Poll: Dextromethorphan (Robitussin) - Down the rabbit hole

[2012 Wont Happen]

Recently a friend introduced me to recreational usage of dextromethorphan, the active ingredient in Robitussin.

It has given me both the most unpleasant and most euphorically happy moments of my life over the last couple weeks.

It's usage could definitely be described as going down a rabbit hole of sorts.

Has anyone else on the Escapist been down that rabbit hole?

Spoiler

Also, I checked the rules of the site since this thread is easily pushing it to make sure I'm good to go and it said not to post threads about "Illegal Drugs in the United States", however, according to Wikipedia, "No legal distinction currently exists in the United States between medical and recreational use, sale, or purchase [of dextromethorphan]." Seeing as it is not illegal in the United States, I did not feel this thread would violate any site rule.

edit- at request, here is a link explaining recreational use of DXM.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recreational_use_of_dextromethorphan

Also:

Spoiler: DXM in a nutshell (mixture of personal experience and researched facts)

To give a better description if you don't feel like reading the wikipedia is basically that DXM is a dissociative, a class of drugs that produces dreamlike states in users, and lasts for about eight hours. It tends to produce an intense physical euphoria and feeling of invincibility, but is not marked by the same reduction in decision making capacity as other dissociatives such as salvia divinorum or phencyclidine (PCP). However, while it does not generally significantly reduce decision making or mental ability in users (I've been around people on it several times who didn't even realize I was on anything until I told them), it does produce closed eye hallucinations. If mixed with other psychoactive substances, it tends to enhance whatever effects they have on one's mental capacity.

It is not safe to mix recreational doses of DXM with any other psychoactive drug with the exception of cannabis, which, unlike DXM, is illegal and therefore not to be condoned. Even then, while it is not physically dangerous to mix the two drugs, the DXM mixes with cannabis in such a way as to significantly reduce the decision making abilities of a user. Such a mixture will not lead to PCP-style "I can fly" jump off a building level decision making, but even if an individual is a cannabis user, if they are prone to making dangerous decisions they should think twice before mixing the drug with DXM.

 

[White Lightning]

Drugs are bad mmm'kay? You shouldn't do drugs unless they're given to you by a Doctor.

In case you can't tell my answer is no.

Although I should probably add that I have actually been in a hole that was occupied by Rabbits.

 

[SomeLameStuff]

Uh... no. Never tried drugs, will never do drugs, will be dead before I snort drugs.

That is all.

 

[manic_depressive13]

Aw come on, post a link or something. Now I have to open up a new tab and google it myself.

Sigh.

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

Far be it from me to tell someone what to do with their own body, but there are safer ways to get high than chugging cough syrup. It's just not a good idea, man. Like, potentially fatal not a good idea.

 

[WolfThomas]

Uh... no. Never tried drugs, will never do drugs, will be dead before I snort drugs.

That is all.

Caffeine? Alcohol? Paracetamol?

Drug is a blanket term. As the OP said Robitussin isn't illegal, yet.

A better response is I'd never misuse medication for recreational purposes.

 

[2012 Wont Happen]

Far be it from me to tell someone what to do with their own body, but there are safer ways to get high than chugging cough syrup. It's just not a good idea, man. Like, potentially fatal not a good idea.

Drinking an effective dose of dextromethorphan in the form of cough syrup does approximately as much damage to the body as a night of heavy drinking, and it is much more fun. If one were to extract DXM from Robitussin, which is a simple and legal process, there are no longer any major ill effects on health if the extraction is done properly. However, I'm no chemist and the process involves ammonia, so I don't feel comfortable performing it.

 

[Olas]

It's a little sad that the happiest moments of your life have come from abusing prescription drugs. I'm guessing the 1 yes vote so far is from OP.

And no, I have no plans to intoxicate myself for recreation. Have fun in your rabbit hole.

 

[SlaveNumber23]

Uh... no. Never tried drugs, will never do drugs, will be dead before I snort drugs.

That is all.

Caffeine? Alcohol? Paracetamol?

Drug is a blanket term. As the OP said Robitussin isn't illegal, yet.

A better response is I'd never misuse medication for recreational purposes.

You know exactly what he means, so what is the problem?

Personally, I have no interest in drugs at all really, I avoid using painkillers where possible and just let headaches etc sort themselves out, rarely drink alcohol or caffeine. Using them for recreation is pretty much never going to happen for me.

 

[2012 Wont Happen]

It's a little sad that the happiest moments of your life have come from abusing prescription drugs. I'm guessing the 1 yes vote so far is from OP.

And no, I have no plans to intoxicate myself for recreation. Have fun in your rabbit hole.

Everything tangible about an emotion is a chemical reaction. The specific circumstance that made up the happiest moment of my life was laying in the dark with just me and my girlfriend holding onto each other, lying in my bed, while on DXM. A lot of the chemicals in my brain at that moment were produced by the situation of being there with her in that setting. Another significant portion came from the fact that DXM chemically enhances happiness.

If somebody is a drug user, it is most likely that their happiest moment was on a drug. Drugs are chemicals which effect your brain chemistry. If people use the drug, it is likely one that effects it in a way to produce happiness as people will not pay good money for something which they don't like.

All of your emotions that you cherish so much are just chemical reactions in your brain. That is literally all that they are if we are talking at all scientifically. It's sad to me that you will never experience the feelings of euphoria which are simply not possible without intoxicants.

I am certain that at no point in your life will you feel as close to another human being as I did with my girlfriend, in the dark with minor hallucinations setting in, getting within inches of her so I could make out her face, and holding onto her as my anchor to reality. I'm not certain of that because I think our love is one that can never be replicated. No. I'm certain of that because my brain chemistry was unnaturally altered in such a way that it created an emotional response far more intense than one the human body can naturally produce.

In short, of course my happiest moment came from a drug.

Also, Robitussin is over the counter, just as a point of information. As I explained, it's recreational use is legal. Recreational use of prescriptions is a felony.

 

[WolfThomas]

You know exactly what he means, so what is the problem?

Personally, I have no interest in drugs at all really, I avoid using painkillers where possible and just let headaches etc sort themselves out, rarely drink alcohol or caffeine. Using them for recreation is pretty much never going to happen for me.

My point is the line is not clear. Robitussin is not illegal (yet). How is it different from say alcohol? Which most people don't consider a drug.

 

[SlaveNumber23]

My point is the line is not clear. Robitussin is not illegal (yet). How is it different from say alcohol? Which most people don't consider a drug.

I see where you are coming from but your response felt a bit too much like needless nitpicking. It is strange that alcohol is perfectly legal and accepted while safer drugs like marijuana are illegal. My guess is that alcohol is so well established and embedded in society that authorities are too afraid to try and remove it.

 

[Latinidiot]

Nah, I don´t have, don´t think I will. I like pot and alcohol enough not to fuck around with things that I am not too familiar with. Also, ifI might want to go psychedelic one day, I´ll try mushrooms one day.

 

[Headdrivehardscrew]

Yup. DXM, medicinal ether, 5-MeO-DMT.

Experiences that shall remain in the 'special projects' drawer that are the most fun with students of philosophy, theology and the medicinal arts. Not for the uninspired or the faint of brain. Beats alcohol, weed, tobaccer and pretty much anything stronger than those in both the 'fun' and the 'safety' department, but they tend to not be too pleasant or inviting (or accessible) for the average recreational user. Two of them give you the robot dance, one of them drops you smack in the middle of wonderland, turning seconds into months, giving 'life', 'death' and that limited shelf life of ours a whole new dimension.

For everyday use, I guess I prefer sticking to red wine and single malts, as you can also cook with those.

Oh, and to everyone calling weed 'safe' - there are plenty (too many) people developing severe issues plain from smoking weed products, and we're still unable to properly figure out why. Besides, people get murdered (shot/stabbed/beheaded/cut into little pieces/etc.) for weed, one of the currently most sought after illegal goods. As with cocaine or any other potentially fun substance, I know that I do not want to finance any bad guy, and not a single penny of my expenses must go to narco bandits, political extremists or other unsavoury elements of any given human society. The drug war operations in Europe are currently mostly about 'friendly' weed, and still people die. Besides, the quality of the 'safe' drug has plummeted in free fall, as cutting weed products is obviously different to just blending expensive drug powder with other, cheaper, powders of similar appearance. We're talking glass dust, glue, and seemingly whatever's at hand when it comes to hash. Yeah, enjoy smoking that shoe-shine.

And that's all well before we look at the dirt and grime and mold these troglodytes sell to our kids.

If you know who you are, if you know what you're doing, there's absolutely nothing wrong with losing a couple of braincells occasionally - and I don't think it matters much how you do it. I've seen people collapse from ranting and raving and praying and ending up in worse conditions than people collapsing from binge drinking, so... choose your poison wisely.

 

[WolfThomas]

My point is the line is not clear. Robitussin is not illegal (yet). How is it different from say alcohol? Which most people don't consider a drug.

I see where you are coming from but your response felt a bit too much like needless nitpicking. It is strange that alcohol is perfectly legal and accepted while safer drugs like marijuana are illegal. My guess is that alcohol is so well established and embedded in society that authorities are too afraid to try and remove it.

I appologize I did not explain my reason for nitpicking. Drug used in the context of illicit drugs has a tremendous negative connation and to respond to this person thus I felt is too much of a judgment. That albeit unconventional what he is doing is not against the law...yet.

 

[Headdrivehardscrew]

You know exactly what he means, so what is the problem?

Personally, I have no interest in drugs at all really, I avoid using painkillers where possible and just let headaches etc sort themselves out, rarely drink alcohol or caffeine. Using them for recreation is pretty much never going to happen for me.

My point is the line is not clear. Robitussin is not illegal (yet). How is it different from say alcohol? Which most people don't consider a drug.

Well, it doesn't need to be processed by your grumpy old friend, the liver. If anything causes liver problems, it's everything else you get in cough syrup, the active ingredient itself - DXM - is an absolute non-issue.

It's not inhaled, so your lungs are on a welcome break, too.

The main difference to alcohol is that it is a whole other substance. DXM in 'recreational' dosages is best described as a dissociative hallucinogen, yet since it is not refined for that specific purpose, it also has other qualities I cannot go into here. Check out wikipedia to get a glimpse at what's going on behind the curtains. In short, DXM is quite safe, even when used in excessive amounts, but it can also have effects on any given individual you would get from anything ranging from anti-depressants, mood stabilizers or other seemingly totally unrelated substances.

Then again, while it is not addictive in any way, shape or form, you can get the shits, develop a harsh allergic reaction or, if you mix it with grapefruit juice, you can totally nuke your liver. As long as you put some effort into knowing what you're doing, it's mostly safe.

But this is not a drug forum here, so it's best left to sites like Erowid to collect data and user experiences.

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

Far be it from me to tell someone what to do with their own body, but there are safer ways to get high than chugging cough syrup. It's just not a good idea, man. Like, potentially fatal not a good idea.

Drinking an effective dose of dextromethorphan in the form of cough syrup does approximately as much damage to the body as a night of heavy drinking, and it is much more fun. If one were to extract DXM from Robitussin, which is a simple and legal process, there are no longer any major ill effects on health if the extraction is done properly. However, I'm no chemist and the process involves ammonia, so I don't feel comfortable performing it.

I guess that might be true if Dextromathorphan were the only thing in cough syrup, but most brands mix it with other stuff like guaffenisen, sudafed, or tylenol, any of which can mess you up in high doses. And besides, I'm sorry if I'm not buying the idea that in the doses of this stuff needed for recreational uses are just as safe as those in alcohol. A medicinal dose of this stuff is a teaspoon or two. A recreational dose is, what, 6-8 ounces? A full bottle, at any rate. That is so far over the recommended dose it's not even funny.

Also, the safeness of the active ingredient when isolated in a lab is irrelevant here, unless you're gonna cook yourself up a batch and know exactly what you're doing, both in the process of isolating it and in the dose you're taking. As the saying goes, the dose makes the poison, and you're talking about a very large dose. Do some research -- people really have died from this.

 

[Rastien]

Be careful with this stuff dude, it's comparable to acid (bad trips are not fun), not going into details don't want my account banned or anything but...

It's commonly found in a wide range of cough syrups over the counter (more so in the states than UK) and is very easily extracted for anyone with a bit of know how in high school chemistry and made into powder form.

I really wouldn't be using this stuff more than once a month or you will find yourself becoming a bit of an emotional void but DXM can be a lot of fun just use it in moderation (same with all things in life) and you should be fine

Spoiler

Far be it from me to tell someone what to do with their own body, but there are safer ways to get high than chugging cough syrup. It's just not a good idea, man. Like, potentially fatal not a good idea.

Drinking an effective dose of dextromethorphan in the form of cough syrup does approximately as much damage to the body as a night of heavy drinking, and it is much more fun. If one were to extract DXM from Robitussin, which is a simple and legal process, there are no longer any major ill effects on health if the extraction is done properly. However, I'm no chemist and the process involves ammonia, so I don't feel comfortable performing it.

I guess that might be true if Dextromathorphan were the only thing in cough syrup, but most brands mix it with other stuff like guaffenisen, sudafed, or tylenol, any of which can mess you up in high doses. And besides, I'm sorry if I'm not buying the idea that in the doses of this stuff needed for recreational uses are just as safe as those in alcohol. A medicinal dose of this stuff is a teaspoon or two. A recreational dose is, what, 6-8 ounces? A full bottle, at any rate. That is so far over the recommended dose it's not even funny.

Also, the safeness of the active ingredient when isolated in a lab is irrelevant here, unless you're gonna cook yourself up a batch and know exactly what you're doing, both in the process of isolating it and in the dose you're taking. As the saying goes, the dose makes the poison, and you're talking about a very large dose. Do some research -- people really have died from this.

See above but yeah, it's scarily easy to extract :x

However, I'm no chemist and the process involves ammonia, so I don't feel comfortable performing it.

Who told you they used ammonia to extract it? you really don't need that... a bit worrying, i mean you might be able to do it with ammonia i don't know i'm no chemist but that sounds dicey as fuck :/

 

[Tortilla the Hun]

See, the reason I will never drugs (please, don't quote me with, "what do you mean by drugs, no medicine, herp derp" - you know exactly what I'm talking about), is that I really don't want to develop a dependency for them. And just'cause something isn't physically addictive as proven by science, it is still very habituating, and I'd rather not make it a habit to unnecessarily "enhance" my life experiences. If I'm not truly enjoying something, perhaps it's because it's not truly enjoyable for me. I don't need Dextromethorphan (or any other drug for that matter) to tell me, "bro, trust me, this is awesome, you're just bein' a whiny douche". I have friends to tell me that, thank you very much.