Skittles: not just another trip over the rainbow

DXM or Dextromethorphan 

Street names
CCC, Dex, DXM, Poor Man's PCP, Robo, Rojo, Skittles, Triple C, Velvet

Not Skittles

Looks like
DXM can come in the form of: cough syrup, tablets, capsules, or powder.

DXM is a cough suppressor found in more than 120 overthecounter
(OTC) cold medications, either alone or in
combination with other drugs such as analgesics (e.g.,
acetaminophen), antihistamines (e.g., chlorpheniramine),
decongestants (e.g., pseudoephedrine), and/or expectorants
(e.g., guaifenesin). The typical adult dose for cough is 15 or 30
mg taken three to four times daily. The cough-suppressing effects
of DXM persist for 5 to 6 hours after ingestion. When taken as
directed, side-effects are rarely observed.
Street

Methods of abuse
DXM is abused in high doses to experience euphoria and visual and auditory hallucinations. Abusers take various
amounts depending on their body weight and the effect they are attempting to achieve. Some abusers ingest 250 to
1,500 milligrams in a single dosage, far more than the recommended therapeutic dosages described above. Illicit use of
DXM is referred to on the street as “Robotripping,” “skittling,” or “dexing.” The first two terms are derived from the
products that are most commonly abused, Robitussin and Coricidin HBP. DXM abuse has traditionally involved drinking
large volumes of the OTC liquid cough preparations. More recently, however, abuse of tablet and gel capsule
preparations has increased. These newer, high-dose DXM products have particular appeal for abusers. They are much
easier to consume, eliminate the need to drink large volumes of unpleasant-tasting syrup, and are easily portable and
concealed, allowing an abuser to continue to abuse DXM throughout the day, whether at school or work. DXM powder,
sold over the Internet, is also a source of DXM for abuse. (The powdered form of DXM poses additional risks to the
abuser due to the uncertainty of composition and dose.) DXM is also distributed in illicitly manufactured tablets
containing only DXM or mixed with other drugs such as pseudoephedrine and/ or methamphetamine. DXM is abused by
individuals of all ages, but its abuse by teenagers and young adults is of particular concern. This abuse is fueled by
DXM’s OTC availability and extensive “how to" abuse information on various web sites.

Some of the many psychoactive effects associated with high-dose DXM include: confusion, inappropriate laughter,
agitation, paranoia, and hallucinations. Other sensory changes, including the feeling of floating and changes in hearing
and touch. Long-term abuse of DXM is associated with severe psychological dependence. Abusers of DXM describe
the following four dose-dependent “plateaus”: Plateau Dose (mg) Behavioral Effects 1st 100-200 Mild stimulation 2nd
200-400 Euphoria and hallucinations 3rd 300-600 Distorted visual perceptions Loss of motor coordination 4th 500-1500
Out-of-body sensations


DXM intoxication involves: over-excitability, lethargy, loss of coordination, slurred speech, sweating, hypertension, and
involuntary spasmodic movement of the eyeballs. The use of high doses of DXM in combination with alcohol or other
drugs is particularly dangerous, and deaths have been reported. Approximately 5-10% of Caucasians are poor DXM
metabolizers and at increased risk for overdoses and deaths. DXM taken with antidepressants can be life threatening.
OTC products that contain DXM often contain other ingredients such as acetaminophen, chlorpheniramine, and
guaifenesin that have their own effects, such as: liver damage, rapid heart rate, lack of coordination, vomiting, seizures,
and coma. To circumvent the many side effects associated with these other ingredients, a simple chemical extraction
procedure has been developed and published on the Internet that removes most of these other ingredients in cough
syrup.


Overdose effects
DXM overdose can be treated in an emergency room setting and generally does not result in severe medical
consequences or death. Most DXM-related deaths are caused by ingesting the drug in combination with other drugs.
DXM-related deaths also occur from impairment of the senses, which can lead to accidents. In 2003, a 14-year-old boy
in Colorado who abused DXM died when he was hit by two cars as he attempted to cross a highway. State law
enforcement investigators suspect that the drug affected the boy’s depth perception and caused him to misjudge the
distance and speed of the oncoming vehicles.

credit to : Drug Enforcement Administration • For more information, visit www.dea.gov

Don't believe that cough syrup can kill, bet these parents can tell you different
http://www.andymaxfield.com/ 

More links and resources : 

Facts about Dextromethorphan

Walgreens becomes drug dealers

Medicine Abuse DXM

Home to Homeroom

Stop Medicine Abuse

Parent Resources

Join Together Resources

Enduring the death of a child is heartbreaking- Do something!

Help us save the lives of countless children that die every year senselessly: Please join us and sign this petition, send it to your Congress and have the letters hand delivered to them also, I did! Make your voice know this year, an election year I might add.

http://www.petition2congress.com/5809/stop-choking-game/

This is what the petition says:

There is an alarming wave of deaths among our country’s youth; a wave that continues to go unnoticed by mainstream media. Adolescents across the nation are victims of unintentional fatalities caused by their participation in the “choking game” and though known by many names, the intent is to pass out purposely for amusement or for a “buzz”. This silent epidemic that focuses the most brutal results on our very young middle schoolers, remains hidden from public attention because currently there is no way to accurately track and report the number of cases. This lack of statistical proof also limits prevention efforts promoted by the grass-roots organization of the thousands of grieving families who have lost a child to this insidious “game”.

As your constituent, I have signed my name below to ask that you help us help our children by doing the following:

1. Call the CDC and request to be briefed on the issue of the “choking game”.

2. Support the CDC and the Department of Health and Human Services by requesting that the World Health Organization add a sub code that includes the “choking game” as a cause of death.

3. Include the “choking game” among the health-risk behaviors that contribute to the leading causes of death and disability among youth in the CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), and make the YRBS affordable and accessible for all states.

4. Support the CDC’s Division of Adolescent and School Health (DASH) model of education as the means to disseminate information regarding the “choking game”.


Enduring the death of a child is heartbreaking. As my representative to Congress, I ask that you help me prevent other families from this heartache by showing your support in establishing statistical evidence of the “choking game,” Your efforts will assist us in heightening awareness among teens and their parents, teachers, and health care providers.

 Add the widget to your website here  http://www.petition2congress.com/5809/stop-choking-game/gwt/ 

12 Terrifying Teen 'Games' Your Kid Could Be Playing

 Credit to Jeanne Sager- Cafemom- The Stir
Taken from great article posted:

30 Seconds Game: You may know it as a knowledge game akin to charades. But among kids, it's generally accepted that playing 30 Seconds means kids fight as hard as they can for half a minute, and the onlookers declare a "winner." By some definitions, the fighting requires punching someone directly in the face, repeatedly.

Skittling: Forget about the yummy candy. Think about what is in your medicine cabinet, because this "game" involves teens raiding Mom and Dad's pills, throwing them all into one pot, and then grabbing a random handful of colorful little capsules, downing them in one incredibly dangerous swallow.

ABC Game: It sounds educational, doesn't it? But this twisted form of Scattegories has almost killed kids who have the letters of the alphabet scratched into their hand over and over by a "friend" as they're forced to name off items in a particular category that begin with each letter of the alphabet (hence ABC). The scratcher continues until the competitor makes it all the way through the alphabet, cutting deeper and deeper into the skin, often leaving behind infected wounds.

Hide and Seek: Oooh, we used to play this when we were little, right? Not exactly. The teen version involves, what else, cars. The hiders turn off their headlights, and the seeker has to find them on the dark road. Of course, no one else can see the darkened cars, and inexperienced teen drivers without headlights can't see where they're going.

Ghosting: There's no seeker in this game, just a bunch of kids who turn off the headlights and drive as fast as they can. I don't really have to describe the risks, do I?

European Vacation: Yet another reason to make you fear the trip to the DMV, this "trip" involves one teen driver motoring in the right lane while their pal moves over to the left lane to drive beside them.

Sack Tapping: Remember when you used to punch your friends in the arm to make it go dead? That was nothing compared to the pain suffered when a boy is hit in the, ahem, balls, and subsequently loses his testicle.

Trunking: Forcing a pal to ride in the trunk of a car may sound reasonable if you've watched too many mob movies, but it's been known to actually kill kids.

Surfing: Oh, if this only involved water. Riding atop a moving car is something done for generations, and yet kids are still dumb enough to do it, often with disastrous results.

Robotripping: Drinking cough syrup like it's a bottle of water, this is supposed to help kids hallucinate. Unfortunately, it can also kill them.

Planking: It's not just for kids, and yet it's still dangerous to lie face down in a random spot for laughs. If you're doing it in the middle of the road, you risk getting run over. Doing it on a balcony? Well, you could fall several stories like the Australian man killed last year.

Choking Game: Just because it's the game that gets the most press doesn't mean kids aren't still trying to achieve a high by cutting off the oxygen to the brain. This can knock kids unconscious or, much worse, cause brain damage or even death. Exact affects are hard to track, because choking game deaths are simply labeled as suicides. The CDC estimates 800 to 1,000 kids between the ages of 10 to 19 die of strangulation every year, and sadly that includes some kids who just thought they were playing a game. It's also called the fainting game, pass-out, good kids high, and choking off, among other names.

Of course we here at Ed4Ed4all are very familiar with many of these, the choking game being one of the most deadly right now, all of these "games" are so very dangerous.

So many Angels~~ still so many stupid people~

So many angels lost and yet why do people still not believe that their kids might
actually be involved in such behavior. Today I read a great article on Cafemom  the "12 Terrifying Teen Games your kids are playing". And as I read the comments I realized how numb parents and teens can be to the real dangers that our kids are faced with everyday, not just teens, but younger children are even faced with youth risk behaviors like "the choking game" or "the pass out game". All of these deadly games are real!! These games injure and kill our kids!

Ask the parents of each and every kid that lost their life in the poster above, that is just a very small portion of the number of dead kids, just from the choking game, there are many more....

The comments below will upset many supporters of our site:

Here is one person "Cass" who is clueless: her comment scares me--

quoted:"Cass" Neither I, nor any teen I know, is dumb enough to do any of these (except perhaps the planking, although there's no way any of then would do it in a dangerous way). I would bet good money that half of these were made up simply for the purposes of scaring moms watching the local news. Seriously, people- if your kid is doing anything this stupid, you made some big mistakes. 

quoted: "Anon" Besides the occasional trunking, surfing, and planking, I don't know of any teen doing these. I agree with Cass. It's like that rumor of rainbow parties- once word got out that kids "did" that, the media picked it up and ran with it. But there was never any evidence that it actually happened. I call BS on most of these. Anything involving drug mixing or chugging is really only a few people, who were already into other harder stuff. 

quoted: "Cass"Thank you, Anon. I'm rather sick of being treated as though I have neither a brain nor a sense of self preservation simply because I'm a teenager. Ridiculous stories like these do not help my credibility. 

quoted: "ohmyskittles:  if you think teens are actually playing these games, you are stupid. I agree with Cass and Anon. Teens are not the monsters that you mommy bloggers make them out to be. If you teen ACTUALLY IS playing these games,you should have raised them better. Your fault for being a bad parent. 

These are the people we need to work so hard to educate!
Any parent of a child who has died from any deadly "game" will agree that they were not at fault nor were a "bad parent", most of these parents are exceptional parents, those comments are cruel and uncalled for. 


Wake up people and get smart!  the 33 kids on that poster should be enough to show you that yes people are doing it!! And Dying!!

 

What are the signs??

Information that was shared via John Tesh's Video for your Life website: Thank you for reaching out to parents!

Parents, you may have already talked to your kids about the dangers of alcohol
and Illegal drugs, but there's a danger you may not even know about. It's called the Choking Game, or Space Cowboy, Cloud 9, and Flat-line. lt's where kids deprive their brains of oxygen by briefly strangling themselves with a belt, rope, dog collar, or bungee cord, and get a temporary high when the blood rushes back Into their head. According to ABC News, kids are drawn to the Choking Game because It's cheap, doesn't Involve Illegal drugs, and seems less dangerous. However, It causes
permanent brain damage, and it kills - mostly boys between the ages of 11 and 16.
So, how can you protect your child? Talk to them! Make sure they understand that suffocating themselves to get high can cause permanent brain damage and death. Get them Into other activities -like soccer, hiking, or learning to cook. Studies show that kids who are involved in extracurricular activities are less likely to try to get high.

Also, keep an eye out for red flags like:
Bloodshot eyes, 
marks or bruising around the neck, 
and frequent ,severe headaches, 
pinpoint spots of blood under the skin of the face, especially the eyelids. 
Or in the clearlining of eyelids and eyes.
Also: Unusual demands for privacy, 
disorientation after spending time alone, 
and wearing
high-necked shirts, even In warm weather.
Other red flags include:
Ropes, scarves, t-shirts or belts tied to bedroom furniture or doorknobs, or found knotted on the floor or in unusual places, and the unexplained presence of dog leashes, choke collars, and bungee cords.

If you believe your child's doing something dangerous, seek medical and psychological help Immediately. Your Intervention could literally save their life. You can find a therapist at Therapists.PsychologyToday.com. Alert the parents of your child's friends. If one kid is doing it, there are probably others, and if an older teen is involved, younger kids in the same family may also be at risk.

Anytime your parental sense that something is wrong or different with your child is like a sign that you need to act and investigate what your child might be doing . Don't ever think "Oh I don't want them to get mad at me, who cares if they get mad, let them be mad, at least they will still be alive. Imagine if you found your child dead, hanging from a rope or belt on their bed, you thought something was just not right about them lately, but you did not want to interfere or "make them mad" now they are dead!!! did it really matter?? No, you can't bring them back now!
So be the parent and do something NOW! Talk to them NOW, they are never to young to talk about youth risk behaviors!!

A Wednesday Angel~~ Cody

Another Angel we have lost due to the choking "pass out" game! Happy New years in Heaven our Angels~~

Cody Willard~

Cody Willard page on Facebook- Here
Our Ed4Ed4all Facebook page- Here
 Encourage all the children in your life to watch these Angel posts, it might just save a life of your angel on earth.

Schoolboy's Death was an accident~

Schoolboy's death was an accident says new inquest

 from the UK
THE parents of a Tonbridge schoolboy who died after hanging himself with his school tie proved this week it was an accident after classmates revealed he had previously played a choking game.
There were tears of relief from the parents of 12-year-old Judd pupil William Lippell Stanesby when a second inquest found he had not committed suicide.

 

CHOKED: William Lippell Stanesby

Parents David Stanesby and Sabrina Lippell, from Tunbridge Wells, never believed their son had wanted to take his own life, insisting he had died accidentally while playing a game in which people choke themselves until they faint.
Mr Stanesby said the game, known to have claimed at least 11 other young lives nationwide, was "considered in some teenage circles to have cult-like status".
An open verdict was recorded at an inquest in September due to a lack of evidence.
The rare second inquest was called after critical information was provided by fellow Judd pupils who revealed William had talked about and even attempted the chilling prank.
Classmates told their teacher William had spoken about the "highly dangerous game" in which youngsters restricted air to their brain by constricting their necks with hands or a tie.
The coroner recorded a verdict of misadventure.


Credit to article here:  http://www.thisiskent.co.uk/Schoolboy-s-death-accident-says-new-inquest/story-14146614-detail/story.html

So a misadventure, or here in the states we would call it "they made a mistake by calling this a suicide! So many of our kids are dying and their deaths are being labeled a "suicide" by uneducated coroners. Time has come for education, if you are an ER Nurse, ER doctor, an Emergency worker in the field or that Coroner that does the autopsy, look for other clues as to whether this child was actually playing the "choking game" , know the differences. Don't just automatically think suicide, many of these incidents are accidental. Parents need closure and need to know.