83 Students Ill After Cough-cure Drug Binge

[webfact]

83 students ill after cough-cure drug binge

By Jessada Jantharak

Jeerawan Prasomsap

The Nation

Published on February 4, 2010

BANGKOK: -- Eighty-three students in Bangkok's Bangkok Yai district were hospitalised yesterday after taking a medicine it was claimed would make them brave, cheerful and have no pain when teachers spanked them or they were assaulted.

At press time, 16 students remained under close watch at Taksin Hospital, while one at Phyathai 3 Hospital remained in a serious condition.

Deputy director of the Wat Tha Phra School, Benjamas Rodsuthi, said parents issued complaints about the drug yesterday morning, and the school had issued a warning and sent out officials to uncover the origins of the drug.

Benjamas said an initial probe showed that some Prathom 6 students had bought the drug from a computer gaming shop and sold it to their schoolmates.

Many students had to be taken to hospital after they fainted or started vomiting upon consuming the drug.

Taksin Hospital director Kitiya Srilertfa said the students had taken dextromethorphan, a cough drug that affects the nervous system and encourages palpitation.

Deputy Bangkok Governor Dr Malinee Sukvejchavarakit said initial investigation showed that some children had been taking the drug for up to three days as a defence against school bullies. In fact, some students had consumed up to 10 tablets until nausea and shock overcame them.

Malinee said she had alerted schools to watch out for this drug and has urged district directors and police to prevent a re-occurrence of this drug binge.

A fifth-grader, going only by the name Somsak said he and his pals had bought 20 tablets at Bt1 per tablet from the owner of a computer gaming shop, who said these pills would make them impervious to pain.

Somsak said he took seven tablets and became so ill that teachers had to take him to hospital.

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) deputy chief Weerawan Taengkaew said dextromethorphan was a dangerous drug, and adults could only take eight 15mg tablets per day and a child no more than four tablets.

Upon overdosing, a person could suffer nausea, breathing difficulties, lose consciousness and even die. Since drugs can only be sold by pharmacies, it was illegal for it to be distributed by a computer gaming shop, she said, adding that parents and teachers should keep an eye on children and stop them from buying or taking unknown drugs.

-- The Nation 2010-02-04

[newsfooter][/newsfooter]

[Garry9999]

Benjamas said an initial probe showed that some Prathom 6 students had bought the drug from a computer gaming shop and sold it to their schoolmates

Always wondered how those gaming shops made money.

[Reasonableman]

A scary wake-up for parents at all schools. These kids are too young to now what the dangers are. Was the shopkeeper the drug seller or was this just the place where business was conducted by others?

[boggle]

Similar to PCP! Could be scary Sh#t.

At high doses, dextromethorphan is classified as a dissociative general anesthetic and hallucinogen, similar to the controlled substances ketamine and phencyclidine (PCP). Also like those drugs, dextromethorphan is an NMDA receptor antagonist. Dextromethorphan generally does not produce withdrawal symptoms characteristic of physically addictive substances, but there have been cases of psychological addiction.

Source http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recreational_...extromethorphan

[EnhancePlus]

Edited February 4, 2010 by EnhancePlus

[Reasonableman]

Glad you did this before anyone else had to

[animatic]

Utter foolishness...

this cafe operator needs the book thrown at them,

and then hit them with it several times for good emasure.

Some NON-Wiki info on Dextromethorphan

http://www.drugs.com/dextromethorphan.html

Outlook (Prognosis)

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002628.htm

This medication is safe, if you take it as directed. Unfortunately, many teenagers take extremely high amounts of this medication to "feel good" and to have hallucinations. Like other drugs of abuse, this can be dangerous.

Although most people abusing dextromethorphan will need no treatment, some people will. Their survival is based on how quickly they receive help at a hospital.

The U.S. Food and Drug Adminstration (FDA) has linked the deaths of several teenagers to dextromethorphan abuse.

About Overdoses of several substances

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/007287.htm

http://www.medicinenet.com/dextromethorpha...ral/article.htm

Edited February 4, 2010 by animatic

[harrry]

quote op

Eighty-three students in Bangkok's Bangkok Yai district were hospitalised yesterday after taking a medicine it was claimed would make them brave, cheerful and have no pain when teachers spanked them or they were assaulted.

end quote.

I thought spanking in schools was notl legal in Thailand.

Bullying is a school responsiblity too...shouldn't the school be investigated for these assaults whetherby teachers or bullies.

[Scott]

This hasn't been a very good week for students. First there were 4 girls stabbed (if I recall correctly) in a school toilet. Then there were 23 involved in an accident and now 83 with drug-related problems.

[webfact]

Students Fall Ill from Cough-Relief Drug Overdose

BANGKOK: -- Police have arrested a man for allegedly selling cough-relief pills to students who fall ill from the drug overdose. Meanwhile, doctors reveal that misuse of the drugs could lead to death.

Police said they caught 24-year-old Suwamit Montriwiboonchai selling cough-relief tablets containing dextromethorphan without permission to a schoolboy in Bangkok's Tha Phra area.

Authorities explained that the boy sold the drugs to his friends in Grades 4 and 5, and students later overdosed and suffered from nausea, irregular heartbeat, and severe headache.

Some 82 students were sent to nearby hospitals. Doctors said all the children must be kept under close medical supervision and will be allowed to go home only when their conditions improve.

The drug seller said he normally sells dextromethorphan only to high school students.

Anantasak Aphairat, a doctor at Phaya Thai Three Hospital, said the drugs in question are available at general drugstores.

Each pill is 15 milligrams and only a few pills should be taken at a time.

He said the symptom of the drug overdose is nausea, and the pills could cause death.

The boy who bought the drugs from the man revealed that he sold them to friends because the drugs were said to help deal with pain when hit by teachers.

-- Tan Network 2010-02-04

[newsfooter][/newsfooter]

[beejoir]

Its so widely available from EVER pharmacy in Thailand, a drug of choice for a great many American kids as well.

[Sisaketmike]

quote op

Eighty-three students in Bangkok's Bangkok Yai district were hospitalised yesterday after taking a medicine it was claimed would make them brave, cheerful and have no pain when teachers spanked them or they were assaulted.

end quote.

I thought spanking in schools was notl legal in Thailand.

Bullying is a school responsiblity too...shouldn't the school be investigated for these assaults whetherby teachers or bullies.

No, it’s only forbidden on the paper. Kids get hit in almost all primary schools. It ends in Matthayom one. It’s really scary to see that. I broke lots of bamboo sticks of Thai colleagues and the kids looked at me like saying; ‘Hey watch out, they’re doing that to you too. ‘ LOW Land of Whys.

[geriatrickid]

Hmm. Quite the dilemma isn't it. The children take the pills as a coping mechanism for the "teachers" uncontrolled violence and the authorities are upset by the resulting ODs.

I don't suppose it might dawn on the authorities to rein in the psychos with the canes, would it?

[animatic]

Hmm. Quite the dilemma isn't it. The children take the pills as a coping mechanism for the "teachers" uncontrolled violence and the authorities are upset by the resulting ODs.

I don't suppose it might dawn on the authorities to rein in the psychos with the canes, would it?

That would make sense,

but they seem to prefer order and blind obedience to common sense.

Caning is schools is a dispicable horror,

and my daughter would never be subjected to this abuse.