What Is Robotripping? The Risks Of DXM

 

DXM, which stands for Dextromethorphan, is a common active ingredient in a wide variety of cough medications and cold medicines which are sold over the counter in pharmacies. Apart from its use in these medications, DXM is also used as a recreational drug due to the dissociative effects it produces.

Psychoactive Effects

Although DXM has almost zero psychoactive effects when taken in the recommended doses as a cold medicine, when ingested at much higher doses, it has very powerful dissociative properties, and the effects are substantial. The recreational use of this drug is known as robotripping. This term is derived from the brand name Robitussin, nicknamed Robo. 

DXM is also combined with acetaminophen to relieve pain and prevent recreational use. Having said that, in order to achieve the dissociative effects of the DXM, people often exceed the recommended dose of 4,000 mg of APAP. This can cause liver failure and other potentially fatal condition.

DXM Withdrawals and Side Effects

DXM doesn't usually cause the withdrawal symptoms that are the result of substance abuse, but there is a high risk of psychological addiction to the drug. This is due to the similar action to selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor. Suddenly stopping the drug can cause mental and physical withdrawal symptoms similar to those of SSRIs. 

The speeding up or slowing down of sensory input, also known as flanging, is another effect of the recreational use of DXM. Long-term effects of using DXM recreationally, like many other narcotic analgesics, can cause erectile dysfunction and a diminished sex drive. Mixing multi-symptom cold medicines carries a substantial risk of fatality.

If you, or anyone you know, has been using DXM as a recreational drug, it’s important to seek professional help as soon as possible, to avoid the significant risks to both short term and long term health.