How does dxm addiction work? Is it physically addictive?
Question by Zach Short the hippy: How does dxm addiction work? Is it physically addictive?
I’m 17 and have been using DXM [Dextromethorphan HBr] a bit lately. This is the drug in cough medicine. I know that any good thing can be addictive if not used in moderation, but is DXM specifically addictive? I smoke a ton of weed but I don’t want everyone to think I’m a pothead. I don’t use DXM at parties and stuff, just for a fun safe high. But I don’t want to be too addicted to anything.
How addictive is it in comparison to cigarettes, if possible?
Best answer:
Answer by Rachel
First, cigarettes are the most addictive substance around (despite the media portrayals of other drugs) so it’s hard to compare something to them. Second, DXM isn’t necessarily addictive, especially as a hallucinogen. Should you start to need to and want it and not be able to live without it, then you could start to consider that an addiction, but it varies so much person to person.
Third, and perhaps most important, DXM is certainly not just a “fun, safe high.” DXM itself might not be too bad, even the alcohol mixed in with the DXM might not be too bad, but what you might consider the safest ingredient has a good chance of killing you–acetomenaphen (brand name: tylenol). See, the problem with getting high off cough syrup is that you need to drink a lot of it, and there is a lot of acetomenaphen in cough syrups (usually–although it is possible to get them without it, which I highly suggest you do if you continue using DXM), and too much acetomenaphen can cause a long, painful death (basically, you have about two weeks while your liver fails).
Basically, it’s hard to say if something is addictive or not. Could DXM cause substance dependence? No. Could it become addictive? Look up “substance abuse” in the DSM-IV and see how you fit into that, and that will give you the best idea of if you’re having problems or not.
Answer by boozer
http://www.helium.com/items/161950-addiction-to-cough-syrup-dxm
Supporting Students with Co-Occurring Substance Abuse and Mental Health Needs (5/23/13) – Drug and alcohol risks are prevalent in so many ways in the lives of Vermont’s young people. Whether a source of recreation, a coping strategy for stress or …