Thursday, September 6, 2012

Cough Syrup - Not Just for Mucus Anymore

As I stood in line the other night at my local CVS I became aware of some sort of scuffle a few feet behind me. I ignored it of course because by that point in my day the superhero cape was off and I'd left my tiara in the car. However, the scuffle grew louder and before I knew it an angry lady was shoving her way past me. As the automatic doors failed to sense her presence and open quickly enough for a fast exit, she turned back and shouted at the young employee something along the lines of "How dare you speak to me that way? F**k you and your store!" Cue dramatic flouncing and wrestling of doors. (I think she was trying to slam them behind her but...um...it's not that kind of door so...yeah, awkward.)

Apparently, the employee had caught her messing around with cough syrup. I shit you not, this easily 40-something woman had been trying to get high in the middle of CVS. Really lady? You couldn't just do like the kids do and shoplift quietly? Sigh.

Anyway, parents - here's the thing. Kids are getting high off incredibly stupid things. Delsym - cough syrup, is extremely popular as is cold medicine is almost all forms - the kind that's supposed to make you drowsy so you can sleep through the pain of post-nasal drip. If your kid develops a sudden taste for NyQuil, you should probably be concerned. Because what they do is drink the entire bottle (or half depending on the mood). This makes them "trip" - you know, hallucinate and stuff, it also produces a feeling of euphoria. This is because the medications are meant to make you sleep like a rock but, if you stay awake, your brain doesn't know what the hell is going on.
Meh, it's just over the counter stuff, kids will be kids... What's the big deal you say? Well, the problem is that these meds are not intended for fun use and they can quite effectively slow heart rates down to near comatose levels. If mixed with alcohol they can suppress the respiratory system. Completely. So basically? Seriously? Be on the lookout for medication you did not buy.
Or, if your kid seems to have suspiciously clear sinus passages - go ahead and investigate that too.

As far as flipping out and swearing at people in public goes, well, we all have bad days. We all lash out at people who don't deserve it sometimes. We have all made bad decisions. So I'm not judging the crazy lady in CVS because for all I know, her life is a wreck and she's hanging on by a thread. That doesn't make what she did okay but it does free me up to giggle and be grateful I wasn't the asshole today! Score!

2 comments:

  1. I also heard in college that you can "cook" Nyquil into a hard candy type substance. Quicker to injest apparently, and less chance you'll kick it back up. GROSS.

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  2. Ew! Why go through so much trouble for something so gross?

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