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Last month rapper Lil’ Wayne ended up in the hospital suffering from seizures, and Sizzurp might be to blame for it. Sizzurp, which is also called the “purple drank,” is a brew made of prescription cough syrup, Sprite or Mountain Dew, and Jolly Rancher candy. The purple color comes from the dyes in the cough syrup, which contains the strong opiate codeine and the anti-histamine promethazine.

Doctors and addiction experts warn that this concoction is very dangerous, especially because it is the type of drink that kids are drawn to. A drink with Sprite, Mountain Dew and Jolly Rancher candy may sound innocent. But in reality, codeine is a strong, dangerous opiate, especially when consumed in large amounts. It can cause intoxication, drowsiness, nausea, confusion, dehydration, dangerous blood pressure levels, fast heart rate, difficulty breathing and seizures. It is in the same class of drugs as Percocet, morphine and heroin. Because codeine affects the reward center of the brain, it is highly addictive.

Also, promethazine, the other ingredient in cough syrup, is an antiemetic, which prevents vomiting. It’s unbelievably dangerous to drink something that acts like a poison in the body along with a substance like promethazine that prevents the body from being able to throw up. This harmless-sounding drink can turn out to be lethal.

Over-the-counter cough syrup is also used in Sizzurp. This usually contains Dextromethorphan, or “DXM,” which is similar to codeine in that it can cause drowsiness and breathing difficulties. It can also cause vision changes, hallucinations, and other weird behavior. Sizzurp is causing an increase in cases reported to poison centers across the country.

Cough syrup is especially concerning because many people see it as similar to other prescription drugs. It’s important to remember that just because you can find it in the home medicine cabinet and not on the street corner, doesn’t mean it isn’t addictive and dangerous.

Many who suffer with a drug or alcohol use problem often fly under the radar because they don’t meet certain criteria that would label them: ADDICT. Recently Harvard Medical School released another installment of their “Almost Effect” series that discusses health situations that fall between normal and full-blown problems. The latest is called “Almost Addicted: Is My (or My Loved One’s) Drug Use a Problem?”

How do you recognize drug or alcohol use that has become problematic but hasn’t reached the diagnostic criteria for addiction? How do you know when to seek help? Dr. J. Wesley Boyd says, that “to qualify as an almost addiction, a behavior must fall outside of what is considered normal, but, at the same time, not meet criteria for a DSM diagnosis; that it’s causing identifiable problems; that it might progress to a full-blown condition or, at least, cause substantial suffering; that an intervention should be able to help; and that stopping the behavior will improve quality of life. The benefit of identifying drug-using behavior as “almost addicted,” is that it offers an opportunity to stop and turn your life around before a problem progresses into full addiction, which is much more difficult to treat.” (Psych Central) Read more →