Tip Tuesday: FDA Is Considering New Restrictions on Cough Medicine

Happy Tuesday bloggers!

Today's post is a little bit different, but extremely important all the same. If any of you have been following the news the last few days, I'm sure you've heard the buzz about a possible FDA ban on cough medicine. That's right, in the near future, you may be required to furbish a prescription to purchase Robitussin or other current over-the-counter cough syrups.

Why, you ask, are the days of heading to the neighborhood drug store to pick up some cough syrup for an at-home remedy possibly over??

Well, it's all stemming from a new epidemic among teens called robotripping or DXM. A recent study found that 8 percent of all teens have admitted to participating in this behavior, which is characterized by drinking a bottle of Robitussin cough syrup (containg DXM), with the intention of purposely hallucinating.

And the consequences are even worse.

Drinking one or more bottles of cough syrup and/or mixing it with alcohol can cause the following:

1. Irregular Heart Beat
2. Seizures
3. Brain Damage
4. Loss of ConsciousnessDeath

So, if you are the parent of a teen or young adult, make sure to talk to them about the dangers of engaging in this type of behavior. Or, better yet, only keep these medicines on hand when an ailment strikes.

For more information:
Watch Today's video segment here or visit Five Moms, a campaign to stop cough medicine abuse, by clicking here.

Until Next Week,
Michelle D.

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photo credit: drugfreehomes.com