DOSE:	repeated	oral	DXM
	repeated	oral	Chlorpheniramine Maleate

BODY WEIGHT:

140 lb

Negative Effects of DXM Abuse

I am a DXM recovering addict, and felt like I could provide an insight of my highly negative experiences with DXM.

Having first tried it at around at only about 250 mg (although getting very high), I hated it. I felt like I had ADD. I couldn't concentrate on anything, and it was the first time I had been severely high off of anything. However, I kept using, partly because of the accessibility and the emotional/mind-numbing effects. I quickly became addicted, using regularly/almost daily for 2-3 years [ages 15-18]. The end of my use was ranging in the 660-700 mg range, because of an unbelievable tolerance increase. Many horrible experiences led me to going to treatment centers, such as the following...

I cannot count how many times I had either been to the E.R. or had called an ambulance in panic from withdrawal, convinced every time that I was dying. Because I was taking an average of 22 coricidin and considering the 'extras' I would take later in the day to boost my high is probably what led me to this. After the majority of my high would wear off, I would go to sleep. This was hell. Almost EVERY single night of doing DXM was me trying to fall asleep, ignoring the pulsating in my abdomen and praying to God that I would make it through the night. It was the last thing I thought about before going to bed and the first thing I thought about upon waking.

I encountered countless trips to the hospital; all coming from waking up in the middle of the night with a seemingly endless amount of doom taking over my body, the feeling that I couldn't breathe, and the convinced thought that I was dying. (A doctor later told me this was because of the physical numbing DXM causes.. Not being able to tell if I was actually getting air.) Every time was the same thing... Calling the hospital and swearing that this time was different, that it was worse, and that I was actually dying.

Being off of it still comes with consequences. I can tell the condition of my brain function couldn't NOT be from my DXM use; the 'slowness' of my brain, and my SEVERE problems with memory.

Exp Year: 2005-2008	ExpID: 89515
Gender: Female
Age at time of experience: 18
Published: Sep 20, 2016	Views: 3,493
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