Nevertheless I feel like I'm making good progress. I would wonder how would I be if my life was nearly as stressful as those in past generations when they indeed had far more concerns, it makes me feel so weak and I see our generation as so. It is a weird ass time where we have everything for granted yet we are getting mentally weaker. Maybe past generations just didn't talk as much about the issues. I really hope for the best for anyone with these troubles
@@WeirdDuck781 Wait until you go to college
@@SobrietyandSolace I am a little bit past that but I was thinking about going to college to get an engineering degree. Pretty optional as I'm currently a Software Developer and pretty much well with my current education, but i still want that degree, might change my mind. I have plenty of friends in college at the moment and it seems rather chill. The more so since I will take post laboral classes instead of morning-afternoon ones, as I intend to keep working full time. We'll see if it's worth it tho
controlled dxm use is one of the things that helped me quit smoking cigarettes' and vaping, which made it the best cough suppressant in a way
I mean you got a point hah, glad that it helped u
dxm in for the long con
Funny enough, the new drug that is bupropion/dextromethorphan was actually tested in stage 2 trials for smoking withdrawal symptoms.
Trade one addiction for another?
When i was a kid i started to take cough syrups me often because my dad wouldn't take me to a doctor. I started to associate it with feeling better, like a comfort food. As a teen o would drink it to get high, and now a an adult i can't have any around because i can't really control my cravings for it. :/ I also easy halls like candy because i love the taste.
so you're sober? did you ever get treatment?
Wow how can you love the taste, it is terrrrible
@@afwaller It's an addiction/dependency. The desire to feel better (or the association that it will) overrides the nasty taste. Addiction is a tough thing to deal with and sometimes never fully go away even with therapy, lifestyle changes and consultation. But all of these are still great methods in trying to overcome it.
@@afwaller It may taste terrible to you, but for someone else it may taste good. Of course, addiction as @Neurofied Yamato said overrides taste, but there are people who just like the taste, find comfort in it whereas others find discomfort so to speak.
@@neurofiedyamato8763 Its not addictive, it's habit forming, there's a difference.
About the idea she expresses that an addict is trying to chase a high but never reaches it- Ok so yea you're trying to chase a high but dude, I hit it right on point just about every time. Just straight bliss, and that's the scary part
Fr bro, throw in some weed and as long as you can hold back the vomit for an hour you're golden
@@gavinm7851 couldn'ta said it better
I used DXM to treat my own depression as well, but it just ended in addiction and serotonin syndrome over and over again but it really made me feel like, very happy for a long time I would sob at how much I suddenly loved and appreciated life. It was so strange. It also made me very manic and delusional towards the end of my addiction to it. Stuff is weird man.
I think you're misinterpreting what serotonin syndrome is. Simply taking dxm in recreational doses isn't going to give you serotonin syndrome. It's from mixing it with other medications that work on serotonin.
"Stuff is weird" is an understatement.
@@McFwoupson when I would take it everyday I could feel parts of my brain that felt sun Burnt but that sensation never lasted more than a day but I feel like I’ve lost memories from using dxm it has altered my mind I’m not so good of a way
@TroskTV I've only taken DXM once and it was awful. Felt like I was in menopause, sick and lots of heat flashes. Made my skin feel like it was on fire. Dissociatives are my favorite kind of drugs too, only one I haven't enjoyed was DXM. Also yea everyday use of dissociatives can mess with your memory. I used 3meopcp every other day for 2 weeks once and my short term memory was not up to par for a while.
How often were you doing it???
A lot of people in these comments had bad experiences and addictive experiences with DXM. I have used it a few times at modest doses and had some interesting trips. I wish that people who wanted to misuse it misused it more safely, but I guess given the nature of the substance it's usually desperate or bored people trying to find an escape. The DXM FAQ is a good resource on recreational use. Lays out the possible experiences but also the consequences of robotripping for the sake of harm reduction. Anyone curious should check it out.
There is another person in these comments who feels like they caused irreversible harm from this. Nature of the beast is to take too much too often. Slippery slopes
Yeah it was similar for me; I was a bored teen but was also fascinated by drugs, psychedelics specifically. I would spend hours just reading trip reports on erowid, and generally educating myself on random drugs that I would probably never get the chance to try. I think that's why I got lucky and never got addicted to anything/ generally used substances responsibly (outside of alcohol but that's a tangent). I tried DXM a handful of times, it can't be understated how horrible the syrup tastes. For me personally, I also consistently threw up around 1-2 hours after ingestion, at which point the trip began. I legitimately don't understand the appeal, the syrup is absolutely vile, and the trip, while interesting from a sort of "drug enthusiast" or intellectual point of view, had no euphoric or positive aspects for me, you just lose motor function (similar to alcohol) and get a severe case of double vision. I feel for people who are addicted to it, I've known of people who were addicted and it sounds like a nightmare. Dissociatives are no joke.
Exactly. Its honestly really sad but it makes me feel grateful for not being as shortsighted and wreckless as some of those people lol
I think the term "misuse" should only really apply to people who use it naively and without preparation and research. I read the DXM FAQ three times before I decided to try DXM, and I would never consider my doses to be a "misuse." Certainly, they weren't in line with the indicated dosage for treatment of cough, but I wasn't using them to treat a cough.
@@NewbPhil Dissociatives are, IMO, the most challenging drugs. People shouldn't take them for fun, because they're really not that fun... they're going to take you to disturbing places that most people aren't prepared to go. Taking cough syrup (back when I used DXM) did the same thing for me: I would feel extreme nausea and often vomit just as I was coming up on it. I switched to cough caps or powder for that reason. The appeal to me over the two decades that I used DXM was not because it was recreational, but because I enjoyed how it challenged my entire worldview. I really don't get the addiction part. Sure, it can be psychologically addictive and a psychological addiction can be a pretty severe thing regardless of what it is you're addicted to (but TV and sex and overeating can be psychologically addictive), but I never had problems stopping DXM use, even after taking 600 mg daily for several months. I was just kind of bored and the world no longer had that "magical feeling" that DXM gives to reality. After a couple of days, I no longer missed it.
A number of years ago I had a little too much cough syrup when I was sick - "I will take more; it will make being sick a little easier", was my thought process. I was expecting to feel a little loopy, but I ended up outside of my body for a couple of days, and literally spent the next two weeks afterwards dealing with intense, crushing depression and incredibly distressing episodes of depersonalization, a mental health problem I had previously heard of but hadn't experienced, and can report: really sucks. Turns out I experienced a common, and extremely dramatic drug reaction between my (taken as prescribed!) NDRI antidepressants and cough syrup, and in hindsight I probably shoulda gone to a hospital. Don't play games with your brain, kids.
did u get seratonin syndrome?
Yeah that’s most likely what happened. Typically it wouldn’t occur from a a slight overdose of dxm combined with an antidepressant but it can
They’ve now turned that combo into an fda approved antidepressant called auvelity, which is 45mg dextromethorphan to 105mg bupropion.
my dad did the same thing 2years back and he started hallucinating , couldn’t even recognise use and now has nerve damage in his brain because of that and has trouble remembering certain things i.e partial memory loss
@@gts447 bupropion isnt an ssri tho its a ndri
This and the GG story just made me cry. About 2 years ago I went on a bender of Delsym after a bad breakup and move. I worked at a dollar store so it was easy to get. At one point I took a whole bottle each day. This lasted for about a month. I smoked weed with it and felt amazing. Until the diarrhea happened. And wouldn’t stop. I had to go to the ER and it all broke from there. I quit but nothing has ever felt the same since. Weed feels different. My head feels strange sometimes. My moods are always temporary-not extreme-but just fleeting. I usually feel an intense nothingness-as strange as that sounds. I know I could have seriously hurt or killed my self, hell I probably have irreparably damaged myself. Please please please do NOT do this. It’s not physically addictive maybe but psychologically absolutely. I am not the same person. I likely will never be. And I almost hate myself for it. It’s a great pain, wishing i were suicidal.
I’m so sorry. Do u think there are doctors who can treat for this? You are really blaming you. Try to let that go. Move toward treatment. Maybe there was already something missing or something wrong before you even had a drop. Idk, but there have to be Dr’s out there to try to help. Know you probably want to keep it private. Good news is, it is. Have u researched any cases of another feeling a permanent change after cough meds? Hope you get better and feel better
Give it time my friend, our brains are capable of extraordinary things. . Take care of yourself and focus on your priorities. Stay away from dope, and drugs in general. I’m with you
Yes, please give it time, and / or see a doctor. I know this is not the same, but when I experienced a "glorious" hypomanic episode (bipolar II) and then crashed into a mixed, then depressive episode, it was hell. When I talked to people who had experimented with drugs, I found so many similarities in my experience. Today I have recovered, the hypomania did not come back and I can cope well with depressive epidsodes. But it took time. So, I encourage you to not give up!
it gradually gets better... i was on it for years. don't beat yourself up. everyone's just trying to kill the pain.
Call on the Lord Jesus my friend! He is the only reason I am alive and have not suicided after 14+ years of addiction! God bless😁
To the commenters speaking from experience: keep up the good fight! I’m proud of you!
shut up lol, dxm is safe in moderation. I take 600mg of dxm a couple times a year. I'm a kid.
*Says 40 things in a row* "Also, keep in mind," Me: "No, I don't think I will."
Thx, Dr Bernard! Always thorough! So well, extensively, explained! Always learn worthwhile information from your vids!💖
I see you talked Whang into more videos lol
thank you, I kept thinking the doctor in the stock footage was some kind of surreal Whang cameo
Whang is the man
Living that actor dream.
Looking for a whang! Comment. Found it.
I notice he's in ones where he plays a patient getting royally trashed on something...whether booze or cough syrup. Is that typecasting?
As someone who has been doing syrup for over 13 years now, here's my advice if you're looking to have a good trip: 1. One 5 oz bottle of Delsym, no more no less 2. Comfortable clothes, ranging from pjs and shirt to just your underwear 3. Comfortable room temperature and a comfortable bed 4. If possible, either a trip sitter or a trusted trip friend 5. Plenty of water within reach 6. Optional, but if you are someone prone to anxiety or paranoia, having something calming is key. I personally take GABA. 7. Several activities ready to go. My favorite is about an hour and a half playlist of music played loudly in a pitch black room for a closed-eye trip. Video games, short TV shows, and trippy movies or video games are all good 8. Ideally, no more than one bottle per month, but definitely no more than 4, and no more than two days in a row (ideally, not in a row at all) Safe voyages, my psychonauts and drippers. I'm 13 years in, no brain damage nor addiction from what I've seen. If it helps, i started doing syrup when i was in community College. I now have a master's degree, am a manager, and am debating the PhD. Syrup responsibly, my friends
bro this is fucked up
Woohoo new HR video. Also congrats on 100k subs here :)
Congrats on this channel reaching 100k subscribers I've been watching your videos since 2017, and still very much enjoy them today.
Thanks for another informative and thoughtful presentation, Dr. Bernard! 👍🏻👏
My man ChubbyEmu trying to explain chirality at 3:52 but Hideo Kojima already made me an expert.
I've been abusing DXM on and off for about 7 years, usually huge doses upwards of 1000mg+ (that's about 3 full bottles). I can verify that some level of brain damage has taken place, it's hard to define but I often just have this intuitive feeling that something is no longer there that should be. Amplified my dissociative episodes and general isolated loner lifestyle a lot, and I theorize that on a psychological level some of the strange experiences I've had have permanently changed my personality. I also found it has had a permanent impact on my creativity in a good way.. All of that being said the DXM void is a cold lonely realm of the weirdest shit imaginable. To enter this rabbit hole someone would literally have to be okay with the possibility of becoming the next Syd Barrett lol. Be safe everyone, open to questions too 🤠 Edit: I also have a strange reaction to the substance where the next day I become unfathomably sexually aroused. I seriously have spent literally all day going at it until I'm in aching in pain and it still feels incredible despite the pain.. Kind of reminds me of what people say what sex/porn is like on meth... DXM is the strongest aphrodisiac I've encountered. Anyone with any insight on this please share🙏
The times you feel you truly know immortality and that your consciousness will never cease to exist changed me. And the times I started thinking I've died multiplayer times and slipped into more progressively chaotic parallel universes where I DIDN'T die each time... Entropy of the spirit. There's been a good few hellish experiences. The best experiences? A bit more than the worst. The few good can cause a person to go overboard to get there again but it seems like everything has a mind of its own and that it cant be forced by even logic, as forcing never seemed to work. Usually not trying. Interesting avenues and corridors of the consciousness and psyche
I have also permanently damaged my brain and no longer know who I am. And I am never going to recover.
You probably don’t even remember writing this comment do you? You’re gonna get dementia so enjoy your brain functionality while you have it. The dextroverse is such a fascinating thing, it seems very real. I do believe it exists on some plain of existence. I haven’t even done dxm in over a decade and I still feel very connected with the places it took me while I was on it
You could quit and recover. You are just giving yourself the excuse you need to keep using it. " I've already caused permanent damage so what's the point in quitting". Bullshit! Just stop beeeatch.
@@tac6044 The truth is I have a really weird masochistic relationship with the substance where part of what I enjoy about it is how hard it is on my body. What many would classify as "bad trips" I almost enjoy in a fucked up type of way. I also have a history of severe self harm that I got the same kind of depraved rush from... Soo what's really going on is probably a lack of self worth/self respect which is why it's so hard to really WANT to stop even though I should. I appreciate your intention to try and help a stranger🙏
Your videos are making me take better care of my health and also respark my interest in chemistry and human biology. Thanks so much for your channel man
Thank you for making these videos man, they’re the best! 👍🏼🥳
I was born in 1987 and was today years old when I heard about robo-tripping. Must not have been hanging around the relevant circles and I’m ok with that.
Me too, I am also taking this as a win.
I know someone who did it semi-regularly and managed to stop it, but not before having seized herself to hospital at least once. Those circles are closer than you'd think. Also, I'm curious and did a ton of reading on shrooms, mezcal and other stuff in the 90s. Never used anything tho.
I wad born in 1995 and never heard of it, but I dont know about most drugs or their slang names. I have enough medical problems without adding to it so I stayed the hell away from drugs. I already have severe asthma, Hypothyroidism, depression, anxiety, etc. I dont need to make it worse lol. Seen doctors my whole life and have a variety of prescriptions that I take to make my life functional but I only ever take things as directed/per instructions.
I was born in 1988 but I knew about t because I hung around some pretty sketchy people in middle and high school.
@@inuyasha13 it's good you respect the health you have. 💕💐 It's difficult to understand those who cavalierly destroy their health, especially their brains. God bless.
I took DXM multiple times a week from about age 14 to around 25 years old. It didn't destroy my life or anything, but I missed out on a lot of relationships and experiences. I took the stuff to shut down and shut out everything around me. I'm glad I quit. It's taken me a long time to dig into why I always felt the need to block things out, and even longer to figure out how to stop living that way. Quitting DXM was the first step on a neverending journey of trying to be comfortable in an uncomfortable world.
Exercise will fully rehabilitate you especially if you enjoy yourself often while working off all that energy mr testies
Wang! getting up in that sizzzuurrp. Another fantastic video. Thank you for all your work. This knowledge transfer is priceless.
Thank you both for the outstanding scientific content.
im on the comedown of dxm right now and this was honestly the wake up call i needed
As grateful as I am about you shedding light on dextromethorphan abuse, I feel you should go more in depth on anticholinergic abuse as it has for more devastating effects on the normal function of the brain. People literally develop major symptoms of dementia as young as 15 from taking benadryl recreationally. 14:33 Sources? Only hypothesized form of brain damage dxm can cause is olney's lesions and even then those were only recorded in rodents and not been able to have been replicated with humans
Reminds me of when I was taking care of my elderly grandmother with cancer and she kept being nauseous and vomiting and they prescribed her scopolomine patches, within hours of putting it on her, she completely lost her mind, went from practically zero dementia, to full blown dementia, within 4-6 hours.
Benadryl should be a controlled substance. Or just not sold anymore since it's been usurped by better products with no side effects
@@andrewgarcia3136 tell that to the investors lol
On his other channel, he's covered benadryl abuse and subsequent effects (Other channel is chubbyemu, if you don't know).
The studies on Olneys lesions also used what would be equal to an ungodly dosage of DXM. I also agree about Benadryl abuse. I would even argue that OTC “sleeping medication” causes long term negative effects.
These videos are amazing. You learn so much and in a really fun way. Keep up the good work.
I have taken a boX of DXM over thirty times in my life. I always have this fear that something serious is going to happen to me when I take it. But then the euphoria kicks in and I wish I would have taken it much sooner. Mr. X
I'm glad that there's information like this out there. Just saying "don't do drugs" causes more harm than good, actually learning about the drug and any interactions it may have leads to less harm compared to someone just taking and hoping for the best. It's like saying don't speed, sure it's easy to say not too, but people are going to speed no matter what, same with drugs.
You've done drug abuse, now I think it's important to cover what happens when someone gets diagnosed as a drug-seeker or hypochondriac even though there's something actually, structurally or chemically wrong. (A lot of times, the patient has figured out the correct diagnosis themselves, but was dismissed as a hypochondriac. This is particularly common with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, but it happens with other illnesses too.)
He's a toxicologist hence why all his stories are about substance ingestion. Also Ehlers Dan lost comes with lots of obvious signs so your doctor should generally be able to diagnose it easily enough
@@warbler1984 Um no, seems like at least half of doctors haven't even heard of it, it takes people up to a decade to get diagnosed and they're often refused diagnostic tests like genetic testing even if they have every symptom- that's because it systemically affects so many things at once so the doctor thinks you're making shit up to have so many things wrong with you or they're all all unrelated. They refuse to connect the dots and look at you as whole For some reason autoimmune disorders and such are nearly always diagnosed by the freaking patient then sheepishly confirmed by the doctor afterward...
@@warbler1984 This might be surprising, but in my own experience, most doctors do not keep up with modern medicine, especially older GP/PCPs, they are still practicing the medicine they learned in med school like 30-40 years ago
Went through that myself from childhood to age 35. Diagnosed with two super rare diseases, genetic. Was called crazy and everything else. Wasn't asking for pain relief, was asking for answers. Never got any apologies either.
I had hyperparathyroidism as a kid and because people thought I was faking it I almost died and it permanently fucked my body up to the point where I actually need drugs to function now. I just use edible weed at this point instead of the benzos and opioids I used to be prescribed for it after I was diagnosed and had surgery.
This is the best video/article I've seen on this topic, thank you. I have had periods of dependence on this stuff and it really doesn't get talked about enough in an informative scientific way. It's a pretty unique experience and I definitely started to believe some crazy shit when I was using it, even when I was sober in between "trips". A lot of people think it's not that bad or it's a "safe" alternative because it's not a street drug and it's not easily tested for, but it has its own whole world of issues and I appreciate the time and research that went into this video because even after abusing it for quite some time I didn't know a lot of this. I'll keep this in mind for whenever people ask me about it.
What kind of crazy shit did you start believing? Because i started believing that maybe i shouldnt kms lmfao
I don't always know what you're saying, but I love this channel. Keep it up!
As a reckless youth, i went robotripping a couple times. It was mind altering _(obviously)_ but it wasn’t really that euphoric nor depression-alleviating and it wasn’t even worth it because I was vomiting like crazy both times. It’s embarrassing to admit I even did it. I did it for dumbest reason too: a cute boy told me it was a good idea.
@@s7r49 I knew all about the plateaus at the time. I did pleateau one and two _(dose adjusted for my low body weight)_ In my limited personal experience neither was that euphoric
It's a dissociative/deleriant, not pleasurable at all. I've eaten a lot acid and I won't even touch this garbage when I'm coughing up a lung and my head is full of snot.
@@iGame3D lol not even. It’s more relaxing than THC in some doses
@@iGame3D what? That's dph, different drug lol. Dex hits opiate receptors if you take enough and is one of the more itchy albeit euphoric dissos. Idk why people are shitting on it so much, just be smart with it and don't take it more than six times a year lol
I would say the majority of millennials have went through a robo trip phase as a teenager it’s something most people grow out of but not everyone
I binged on these two channels, and was amazed to find out Dr Bernard was also a powerlifter. Do you still train?
I love the explanation for optical isomers! That's a good way to break it down
Incredible information. You are saving lives sir
I used to use this once in a while. I happen to have cystic fibrosis. It went from a break from the constant coughing. To once in a while for the high. It's scary to know about it's leading to serotonin syndrome. I recently had a bout with that in particular a while ago while being on a high dose of busporin and my trazadone for sleep reacting together. It's not fun. The only time I legitimately thought of killing myself. I have also realized that cy cystic fibrosis was probably safe gaurding me in a way. Because of my lack of digestive enzymes that come with my CF. I abused dxm to a point before where I legitimately heard things. I had a friend that also reported a "zipper" noise. Like someone zipping up a coat really fast. Just the sound out of nowhere. I've been waiting for a video like this to provide an inside. And to really learn myself what things it could have been causing. Thank you so much on the videos. I haven't used dxm since my early 20s. I'm almost 30 now. And I'm happy to report I will no longer be touching the stuff chasing the high :)
I used it from about age 19 to age 39 intermittently, but usually in binges. Serotonin syndrome is horrific... I got a mild case of it when I used cyclobenzaprine and then a couple of days later, DXM... I suddenly felt this huge sense of dread and spent three days feeling unable to organize my thoughts enough to do almost anything. Really frightening. DXM is one of those drugs that people think is safe because it's pharmaceutical grade. It is relatively safe, but you can overdose on it, and it isn't what most people would think of as "fun," which is what they are often looking for. I'm in my mid-40s now and haven't used it for years, but I am incredibly thankful for my DXM experiences. They were severely challenging and often unpleasant, but overall, very formative to my worldview and spirituality.
Don’t use cough medicine when taking certain medications, like SSRI’s. Additionally don’t drink grapefruit juice while taking either of them.
Or Buproprion
Grapefruit?
@@ShinyMcshine what's the mechanism? Do u know a good literature source on it?
I think that whole grapefruit juice potentiation thing really depends on the individual. I've taken various kinds of opioids and drank probably 40 oz of grapefruit juice and could never tell the difference between that and not drinking it.
@@clamum it has to be white grapefruit juice
I just want to say even if you don't think that your videos can help really good they definitely do! I taking DXM for myself and this is the kind of information that I need about it. So thank you very much!
Love the guest appearance of muh boi Justin Whang. Love all your content too lol dont think ive commented on anything before. Long time fan, love the educational content.
I forgot it was called robotripping. I used to drink that a lot in high school. Didn't know it was a thing until I saw it on dateline nbc. Thanks nbc.
I actually knew about cough robo-tripping because there’s a music video about “orphan tears” or, cough medicine.
That song was about DXM?
orphan tears is absinthe
@@pineappleactavis420 isn’t that alcohol?
@@Grgrqr yes
Wow the extensive metabolizer thing explains so much. I've taken dxm syrup to suppress dry coughs when sick but I when I take the recommended dose on the bottle, I end up pretty high and then when I take it for the second time later than day I end up high as a kite. I've always figured I was just "out of it" due to illness because I didn't know you could get high off OTC stuff, I only knew of people using the codeine syrup for that. That makes so much sense now. Also explains why it is more effective if I take a smaller dose than what the bottle recommends.
you are so precise in your speech. I love it,
This happened once on accident as a child when my mom gave me a little too much during a really bad cough. It was a terrifying trip as a child and I refuse to take delsym for the rest of my life. The patterns on my pillow kept flipping and my furniture was breathing. Luckily I didn’t need the ER. It was SO bad.
how tf did u get visuals on it
How did you accidentally get high on it? How many shots did you do of it
That’s horrible I’m so sorry. Do mushrooms for therapy
@@verticalyetti1266 my best guess was that I may have accidentally been doubled on cosine or some other cold medicine dose after coming home from my father’s house that evening while sick, plus I was on ADHD medications at the time as well. There was a lot of serotonin release at once, I would guess. But the event happened 15 years ago, so I’m only speculating. I’ve always been very careful about medication interactions and food interactions since then.
As someone who robo-tripped a few times when I was younger, it is one of the most intense disassociatives you can experience when you take a relatively large amount. It's definitely not something I'd recommend to even the most experienced psychonauts. During my last experience, I remember having an out of body experience to the point where I somehow was watching myself from a 3rd person point of view from above, and I needed two people on each side of me basically guiding me and helping me walk because I was practically incoherent and had very little conscious control over what I was doing. Thank God I had friends who were willing to baby sit me through that experience or I would have certainly been arrested or ended up getting physically hurt (It was at a public mall of all places) If you're going to do that kind of thing in general, always do extensive research and always be mindful of moderation; you can always take more of something, but you can't undo taking too much. At that point, you're just along for the ride, and it may not be a good one. But I still wouldn't recommend for anyone to use DXM in that manner. Word of warning; although the only active ingredient in the gel caps is DXM (as opposed to the liquid which has other things as well), the gel caps metabolize faster than the liquid, so the onset will likely be faster and the experience will likely be more intense than you're used to if you have only used the liquid... But seriously, you really shouldn't use it at all in this manner... But if you are going to make the informed decision to do it anyway, definitely don't use it anywhere near regularly.
i was treated with SSRIs for a long time and for at least five years i had serotonin syndrom that doctors unfortunately always wrote off as "just psychosomatic," with my resting heartrate at 100bpm, blood pressure getting to 180/140 after mild exercise, massive migraine-like symptoms, phases of hypomania etc. early 2020 i ran out of meds and due to the pandemic avoided riding the train to get a new prescription; after a few weeks all symptoms had disappeared. now learning that too much serotonin isn't only acutely dangerous but can cause permanent damage is heartbreaking for me.
4:16 is probably one of the best visual explanations I’ve had of these. I usually just get shown a molecules that gets flipped on the next picture and it was kind of hard for me to imagine what the difference was.
I used to use DXM once a month when I had depression for a year as a teenager. I would take a half a bottle of gel caps and wander around the city at night and cry. DXM made crying feel like the best thing in the world, and it helped me feel like I could be happy even when my world felt dead. As time passed, I really think it helped me get better, however, I have long stopped abusing it and wouldn’t recommend people use it until (if) it becomes an anti-depression drug after a LOT of research. The depression after using wasn’t worth the high and using the only “happy” time I had to cry while my brain exploded could be seen as a good thing or an awful thing depending on how you look at it.
I used to take DXM, for the dissociative effects, and went to the hospital, several times, because it caused psychosis.
be well
You stupid guy if it was once dangerous for you why did you try again xD
Psychosis is really rare for reacreatiomal use
@@rockmove3547 Addiction is a bitch, that doesn't make him stupid. And regarding your second comment, I wouldn't categorise psychosis as "really rare from recreational use",. in fact it's much higher in recreational use because high doses make it more likely.
@@chrisboelens2640 actualy if you do it in the right way chance it happens almost never. Set and settting + preparation. Know your body, know your substance. If you take to much for first time, without antyhistamine stuff, or in the place you are not safe, you have psychical problem or someone in your family ETC. Problem is that stupid people or kids take it, then it might be dangerous
When I was in HS I robotripped quite a few times. The first time I experienced euphoria and had a great time and felt incredible the next day. After that I did it 7 or 8 more times and it never felt like that original trip. Luckily I didn't get addicted but around that time my ADHD symptoms were exacerbated even though I didn't know I had it at the time. I've also been mildly depressed since then and I've always wondered if the trips caused some sort of permenant damage that affects me to this day. A bunch of internet sources basically told me that it was harmless as long as it was DXM only and you didn't overdo it or take it too often. But who knows, I'm getting a little better over time so I hope it's just other parts of my life that I can control and not pernanent neurological problems. Great video!
Thanks for this educational video. I've been a DXM addict since the start of the pandemic and something I struggle with everyday
i literally am high on dxm rn
I’m in the process of trying to get into rehab for DXM (I’ve noticed no one talks about getting help for their addiction and seem to just be able to go cold turkey but I can’t and I feel dumb because I can’t) I’ve been on it for years and it’s no fun anymore. I came out to my family and my doctor but, until now, have felt alone. My doctor, my psychiatrist and even the rehab place didn’t understand what dxm was or how I could possibly abuse it. They still don’t understand really. Like my doctor still gives my SSRI refills and now I’m scared I’m being set up for something tragic. It’s awful. That’s all I can say. Yes I’ve “tripped” and learned a lot about myself in the process but where I am now sucks and I wish I could go back in time and just stop myself. 31 and really just hanging on for dear life at times. It’s not where I saw myself being back in high school. I thought I’d be fully in a career and just be living…not getting rides from my mom to the drug store to get the daily cough syrup.
I thank you for putting this out their now I can be at ease knowing when I blow my nose brain chunks won't fly out.
This is about 1000x over my head.
You have very comforting eyes
Aside from some people having slow metabolization of certain liver pathways (like CYP2D6 you mentioned here), some people have genetic mutations on their serotonin transporter gene (SERT / SLC6A4) directly. I have a mutation on this gene (s/s). It's given me serotonin syndrome multiple times, and was only discovered when I had a near fatal case of it in the ICU. It did give me permanent brain damage, and took far too long to diagnose (with some of my cases being more mild before severe.) I can get SS from SSRI monotherapy. I think serotonin syndrome is less rare than we think, especially people with slow metabolization genetics thrown in the mix. I don't think it always takes a high dosage or mixing of typical serotonergic medications. Also as noted in your video, serotonergic OTC medications or herbal MAOIs are on the rise in popularity. There are many herbal supplements I cannot take that people think are otherwise benign (for example turmeric is an herbal MAOI.) In the future, before we give people psychotropic medications (even for something like migraine), I hope it becomes normalized to test these genetics. I know in the future personalized medicine will likely take this into account.
No cap, I'm now off to go buy and try some, thanks for the info
Make sure it's dxm only and has no guaifenasin or paracetamol
I did it for many years, about everyday. I flooded my brain with serotonin when I was 23 due to a celexa overdose attempt, then I had a traumatic brain injury at 25, something in DXM altered my chemicals and it was a crazy journey and when I wasn't afraid I was dead or dying I will admit I loved it. The dissociative effects got me out of my PTSD-riddled mind and also away from my painful memories and existence at the time.
Thank you for making this video. Your video on the damage caused by the "Benadryl Challenge" had a lot of "DXM" abusers bragging in the comments (and refusing to listen to reason). And their denial doesn't change the fact that such behaviour kills. _PEOPLE...ARE...DYING._
I had an internet friend convince me to do this when I was a teenager. I took a lower dose than he was suggesting, and I mostly felt a bit drunk and saw some colors. Wasn't impressed enough to ever do it again. He was also very adamant that the syrup didn't have some specific ingredients, to the point where when I joked it did, he panicked and was contemplating calling my parents (he does not know them) to tell them I might die that night as a result. Not worth it kids.
I'm kind of happy that I don't think I get egged on easily. people has told me to do a bunch of stuff but I just don't since I don't want to. Even if they are otherwise close friends. But we all get influenced at a subconscious level
He wasnt wrong, it tends to also have ingredients like acetaminophen. If you drink enough to trip off DXM you'll drink enough tylenol to fuck your liver. Gotta make sure its the only active ingredient if someone's gonna do it.
Research before you take any mind altering substances!!
Well it's a good thing that your friend made sure it was Dxm only. My first time robotripping with my friends we were pourin' up nyquill and sprite into double cups (I know cringe xD).
@@minhilg sad thing is that much apap wouldn’t kill you but just basically destroy your liver and leave you alive
I love how we never talk about dosage
Hey thank you for all your well narrated, well detailed explanations on different medical issues. One thing I think could be interesting would be regarding an overdose because of a change in set and setting. Im not sure if theres a more benign example, but I remember learning that in heroine, a normal dose in a normal setting can be a lethal dose in a abnormal setting, because the brain isn't able to expect the and down-regulate the impact of the drug.
I used to trip on DXM alot... on higher doses and stronger trips I swear I was tapping into some out of this world stuff. I was becoming aware of certain connections between all of us humans around the world, all the way to the far reaches of space and beyond that. I was pretty out there for a while, I'm mostly back now though it's been years since I was doing that stuff. I still think there are alot of things involved in tripping that we don't understand, connections that can't be explained with our science.
When I was younger I messed around a bit with codeine. I never did feel any effects from it. I suppose I'm a poor metabolizer. That's a good thing in my case 👍
Good and bad tbh I tried getting high with codeine too and didn’t have much luck so I also lack the gene I assume. The problem is tho I hurt my back the next month and my GP prescribed me strong codeine pills and they didn’t work. This means I’d have to start with morphine or oxycontin which is far more addictive and would’ve been overkill for back pain so my gp could only prescribe me naproxen (which is a slightly stronger version of ibuprofen). It’s good from the perspective of recreational abuse-as in it can’t happen, but it’s bad from a legitimate medical point of view
I suffer with chronic pain and allergies. I am prescribed promethazine and codeine but the way they affect me scares the shit out of me. When I had aspiration pneumonia (I have crowded teeth and struggle to chew tough vegetables sometimes so inhaled a pea skin). I was given syrup as I could not stop coughing to the point of vomiting and my lung were full of sold jelly bloody mucus. Even feeling that ill and it easing the cough a bit it freaked me out how messed up I felt. My dad has an addiction to painkillers and my uncle went from prescription painkillers to crack. Morphine makes me panic and throw up, tramadol makes me panic and have trouble breathing. Given the amount of alcoholics and addicts in my family I'm glad the only substance I fuck with is cannabis (and my asthma control is excellent even after the pneumonia related lung damage)
Thank you, fasinating & you teach very well. ✨🦋☮️
Make sure your syrup has no active ingredient besides dextromethorphan! I pesonally enjoyed my experiences with dxm. I have no immediate plans on doing it again but as long as you stay safe it can have an almost therapeutic effect. Happy tripping!
Bruh. That’s exactly how addiction starts.
No, don't go happy tripping. Just dont.
Lololololl
day 1 of asking you to do a video on 25i-NBOMe cases congrats on the 100k btw
He absolutely needs to do that, Nbome almost killed me after accidental ingestion. Thought I took LSD, but obviously not. LSD is often contaminated these days, and even with test kits, the producers mask the presence of these poisons.
@@mikkelengstrm3759 Can solve the issue easily, make LSD legal and regulate and tax it. Will never happen though, as fear overrides logic.
Love your videos man. Could you eventually make a video on Methylphenidate? Also I have questions on SNRI/SSRIs/SNDRIs. Currently I am taking Venlafaxine, Methylphenidate.
I hate the stuff and wrote it off years ago. Even a normal dose (8-12 mg) is enough to make me feel dissociated for 12+ hours. I've never taken much more than that, and once I realized it wasn't the cold making me feel 'in the clouds', I avoid it like the plague.
when i was a teenager i always wanted to trip, and seeing as how magic mushrooms are illegal, and i had heard that DXM could give similar effects(it doesnt) i would just steal capsuls of it form the store, one time i took something like 75 of the pills and ended up having a bunch of seizures in my bedroom, nobody knew i was their, nobody knew what i had done, and i could have died. i dont know how many seizures i had, all i know is that i was in and out of conciousness for a good 12-14 hours, i had finnally came to and my bed was completely soaked with tears, sweat, foamy saliva, urine, and feces. im lucky to have survived that, never again, stick to the mushrooms if you have to have a psychedelic experience.
Dxm effects 5ht-2a which is the same as lsd, mushrooms but only at higher doses and if you have tried it with pot you will know how psychedelic of a drug it can be
And do it right! Not like the other ChubbyEmu video where the guy injected mushrooms for some reason
You could always, you know, Google how much to take rather than thinking 75 pills might be a good idea.
dude my experienced friends took maybe like 1/3 of the amount u took, like, it's very good u survived, but like, u don't drink 5l of hard liquor in one sitting and expect to feel a little tipsy also yeah in my experience dmx has no psychodelic outcome, my ex described it like, when ur drunk but the next day u remember everything u did in clear detail, and that's why usually you'd just want to get drunk
@@QuakeGamerROTMG On the TV show Good Doctor they had a patient who was injecting mushrooms for depression and had a internal fungal infection. I was trying to remember where I heard about a similar situation before and now I know. Should have figured it was ChubbyEmu .
Very interesting. I was a casual user when I was younger, I had one OD. Mixed DXM with other street drugs. Had a seizure & was walking around with a dislocated shoulder for days and didn't notice cause I was still so messed up. Still have issues with my shoulder to this day.
I misused robitussin daily for years its been almost 10 yrs ago now and I can say with out use for an extended period the brain can recover and so can we as addicts. Love to all my brothers and sisters out there either recovering or still in the thick of it we are all still people and need positive thoughts and ❤
This information will save someone's life.
I love this. We need more info out there about dxm abuse.
I was once given Dextromethorphan when I was 5. All I remember is that I couldn't stop laughing and I couldn't get to sleep. I think I also had a fever, but that could've been because I was sick. I've avoided the stuff since then (I'm 23 now), up until February, and when I took it out of necessity, I was fortunate to not get hooked or get any of the side effects from when I was younger
😂taking it medically in normal doses is completely fine, glad you’re being cautious though.
"fortunate to not get hooked" lmao, you can't get hooked on dxm. this isn't oxycodone.
I remember in freshman year of college I was out of class with a bad cold, was taking strong antibiotics alongside DXM and (prescribed) klonipin to cope with the anxiety of missing class. Completely devastated me and I ended up needing to redo that semester a year later.
Thanks for the excellent content.
Using regular HCl wouldn't have significantly increased the BOM for the producers of DXM, nor would it alter the effects; it is known that the stuff is getting misused and regulation is not going to change, so I think the manufacturers should really change their recipe; Converting between different halogen salts trivial anyway... Also, preventative work like you do is equally important - 99.9% of people who use don't know that bromide can even be an issue.
Agreed. Not even sure why they chose the HBr salt.
@@manyshnooks It probably has to do with the synthesis. There are many reactions in organic chemistry that yield HBr as a side product.
@@Psychx_ convert to freebase with NaOH and then salt it out with HCl; I agree with you 100%; they know the product will likely be abused, and they should endeavor to make it as safe as possible. Edit: this does make me think of the bromide sedative/hypnotics used a century ago and the cases of bromism that followed widespread use & abuse
@@Psychx_ just had a look, it seems that dextromethorphan has been produced in a variety of differing salts incl hydrochloride and citrate going by a Google patents search. I agree that it probably boils down to cost and economies of scale.