Recreational Use of Dextromethorphan

Recreational Use Of Dextromethorphan

Dextromethorphan (DXM), a common active ingredient found in many over-the-counter cough suppressant cold medicines, is used as a recreational drug for its dissociative effects. It has almost no psychoactive effects at medically-recommended doses. Dextromethorphan has powerful dissociative properties when administered in doses well above those considered therapeutic for cough suppression. Recreational use of DXM is sometimes referred to in slang form as robo-tripping, whose prefix derives from the Robitussin brand name, or Triple Cs, which derives from the Coricidin brand (the pills were printed with "CCC").

An online essay first published in 1995 entitled "The DXM FAQ" described dextromethorphan’s potential for recreational use, and classified its effects into plateaus.

Owing to its recreational use and theft concerns, many retailers in the US have moved dextromethorphan-containing products behind the counter so that one must ask a pharmacist to receive them or be 18 years (19 in New Jersey, Nebraska, and Alabama, 21 in Mississippi) or older to purchase them. Some retailers also give out printed recommendations about the potential for abuse with the purchase of products containing dextromethorphan.