rfgdxm/Robert F. Golaszewski
09-21-2007, 10:07 PM
Sigh. I just got of the telephone with a coroner's office in Ohio
following up a lead about an 18 year old male who was said to have died
of an overdose that involved DXM and antihistamines. Coroner's reports
are public record in Ohio. They didn't want to give all the specifics
over the telephone, and instead told me that I would have to snail mail
them requesting a copy of the report. The fact that they knew from what
I told them that I was going to publicly report this death to the world
on a website likely made them want me just to get the official report,
rather than give an incomplete summary over the phone that could be
misinterpreted. However, they did confirm this is was a drug abuse death
involving dextromethorphan, and there were other drugs involved. As this
is exactly what my source who supplied the decedent's name, date of
death, place of death, etc. said it would be, likely the other details
he provided surrounding the death are true.
I intend to obtain a copy of that coroner's report. From what my
source stated, who is a friend of the family, the deceased's mother said
she was told her son's death was from an overdose of DXM +
antihistamines. According to my source, the deceased had mentioned
abusing anticholinergics on 2 occasions shortly before his death. One
time using Benadryl (diphenhydramine), and one time using Dramamine
(dimenhydrinate.) My source and the mother together searched the
deceased DXMer's room the day after he died. Found were a couple empty
boxes of Dramamine, one of Benadryl, a 236 ml bottle of a Robitussin
Maximum Strength cough syrup (3 mg/ml DXM), and a 236 ml generic of
Robitussin DM (2 mg/ml DXM, plus guaifenesin.) My source's best guess is
that the one box of Benadryl found, and one of the boxes of Dramamine,
were leftover trash from days before of the 2 uses his friend told him
about. And that the 236 ml bottle of Robitussin DM generic was from an
old use, because it was shoved in a drawer, while the 236 ml bottle of
Robitussin Maximum Strength cough syrup was out in the open.
Thus, my preliminary guess is this death was from 708 mg of DXM (236
ml of Robitussin Max Cough), and a box of a dozen Dramamine. My source
estimated the weight of the deceased at around 70 kg. That much DXM
alone wouldn't be likely be fatal. However, toss in anticholinergics,
and death is hardly surprising. Ironically the deceased was reported as
lecturing a younger kid he spotted buying Coricidin of the dangers, and
warning him not to use it. He may not have realized that abusing
Dramamine with DXM is at least as dangerous, and probably more so, than
taking Coricidin.
Please note that at this point, the only thing that I have confirmed
is that this is a drug abuse death involving DXM. It is possible that
the official coroner's report will indicate more than I suspect at this
point. My inclination at this moment is that I won't publicly disclose
his full real name on the Internet. The family in the paid death notice
had his death stated as being from natural causes. The coroner says
otherwise. If I put this dead teenager's name on my website, this would
seem likely to do little more than cause embarrassment to the surviving
family, because everyone who searches for what he died of will know it
was really a drug overdose. As such, it seems reasonable to withhold
identifying specifics in the interest of sensitivity to the surviving
family.
--
http://www.dextromethorphan.ws/
For information about the psychedelic drug DXM, including dangers.
following up a lead about an 18 year old male who was said to have died
of an overdose that involved DXM and antihistamines. Coroner's reports
are public record in Ohio. They didn't want to give all the specifics
over the telephone, and instead told me that I would have to snail mail
them requesting a copy of the report. The fact that they knew from what
I told them that I was going to publicly report this death to the world
on a website likely made them want me just to get the official report,
rather than give an incomplete summary over the phone that could be
misinterpreted. However, they did confirm this is was a drug abuse death
involving dextromethorphan, and there were other drugs involved. As this
is exactly what my source who supplied the decedent's name, date of
death, place of death, etc. said it would be, likely the other details
he provided surrounding the death are true.
I intend to obtain a copy of that coroner's report. From what my
source stated, who is a friend of the family, the deceased's mother said
she was told her son's death was from an overdose of DXM +
antihistamines. According to my source, the deceased had mentioned
abusing anticholinergics on 2 occasions shortly before his death. One
time using Benadryl (diphenhydramine), and one time using Dramamine
(dimenhydrinate.) My source and the mother together searched the
deceased DXMer's room the day after he died. Found were a couple empty
boxes of Dramamine, one of Benadryl, a 236 ml bottle of a Robitussin
Maximum Strength cough syrup (3 mg/ml DXM), and a 236 ml generic of
Robitussin DM (2 mg/ml DXM, plus guaifenesin.) My source's best guess is
that the one box of Benadryl found, and one of the boxes of Dramamine,
were leftover trash from days before of the 2 uses his friend told him
about. And that the 236 ml bottle of Robitussin DM generic was from an
old use, because it was shoved in a drawer, while the 236 ml bottle of
Robitussin Maximum Strength cough syrup was out in the open.
Thus, my preliminary guess is this death was from 708 mg of DXM (236
ml of Robitussin Max Cough), and a box of a dozen Dramamine. My source
estimated the weight of the deceased at around 70 kg. That much DXM
alone wouldn't be likely be fatal. However, toss in anticholinergics,
and death is hardly surprising. Ironically the deceased was reported as
lecturing a younger kid he spotted buying Coricidin of the dangers, and
warning him not to use it. He may not have realized that abusing
Dramamine with DXM is at least as dangerous, and probably more so, than
taking Coricidin.
Please note that at this point, the only thing that I have confirmed
is that this is a drug abuse death involving DXM. It is possible that
the official coroner's report will indicate more than I suspect at this
point. My inclination at this moment is that I won't publicly disclose
his full real name on the Internet. The family in the paid death notice
had his death stated as being from natural causes. The coroner says
otherwise. If I put this dead teenager's name on my website, this would
seem likely to do little more than cause embarrassment to the surviving
family, because everyone who searches for what he died of will know it
was really a drug overdose. As such, it seems reasonable to withhold
identifying specifics in the interest of sensitivity to the surviving
family.
--
http://www.dextromethorphan.ws/
For information about the psychedelic drug DXM, including dangers.