メディエイゴ

About 3.1 million people in the United States aged 12 to 25 (5.3 percent of this age group) have used over-the-counter(1) (non-prescription(2)) cough and cold medicines(3) to get high(4) at least once in their lifetimes, according to a report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration(5) (SAMHSA).

Newly analyzed(6) data from the National Survey(7) of Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) show the number is comparable to(8) those who say they have used LSD(9) (3.1 million), and is significantly(10) greater than the number who reported having tried methamphetamines(11) (2.4 million).

Overdosing(12) on many cough and cold medications may result in(13) serious life-threatening(14) adverse reactions(15). Adverse reactions include blurred vision(16), loss of physical coordination(17), intense(18) abdominal pain(19), vomiting(20), uncontrolled(21) violent(22) muscle spasms(23), irregular heartbeat(24), delirium(25) and death.

The NSDUH survey also found that the number of 12- to-25-year-olds who reported misuse(26) of non-prescription cough and cold medicines in the past year (1 million) exceeded(27) the number claiming to have used methamphetamines (740,000) and LSD (485,000) in the past year. The number was somewhat lower than the number of young people reporting that they had used the drug Ecstasy(28) (1.5 million) in the past year.

The survey, conducted(29) by SAMHSA, is the largest of its kind and involves(30) interviewing(31) nearly 67,000 people from around the nation, including almost 45,000 persons aged 12 to 25.

Patterns of misuse of non-prescription drugs varied among demographic(32) groups. Females aged 12 to 17 were more likely than their male counterparts(33) to have misused(34) these drugs within the past year (2.3 percent vs. 1.5 percent).