The active ingredient in many cough medications. Also useful for getting high as a kite. See, it surpresses coughs by doing something-or-another to the sigma receptors in your throat, and if you drink a whole big bunch of it, it does the same thing to the receptors in your brain. So your brain doesn't cough. Or something like that. Do be careful with it though, and read the FAQ at www.frognet.net/dxm/contents.html before you try this dangerous and stupid stunt.

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The Dextromethorphan Metanode, or, More Than You Should Ever Want To Know About Cough Syrup

Node in progress--excuse our dust. /msg me if you have suggestions.

Descriptions

• DXM
• Dextromethorphan
• Robo
• Robitussin (sic)

Trip Reports

• Drinking Robitussin due to complete boredom

Stuff You Should Know About If You Actually Decide To Take DXM, You Fool

• Olney's Lesions (REALLY REALLY IMPORTANT! READ IT BEFORE YOU SLUG THAT SYRUP!)
• You don't want to die from cough syrup
• DXM FAQ

Miscellaneous

• Things to remember about DXM
• DXM hangover
• Weird Drug
• Sippin' On Some Syrup
• Robo itch
• Robo-trip
• Agent Lemon
• Nyquil Induced Coma
• Plateau Sigma

C₁₈H₂₅NO, dextromethorphan hydrobromide

Effects

Positive:

• Mood Lift
• Dissociation of mind from body
• Creative Dreamlike experiences

Negative:

• Upset stomach, vomiting
• Body itching
• Diarrhea
• Red blotchy Skin
• Fever
• Tachycardia (racing, pounding heart)

Usage

This is not a drug to mix with alcohol, since DXM itself will make you nauseous. If deriving from a cold medication, avoid ones which contain Tylenol or other medications. Robitussin, Delsym, Pertussin, Drixoral and Vicks formula 44 are generally safe bets, one capsule has about twenty to thirty mg. Dosing is as follows:

Threshhold: 80-90mg
Light: 100-200mg
Common: 200-400mg
Strong: 400-600mg
Heavy: 600-1500mg
Fatal: 2500+ mg

Experience

Effects at low dosage can be similar to alcohol producing carefree clumsiness with a touch of psychedelic and speedy effect. Intense and rhythmic music induces a state of euphoria and dancing becomes fun. On a higher dose imagination can become vividly experienced (not always pleasant), feelings of dissociation from the body can occur and on very high doses profound alterations in consciousness.
Each trip lasts three to four hours

Legality

In the U.S., DXM is uncontrolled, so possession, purchase and sale are fully legal. In China you need a presciption in order to purchase, and Finland requires a license to sell undiluted DXM, over the counter stuff is often laced with a laxative. If you live in Japan, DXM can be procured from your local headshop (5000-6000yen for 2 doses.)

Info borrowed from Erowid and people who will probably have forgotten it soon. Don't do any drugs until you fully understand their effects.

Procurement

I found this on a personal website, the posting was done over usenet. I have no clue how reliable this is, chemically, it should work, but I wouldn't risk frying my bain to try.

"I HAVE CONFIRMED THIS TECHNIQUE, DXM HBr DOES LIBERATE ITS BASE VERY FREELY. The technique I employed utilized generic DXM based cough syrup similar in composition to the above mentioned product. It was diluted 50% with water to allow rapid filtration and easier formation of the cation. A solution of 50% sodium hydroxide was added dropwise to the 50% cough syrup solution until the pH of the solution was around 11 to 12. The solution was stirred and allowed to stand for 1 hour to completely precipitate the DXM base. The solution was decanted to remove the bulk of the liquid, and the solid sediment as well as a portion of the mother liquid was filtered and the filtrate was washed 3 times with cold water and allowed to dry. Alas, I did not weigh the product for yield. The dry product was mixed with an aqueous solution of hydrochloric acid until all went into solution, the pH was then adjusted to neutral and the solution was evaporated to dryness. The product is assumed to be the hydrochloride salt of dextromethorphan. Other possibilities are the product is the dl-form Racemethorphan HCl, which means that about 50% of this product will be the l-Form of methorphan HCl or Levomethorphan HCl. This has given me the idea of a simple one step cleavage to yield Levorphanol from the base Levomethorphan. If the product is true dextromethorphan base, a simple cleavage to dextrorphanol should as well be possible. I have no reference on dextrorphanol, but I have extensive information on levorphanol, which is a powerful schedule 2 narcotic. One bottle of Robo should yield enough levorphanol for 30 analgesic doses based upon PDR dosage recommendations.

Research is now continuing. The plan is thusly; convert DXM HBr to the base, which will be either Racemethorphan or Dextromethorphan. Cleave this product to yield either Dextrorphan or Levorphan or the dl-form Racemorphan and convert this product to the tartrate. I have no information at all on the dl-Form or the l-Form of Methorphan (Levomethorphan). Someone please post what you have.

I also need information on the dl-Form, Racemorphan and the d-Form, Dextrorphan. The PDR provides clear information on the l-form, Levorphan (e.g. Levorphanol).

3-Methoxy-17-methylmorphinan => 3-Hydroxy-17-Methylmorphinan
A Schedule Narcotic Racemorphan HCl should by this procedure be a simple and reliable narcotic produced easily from Dextromethorphan HBr bearing products."

Dextromethorphan is used in nearly every brand of cough syrup- i.e. Benelyn DM and the like. Like all cough supressing drugs (codeine, heroin, etc), DM is a mind altering drug. If one were to drink half a bottle of the stuff (not easy), one would be well on their way to an interesting psychedelic experience.

But first, there is some unpleasantness. You first have to suffer through half an hour of strong nausea. DM acts as a purgative, loosening up your bowels and generally causing intestinal nastiness. Puking and nasty farting are par for the course.

But about 45 minutes into things all this becomes irrelevant. Your body begins to feel strange and alien. All the movements which previously seemed so natural are suddenly revealed as mere habit. Fluid and insectlike modes of motion seem much more interesting and efficient. Time stretches and sounds become altered. In dark settings visual hallucinations may begin - melting textures seem particularly common. At higher dosages true 'vision' style hallucination may begin.

The hangover is not physically awful, but more like a weakened version of the state itself. Avoid coffee, nicotine, and marijuana if you wish to avoid intense flashbacks. You may feel spacey and somewhat emotionally disassociated from your surroundings.

DM, like all disassociatives such as ketamine, PCP, and large doses of alcohol, can cause brain damage if used habitually. It can also be physically addictive. It is often mixed with guafisenine and acetimenophen, which respectively cause intense puking and painful bloody death if you overdose on them. If you feel the urge to experiment, for god's sake do some proper research to avoid these unpleasant consequences.

Many thanks to dancesafe.org (DanceSafe) for allowing the reprinting of this article with information on the dangers behind DXM. The original is at http://dancesafe.org/dxm.html.

What is DXM?

DXM is dextromethorphan. It is a legal cough suppressant found in many over-the-counter cough syrups. In high doses it acts as a "dissociative anaesthetic" like ketamine (http://dancesafe.org/ketamine.html) or PCP. A high dose will cause you to feel very spacey and "out of it," and you may lose motor control (your legs may feel wobbly, for example, or at very high doses you won't be able to move much at all). It can also produce audio and visual hallucinations, and can sometimes cause nausea and itchy skin.

Some people use DXM recreationally. When they do, they nearly always do it at home, in bed or on their couch. DXM is definitely not a dance drug, and getting scammed with a DXM tablet when you are expecting ecstasy is no fun at all. It can also be quite dangerous.

Watch Out!

High doses of DXM have contributed to numerous cases of rave-related heatstroke. Most heatstroke emergencies DanceSafe volunteers have witnessed around the country have resulted after an individual unsuspectingly consumed DXM rather than MDMA (http://dancesafe.org/ecstasy.html). Many drugs can increase the risk of heatstroke in a hot environment by inhibiting the body's ability to regulate its temperature. Both MDMA and DXM carry this risk, but anecdotal evidence suggests DXM is much more likely to contribute to life-threatening heatstroke reactions at raves (especially when taking multiple tablets).

Correction: In previous literature we reported that DXM had "anti-cholinergic" effects. Upon a more careful review of the medical literature, this appears not to be the case. The pharmacological activity of DXM that increases heatstroke potential is less cut and dry, and is likely related to its effects on serotonin. Also, while DXM tablets are more likely to induce medical emergencies in dance environments when they are being passed off as "ecstasy" to unsuspecting consumers, serious adverse reactions are rare among purposeful DXM users who consume the drug in home environments.

Don't Mix different brands of E together.

It is even more dangerous to combined DXM with real Ecstasy. Both drugs are metabolized through the same liver enzyme, CYP-2D6 (pronounced "sip-two-dee-six), which means that if you combine them together your liver will not be able to break them down as efficiently as it should. This can lead to significantly heightened effects from the DXM, and a much greater chance of suffering a heatstroke reaction.

What if you think you have accidentally ingested DXM?

Taking breaks from dancing, and staying hydrated are always the best ways to reduce the risk of heatstroke at a rave. If you think you may have accidentally consumed a pill containing DXM, however, you should probably not dance at all, and should stay in a cool environment. Have some friends watch out for you, and chill out for the evening. Remember, your chances of heatstroke are greater if you have consumed DXM, and greatest if you have consumed both MDMA and DXM together.

Can I Tell if a Pill has DXM in it Before I Take It?

Yes. The Ecstasy Testing Kit (http://dancesafe.org/testingkits.html) can identify pills which contain DXM.

Why are people selling DXM as "Ecstasy?"

DXM is cheap, legal and easy to obtain, while making MDMA is expensive and risky. This is why people are selling DXM as ecstasy: to cash in on the high demand for MDMA without undergoing the risk or expense. The manufacturers of these fake pills are trying to make money, but they may not be aware of the dangers they are inflicting upon users. Help spread the word about the dangers of DXM being sold as ecstasy.

Here are some informative websites on DXM:

http://ramindy.sghms.ac.uk/~ltg/dxm.htm
http://www.lycaeum.org/drugs/DXM
http://www.erowid.org/dxm
http://www.frognet.net/dxm/contents.html

For more information on the adulterated market and the need for adulerant screening, visit http://dancesafe.org/pilltesting.html.

DXM, in addition to neurotoxicity issues common to all disassociatives, has some health issues specific to its interactions with MDMA.

Both DXM and MDMA are broken down by the same enzyme (CYP-2D6), and it puts an incredible load on your liver, often causing heatstroke and/or liver failure. More than a few E'd up ravers have died after accidentally taking a pill they thought was MDMA, that turned out to be DXM.

Tripping from DXM can be a highly enjoyable experience. Each experience is different, but if you follow the guidelines outlined below, your experience should be at least mildly pleasant. I have witnessed many people robotrip for the first time, and nobody has ever had a bad experience with me.

If this is your first time tripping, brace yourself for a slight shock and try desperately to have an experienced user (of DXM, LSD, Ketamine, or shrooms) trip with you. And only try the 4 oz. bottle. You can move up to the 8 oz. bottle later.

General guidelines:
1. Buy Robitussin Maximum Strength Cough or a generic equivalent. This variant has Dextromethorphan Hydrobromide as the only Active Ingredient. Other variants WILL make you sick and/or dead. This is very important.

2. Trip with AT LEAST two other people. If you are all inexperienced, also have a sitter with you.

3. Have marijuana on hand for the coming down.

4. Expect the trip to last at least six hours. The intensity will not last that long, but do not expect to be able to do much of anything for six hours.

5. Find a place where you will be undisturbed for the first four hours of the trip.

6. Make two play lists of music or get two CD's. One set should be very relaxed, chill music. The other should be intense, trip-enhancing music. Tool's Third Eye is very effective during the intense trip. Not everyone can handle the intensity though. So be sure to have the calm music available.

7. The trip will begin within an hour of ingestion. Do not attempt to move from your location after that hour.

8. Read the DXM FAQ.

These guidelines are not necessarily the best way to trip. Many people enjoy going outside and doing numerous other activities during the trip. However, if you are coming into this world for the first time, these guidlines will ALMOST ensure a pleasurable trip.

Dextromethorphan, usually in the form of Dextromethorphan Hydrobromide, is the only pharmaceutical cough supressant available in the USA over the counter. (There are probably a number of herbal remedies and a few local anaestics such as menthol, but these are not true cough supressants). It provides suppression of the cough reflex directly in the central nervous system for a period of several hours.

I know that many people reading this may think of the idea of using DXM to suppress coughs in the same way they would think about reading Playboy for the articles. And while it is true that DXM's rather strange and dangerous intoxicating effects may overshadow its use as an antitussive, its use for suppressing coughs is quite important.

Although dextromethorphan is indeed a synthetic opioid, and it has a similiar cough suppressing effect, it is not considered a narcotic, that is, its route of action is different from that of codeine or morphine. According to the DXM FAQ :

Sigma receptors are evidently involved in this pathway (42,49,55,56). This may be a direct involvement - sigma activation may directly inhibit the cough reflex signals - or it may be an indirect one. The cough suppressant effect of opiates (such as codeine) is not related to the same effect of non-opiate morphinans like DXM (49); instead, it seems to be governed by traditional opiate receptors (mu, kappa, or delta).

This perhaps doesn't mean anything for those of us not schooled in the difference between the four types of opiate receptor, and who haven't fully delved into the mysteries surrounding the Sigma opiate receptor, but the upshot of all this is that, unlike Codeine, at the recommended dosages for cough supression, DXM does not cause drowsiness, analgesia constipation, and has no potential for abuse.

DXM is usually sold in a syrup form, usually mixed in with Guaifenesin, an expectorant, or drug that causes mucus to become less thick. The combined effects of these two drugs is to make the user cough less, but makes the coughing they do perform more productive.

The dosage of DXM is usually somewhere between 10 and 20 milligrams every four hours. Note that since psychoactive effects don't start until around at least 50 milligrams, it is quite possible to use DXM to relieve a cough with no impairment of function (although driving or operating machinery is probably not a good idea).

The exact mode of action of DXM is hard to explain. My own experience seems to show that it causes a reduction in both the subjective and objective urge to cough. While it is not analgesic at these dosages, it does seem to cause a decrease in the amount of irritation that the cough reflex subjectivly causes.

I went to the Student Health Service at Portland State University yesterday, complaining of some upper respiratory symptoms. The nurse said I didn't have either bronchitis or pnuemonia, and that I just needed some rest. She gave me a bottle of generic Robotussin, even though I hadn't complained of a cough. However, not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth, I took it home and took it at slightly greater then recommended dosages. The Guaifenesin has really helped clear out my throat, and the DXM has greatly reduced the constant irritation that my throat was giving me.

So, to summarize: Dextromethorphan is a safe, effective and side effect free way to reduce both the objective symptoms and subjective discomfort of a cough.