MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia: Dextromethorphan overdose

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Dextromethorphan overdose

Contents of this page:
Alternative Names Definition Poisonous Ingredient Where Found Symptoms Home Care	Before Calling Emergency Poison Control What to Expect at the Emergency Room Outlook (Prognosis) References

Alternative Names

DXM overdose; Robo overdose; Orange crush overdose; Red devils overdose;Triple C's overdose

Definition Return to top

This is poisoning from swallowing a large amount of dextromethorphan, a medicine that helps stop coughs (cough suppressant).

Poisonous Ingredient Return to top

Dextromethorphan

Where Found Return to top

Dextromethorphan is found in many over-the-counter cough and cold medicines, including:

Robitussin DM
Triaminic DM
Rondec DM
Benylin DM
Drixoral
St. Joseph Cough Suppressant
Coricidin
Alka-Seltzer Plus Cold and Cough
NyQuil
DayQuil
TheraFlu
Tylenol Cold
Dimetapp DM

The drug is also abused and sold on the streets under the names:

Orange crush
Triple C's
Red Devils
Skittles
Dex

Note: This list may not be all inclusive.

Symptoms Return to top

Heart and blood vessels
- Low blood pressure
Lungs
Eyes, ears, nose, and throat
- Blurred vision
Skin
- Bluish colored fingernails and lips
Gastrointestinal
- Spasms of the stomach and intestines
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Constipation
Heart and blood
- Rapid heart beat
- High blood pressure
Nervous system
- Drowsiness
- Dizziness
- Hallucinations
- Muscle spasticity (twitches)
- Coma

Home Care Return to top

This can be a serious overdose. Seek immediate medical help.

Before Calling Emergency Return to top

Determine the following information:

Patient's age, weight, and condition
Name of product (as well as the ingredients and strength, if known)
Time it was swallowed
Amount swallowed
If the medicine was prescribed for the patient

Poison Control Return to top

The National Poison Control Center (1-800-222-1222) can be called from anywhere in the United States. This national hotline number will let you talk to experts in poisoning. They will give you further instructions.

This is a free and confidential service. All local poison control centers in the U.S. use this national number. You should call if you have any questions about poisoning or poison prevention. It does NOT need to be an emergency. You can call for any reason, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Take the container with you to the hospital, if possible.

See National Poison Control center.

What to Expect at the Emergency Room Return to top

The health care provider will measure and monitor the patient's vital signs, including temperature, pulse, breathing rate, and blood pressure. The patient may receive:

Medicines to treat symptoms
Medicines to make the person throw up
Activated charcoal
Laxative
A nasogastric (NG) tube thru the nose into the stomach to empty the stomach (gastric lavage)
A narcotic antagonist (medicine to reverse the effect of the painkiller)

Outlook (Prognosis) Return to top

If medicine to reverse the effects of the overdose are given, recovery may occur within 1 to 4 hours.

According to the FDA, at least five reported deaths of teenagers may be linked to dextromethorphan abuse.

References Return to top

U.S. Food and Drug Administration. FDA Warns Against Abuse of Dextromethorphan (DXM). Rockville, MD: National Press Office; May 20, 2005. Talk Paper T05-23.

Update Date: 4/4/2006

Updated by: Janeen R. Azare, PhD, MSPH, Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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