NEW YORK, NY -- Dextromethorphan abuse, also known as DXM abuse, has developed into a disturbing new trend. On May 20, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a talk paper warning against dextromethorphan abuse, a synthetically produced ingredient found in many over-the-counter cough and cold remedies. According to the paper, "The agency is working with other health and law enforcement authorities to address this serious issue and warn the public of potential harm, after five recently reported deaths of teenagers that may be associated with the consumption of powdered DXM sold in capsules."

Dextromethorphan is a safe and effective, active ingredient found in many nonprescription cough syrups, tablets, and gel caps – not meant to be a drug of abuse. When used accordingly to medicine label directions, the ingredient dextromethorphan produces few side effects and has a long history of safety. When abused in large amounts, it can produce a "high" feeling as well as a number of dangerous side effects.

The abuse of dextromethorphan is a greater problem than previously thought; The Partnership’s 18th annual study of teen drug use, abuse and attitudes confirms that Generation Rx has arrived as an alarming number of today’s teenagers are more likely to have abused Rx and OTC medications than a variety of illegal drugs like Ecstasy, cocaine, crack and meth. Nearly one in five teens (19 percent or 4.5 million) report abusing prescription medications to get high; and one in 10 (10 percent or 2.4 million) report abusing cough medicine to get high.

For more information on dextromethorphan abuse, visit What Every Parent Needs to Know About Cough Medicine Abuse or our DXM drug guide page.

Read the talk paper about the abuse of dextramethorphan.

Note: The powder/capsule form of DXM is not "cough medicine" and is frequently sold illicitly via the Internet.