Cough remedies such as Vicks, NyQuil are being recreationally used, the medicine being glugged down in syrupy form, mostly at 100 times the suggested dose. The horrendous practice is fondly dubbed by a myriad pet-names; skittles, dex, tussin, red devils and triple Cs. Presently encountered on the streets in blended form with other, far appetizing substances and known as ‘sizzurp’ (cocktail of fizz+ Jolly Rancher), ‘sippin syrup’ (coalesced with alcoholic drinks) and ‘purple drank’ (merged with fizz).

DXM (a cough suppressant) is not as effectual at curbing the prevalently occurring flu/cold caused coughs and obtainable OTC (over-the-counter) in over 120 product types like Nyquil Cough, Vicks 44, Coricidin, Robitussin DM. DXM usage as per directions is deemed safe according to the Food and Drug Administration. However merely standard dosages of the medicines could elicit agitated feelings, spasmodic sensations in muscles and allergy.

The over-usage or abuse has additionally been linked with grave side-effects inclusive of high cardiac rate and hypertension, puking, losing consciousness & co-ordination, delirium and ‘highs’ analogous to psychotropic drug forms. Several of such products additionally have other constituents like pain-allayer, fever-reducing acetaminophen that could harm the liver when abused or merged with alcoholic drinks. Decongestant/expectorant pseudoephedrine when overly used could be causal to hypertension.

DEA has pointed out that several websites online are furnishing comprehensive instructions on abusing such drugs which has played a part in spreading the robo-tripping trend. An express peek at ‘You Tube’ reveals several youngsters actually videotaping themselves as they abuse such medicines and posting their videos on the net. Pop culture could partly be influencing such behaviourisms with rap stars like Lil Wayne crooning to objectionable tunes of ‘sippin’ syrup’ and stances such as ‘weed & syrup till I die’. Just last year Katie Couric made a clean breast about being addicted to prescription-only cough medicines.

The FDA has reported that since the medicine’s observed safety, easy accessibility and needed psychoactive side-effects, it is been increasingly procured by people keen on altering the state of their minds.

The FDA has shortage of choices on adding regulations for DXM and would shortly be consulting a board of specialists for advice & guidance. FDA could curb medicines – presently easily obtainable at medical stores – to prescription-only. In most likelihood it would necessitate the medications to be obtainable behind counters or restricting procurements by people who are under-aged or below eighteen years old.

Teenagers and children are the ones with the maximum likelihood of abusing DXM, principally due to the medicine being easily accessible and comparatively reasonably priced.

However, apart from appearance, e-cigarettes do not replicate the tar – launder listing of harsh-natured chemical substances or several of the side-effects linked to a tobacco cigarette. Nicotine single-handedly is usually not detrimental and it is the other thousand plus chemical presence or the emitted carbon monoxide that is a greater concern. Even as tobacco cigarette is warmly dubbed as a ‘cancer stick’ by several users, an initial FDA-approved survey noted that electronic cigarettes had merely hint amounts of carcinogenic substances.

Thus as a consequence, several of the e-cigarette smokers have reported better sense of tastes and smells, better lung functioning following just weeks of their use – gains mostly observed among people who totally ceased the smoking habit.

Undoubtedly, those users who traded tobacco cigarettes for e-cigarettes yet feed their nicotine-addiction; however the novel habit is by far more healthful.

According to Michael Siegel, Asst. Chairman from Community Health Sciences, Boston Univ., despite the existent nicotine, electronic cigarette is safer as it is sole constituent one is inhaling as compared to the deadly cocktail of nicotine plus thousands of toxic substances, inclusive of forty carcinogenic substances.

Puffing away to Nicotine-less existence

In a perfect world, it would be best if all those who smoked gave up that habit and halted the use of all nicotine-based products. However, nicotine minus tobacco is in the very least, one devil as compared to duo, particularly among those people who smoke and have been unsuccessful in ceasing the habit.

Many users have often seamlessly switched to e-cigarettes. While nicotine gums, patches among others designed to assist a smoker cease the habit have failed more often than not, electronic cigarette users frequently convert more instantly.

Although electronic cigarettes were not initially designed as a means to kick nicotine addiction, several users have commenced employing it in this manner.

The grading of nicotine strengths obtainable to end-users are available in varied levels till nicotine-free which helps to wean the user gradually off nicotine.

FDA-accepted quit smoking tools such as patches have a pre-requisite that the smoker cease the habit, however with e-cigarettes, the analogous practice is done with analogous amounts of draughts kept steady while the  nicotine concentrations are gradually lowered till zilch nicotine cartridges.

Read More At: E-cigarettes – A Safer Bet or Transmuted Dire Habit – Part I

However several people who have used e-cigarettes deem it nothing short of a marvel and life-saver, health experts are cagey about this product and many states inclusive of NY, N. Hampshire, N. Jersey have gone ahead and proscribed them.

Electronic cigarettes employ an inner nicotine-vaporizing atomizer proffering a smoke plus odor-free experience which its makers claim eradicates the scores of health conditions linked to fagging.

E-cigarettes are reasonably priced and easily procured online by minor as well as adult populaces. Several people dispute that such a product that comes in enticing flavours such a mint, fruit and chocolate is another ruse at getting teenagers addicted to nicotine.

Public health groups like the FDA, American Lung Association and NCI have publicly condemned the non-regulated gadget as potentially risky and issuing statement that in the absence of medical proof, claiming that these are a safer bet to regular cigarettes is an obvious infringement of FDA regulations. However this has not prevented scores of the smoker populace from using them.

Public Health Concerns

Reporting dearth of studies, health experts have swiftly taken an anti-stance towards electronic cigarettes. Doubts regarding such non-regulated gadgets are not baseless. The Food and Drug Administration survey of electronic cigarettes noted that a product ‘Smoking Everywhere’ has a harmful chemical constituent diethylene glycol.

Not Much is Known about Electronic Cigarettes

The promotional strategy employed by such electronic cigarette brands has also raised quite a storm. The key USP for several ads is that puffing electronic cigarettes could be done in locations which usually prohibit smoking like eateries, offices and also during air travel.

This undoubtedly is a draw for majority of the e-cigarette users. Likelihood of the non-smoker community being subjected to the vapours of electronic cigarette have impelled the ‘Americans for Non-smokers’ Right’ or ASR group to unite for banning their use in public places. Exec-director, ASR, Cynthia Hallet points out that it is still unclear whether the constituents of the vapour emitted by e-cigarettes is actually risk-free and there is shortage of information in that regard. The ASR believes that for all settings that are already smoke-less must additionally be free of electronic cigarettes.

The effortlessness with which an electronic cigarette habit could be concealed due to its odourless and smokeless nature might additionally make it more enticing to teenagers. Particular e-cigarette products have additionally been blamed for promoting it to kids in varied candy-similar flavourings like almond, cherry, chocolate, mocha.

Teenagers could procure them via the net by lying for satisfying the age limits which several brands put up online. Although electronic cigarettes are lacking the toxic nature of tobacco cigarettes, the nicotine presence in them is a stimulant which is best avoided for minors.

Alcohol Poisoning Is not a Joke

For some, the sight of an alcoholic tripping is a source of fun and amusement. Instead, the risk of death should be highlighted in these individuals. Young individuals do not seem to know the facts about alcohol poisoning. It is only during emergencies that the facts seem to resurface.

Effects of Alcohol Poisoning

When a large quantity of alcohol enters the system, some vital organs are affected, resulting in anomalies. Alcohol also depresses the nerves within the body. This can result in the following:

• Abnormal breathing
• Difficulty in swallowing
• Vomiting
• Unconsciousness
• Increase in body temperature
• Urinary incontinence

Alcohol poisoning is caused over a period of time. The blood becomes toxic in nature as it is cannot eliminate the alcohol that is ingested. Individuals who face the risk of alcohol poisoning are themselves not aware of the risks and dangers.

Knowing the symptoms of alcohol poisoning has the potential to save a life. The following are some of the symptoms of alcohol poisoning.

• State of confusion
• Vomiting
• Seizures
• Difficulty in breathing

A combination of these factors might also occur.

Treatment

Hospitalization is often necessary when alcohol poisoning occurs. Till the level of alcohol subsides, the risk of death is always prominent.

Calling 911 is essential if you suspect that your friend is suffering from alcohol poisoning. Even if it is not alcohol poisoning, you should not take risks.

At the hospital, the following tasks will be performed:

• Heart-rate monitoring
• Recording of blood pressure and body temperature
• Warming the body with blankets
• Administration of intravenous fluids
• Improving blood oxygen levels and consciousness
• Increasing the blood sugar levels

These facts about alcohol poisoning can save the lives of many.

Avoiding Alcohol Poisoning

Most people do not know their limits regarding alcohol. For some drinking alcohol is a fun experience, while for others it can be life-threatening. The factors that determine the effects of alcohol are age, weight, metabolism, and medical history.

Binge drinking has its own dangers. Teens and young adults view consumption of alcohol as a cultural activity. There should be a limit for weekly consumption of alcohol. In this way the body can excrete alcohol in a more efficient manner.

In case a person indulging in heavy drinking has fallen asleep then waking he/she up is vital. In case the person is not responding by staying wakeful, then prompt medical aid must be sought.

Assumptions of a drunken person sleeping it off or rather preferably not be disturbed is erroneous. Another crucial aspect is that merely getting that person to his/her residence is not the resolution and could in fact be placing the drinker at greater risk as no monitoring by another individual could likely be the case.

Treatment for alcohol poisoning generally comprise of supportive care wherein the body clears out alcohol. This would classically include:

• Watchful supervision
  The medical staff would admit the drinker and keep him/her under observation and medical intercession might be required for ensuring safety of the individual.
• Protecting the air passages for averting any respiratory or choking complications
  Alcohol intoxication could cause lowered oxygen supply in the body thus leading to strange behaviours and perplexity. Hence, management and maximization of air circulation would be the swiftest resolution.
• Oxygen therapy
  Oxygen administration is a medical intercession that is normally performed using a nasal cannula when oxygen delivery of 30 to 35 percent is the necessity. In case 100% oxygen is required, then snug-fitted facial masks or incubators for tots are used. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is administration of oxygen at raised air pressure.
• Administering fluids via intravenous route for preventing the person from dehydrating
  Excessive alcohol intake could lead to a condition known as hypothermia wherein body temperature dips because of the blood vessels constricting that could have grave consequences. When those who have abused alcohol are admitted in emergency rooms, the foremost treatment approach is covering with blankets and administration of intravenous fluids for rehydrating the body of the likely fluids being lost because of undue perspiration and puking. Generally glucose dips are given for rehydration of the body and bringing the glucose levels to satisfactory levels.
• Kidney Dialysis
  Grownups and kids that have had an accidental ingestion of methanol or isopropyl alcohol would require kidney dialysis – a perfunctory manner of sifting out wastes and toxic substances from the body for speeding alcohol elimination from the blood stream.
• Gastric Lavage or Irrigation
  When medical staff has answered a call for help, the drunken person would most likely be shifted to a hospital wherein the treatment for alcohol poisoning would comprise of a procedure known as gastric lavage or irrigation. During this procedure, the stomach is pumped out following insertion of a tube inside the individual’s nasal or oral passage till it reaches the stomach. On reaching the stomach, miniscule quantities of water or saline are repeatedly administered till the fluid that returns has no constituents of gastric substances.

Fears of being publicly humiliated, likely legal ramifications (for instance under-aged drinking), dearth of awareness regarding the signs and the crucial nature of alcohol poisoning or fears of disgrace could lead to indecisiveness that could prove dangerous. Plainly put, the toughest part about acting in response to an alcohol abuse case is to make quick choices on getting medical aid.

Classical signs of alcohol poisoning

Feeling nauseous and puking are nearly always noted as the foremost symptoms of alcohol poisoning which the body and brain are messaging to the individual indicating alcohol consumption to an extent that the body is incapable of handling.

The signs and symptoms of alcohol poisoning comprise of:

• Person lacks reflexes.
• Slurry verbal communication.
• Person does not withdraw even on experiencing pain-causing stimulus, for example when pinched or slapped; the intoxicated person senses no difference.
• Feeling puzzled, dazed.
• Difficulty felt when trying to awaken the individual.
• Unpredictable behaviour.
• Seizure attacks.
• Feels quite sick inclusive of lengthy, long-lasting puking.
• Respiration slows down, becomes shallow or breathing irregularly.
• Sluggish breathing (lesser than 8 breaths per minute).
• Low body temperature – a condition known as hypothermia.
• Bluish tone or paleness noted on the skin.
• Incapable of making eye-to-eye contact or sustaining a dialogue.
• Becomes unconscious or passes out.

It is vital to call attention to the fact that signs of alcohol poisoning are not solely felt by those abusing alcohol. On stating in a different way, a person could be experiencing an alcohol over-dosage in case he/she is a drinker or in case he/she is abusing alcohol and is not alcohol-dependent. Moreover, alcohol poisoning could be deemed one of the key signs of alcoholism or it could be viewed as a sign of abusing alcohol, on basis of whether the individual is alcohol-dependent or not. Either ways, the key contemplation is that alcohol poisoning and signs of alcohol poisoning are the consequence of inebriating the body with levels of alcohol far surpassing what it is capable of metabolizing.

Research on the signs of alcohol poisoning, gruesome facts about alcohol poisoning surfaced. Nearly fifty thousand alcohol poisoning cases are accounted for annually in the United States, and around one case weekly, some person in the United States faces fatality due to alcohol poisoning.

Hence, comprehending symptoms and effects of alcohol poisoning and the reasons for a lethal reaction and taking action astutely and aptly in such a scenario by calling on the relevant helpline numbers and requesting for prompt medical assistance could aid in averting a grave alcohol overdose.

Cocaine has powerful marring consequences on cardiovascular, cognitive and emotional functioning. Several people using cocaine end up becoming addicts to it with long-standing and life-menacing outcomes. Those occasionally using cocaine could also be at a significant risk of abrupt fatality.

Crack, Cocaine, Coca

Leaf extracts from plant Erythroxylum coca on purification yields cocaine. Varied chemical methods create the 2 key types of cocaine:

• Powdery cocaine
  prevalent street lingo ‘coke’ or ‘blow’ is water-soluble. Users generally snort or inject powdery cocaine. Coke is known to strongly constrict blood vessels particularly those in the heart.
• Crack cocaine
  prevalent street lingo ‘crack’ or ‘rock’ manufactured as an outcome of a chemical process in a freebase version that users smoke.

Youngsters particularly males in ages of 18-25 years are the main cocaine using populace observed and nearly 1081 cocaine-related fatalities occur annually.

The dearth of lab benchmarks in street drug manufacture is another harrowing aspect. Many individual incessantly blabber on how distrustful they are of the pharmacological industry, but would otherwise go ahead and sniff a drug that has been made somewhere in an underground store lab.

Cocaine – An anatomical high

Cocaine when smoked or injected has near instant outcomes, rapidly getting absorbed via nose tissues making snorting it almost rapid-acting and reaching the brain. Deeply impacting the brain, cocaine meddles with chemical envoys – neurotransmitters – nerves used for communicating with one another. Cocaine has a blocking effect on several neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine and the resultant chemical build-up in-between nerves leads to a euphoric effect.

Common feelings after Cocaine intake

On intake of cocaine several users cite greater energy levels, attentiveness, mood highs, feel supreme. There are other users that report feeling irate, paranoid, agitated and anxious. Indications of cocaine users are pupil dilatation, elevated energy and activity levels, wound up, high-spirited speech.

These instantaneous effects of cocaine intake soon subside in thirty minutes. Cocaine when smoked or injected has swifter and briefer high in comparison to when coke is snorted.

Physiological Impact of Cocaine

• Cocaine has a detrimental outcome on the heart raising heart rate, eliciting hypertension and causing constriction to arteries that convey blood to the heart – outcomes could lead to heart attack – even amongst youngsters with no cardiovascular ailments. Cocaine could bring about a lethal irregular cardiac rhythm known as arrhythmia that could kill instantaneously.
• Cocaine causes constriction of blood vessels in the brain leading to stroke. Youngsters with no risk factor of developing stroke could also suffer from them. Cocaine could cause seizure attacks and could cause weird or belligerent behaviours.
• As cocaine harms nose and sinus, regularly using it could cause perforations in the nasal passages. Crack when smoked causes lung irritation and long-standing harm to the lungs.
• Cocaine causes constriction of blood vessels in the gastrointestinal tract leading to oxygen malnourishment causing ulcer formation or even performed stomach or intestinal area.
• Cocaine could lead to abrupt, devastating kidney failure. Those individuals having hypertension, cocaine could hasten long-standing harm to kidneys caused due to hypertension.
• Though cocaine has been reputed to elicit sexual acts, but it factually makes one less competent to complete what one has started. Sexual dysfunction problems could develop in both genders who are incessant cocaine users.

Withdrawal Signs:

• Depressive tendencies and feeling anxious.
• Weariness.
• Inattentiveness.
• Incapable of feeling contentment.
• Heightened yearning for cocaine.
• Physical signs like ache, pain, tremor and chill sensed.
• Suicidal thought process.

Hence, it is always wise to simply say ‘NO’. Those who are addicts should promptly seek professional medical assistance. Life is too precious to be discounting it for brief moments of risky highs.