Have a cough? You might need to show your ID

Scott Wartman | The Cincinnati Enquirer

CINCINNATI — Soon in Kentucky, you might need to show an ID to buy cough syrup.

A bill filed for the next session that begins in January would make it illegal to sell one of the most common forms of cough syrup to anyone younger than 18.

The bill targets products whose only active ingredient is dextromethorphan, described by pharmacists as the most common over-the-counter cough suppressant. Robitussin DM and NyQuil use this chemical.

But some teenagers use it to get high.

It's called "robo-tripping." Teenagers distill the chemical through freezing and chug it. Cough syrup overdoses resulted in about 8,000 trips to emergency rooms across the country in 2008, according to the most recent date by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. In 2012, cough syrup abuse accounted for about 5% of illicit drug use in the United States among high school seniors, according to a University of Michigan study for the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

"Robo-tripping, Google that," Rep. Fitz Steele, D-Hazard, who introduced the bill, told The Enquirer. "It's unreal. It will blow your mind."

A Google search brings up cautionary tales from news agencies and YouTube videos of teenagers who went too far on a "robo-trip."

They describe hallucinations, nightmares and nervous tics.

Steele's bill wouldn't put the same restrictions on dextromethorphan that require cold medication pseudoephedrine to be limited and dispensed behind a pharmacy counter. Other states in the past two years have banned selling cough syrup to minors, among them California, New York and Louisiana, according to news reports.

"It would be like when you walk in and buy a pack of cigarettes and beer," Steele said. "You'll have to show ID. If it will save one life, it's worth it."

But some medical experts say "robo-tripping" is only a small portion of drug abuse among teens.

Cincinnati Drug and Poison Information Center has averaged about 30-40 cases a year of dextromethorphan poisoning during the past five years, said Robert Goetz, senior clinical toxicologist with the center. Synthetic marijuana and bath salts make up a higher portion of cases, Goetz said.

"Dextromethorphan abuse is always going on in the background but it is not something a lot of people are doing, is my understanding," Goetz said.

Symptoms of an overdose can include loss of coordination, numbness, nausea, high blood pressure and, if taken with decongestants, brain damage. Goetz described it as moderately toxic.

"It is abusable, but do we need to make it illegal?" Goetz said. "I don't know."

The sponsor of the bill to ban underaged cough syrup purchases, however, said abuse of cough medication is prevalent in his area. A nurse in his area brought this to his attention, saying her son was addicted to cough syrup.

Steele introduced this bill last session when it passed the House. The session ran out of time before it could advance through the Senate. He plans on making this bill a priority in January.

Regardless of whether cough syrup abuse is a major or minor problem, some local pharmacists see no problem in putting some restrictions on it.

"I think it would create a learning curve for patients and it may be a bit of inconvenience in the beginning, but eventually legitimate users of cough syrup will see it only as a minor inconvenience," said Jack Nie, owner of Nie Pharmacy and Wellness Center in Independence.