The following is an update of known and apparent DXM deaths. Excuse the appearance here, but my HTML sucks. At the moment, I have the following information on deaths from various sources. Many details are sketchy, and the credibility of some is not beyond question. As such, interpret these as you will.

 

   #1) 3 deaths where recreational DXM use is said to be involved appeared in a National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) report. The original URL, and the copy of that I have on this site are:

 

http://www.drugabuse.gov/CEWG/AdvancedRep/1201ADV/1201adv.html

http://www.dextromethorphan.ws/cweg/adv.htm

 

   The relevant passage is the following:

 

"Seattle During the first half of 2001, three deaths involved DXM, an
increasingly popular club drug with particularly dangerous interactions
when used in combination with other drugs, especially alcohol. This new
appearance of DXM in medical examiner reports (substantiated by
anecdotal reports) may highlight the increasing popularity of DXM
(especially in cough syrup form) over the past year."

 

   OK, at best these are deaths where DXM is "involved". Mentioned "in medical examiner reports (substantiated by anecdotal reports)". While I can't call these deaths from just DXM only (other drugs taken recreationally may well have been involved), this is a *government* report where they mention that DXM deaths. It seems to me credible. It is curious that they mention DXM as a “club drug”. It is possible (although by no means certain) that adulterated Ecstasy pills with DXM may have been involved in one or more of these. Although the cough syrup mention makes that questionable. I have no further information about these deaths. However, the mere fact the government is reporting these DXM deaths makes this noteworthy. If anyone has further information about these deaths, feel free to e-mail me. My e-mail is on the home page of this site.

 

   #2) 3 more deaths, attributed to Coricidin abuse, are mentioned at: http://www.raverx.com/html/article.php?sid=175. Here is the relevant quote from that:

 

"Among the most alarming trends is the growing experimentation with
over-the-counter drugs and medicine that can be found at most
drugstores. In the past year, three teen-agers - including one Monroe
youth - have died from taking overdoses of Coricidin cough and cold
pills. In each case, the victim took an average of 10 to 30 pills."

 

   So far, I have not received a response from an e-mail to the web site this appears on. I am hoping that they can provide more details. This looks like it was taken from a Michigan newspaper. Again, if anyone has any further details, I would be interested.

 

Below is a second news story about a Coricidin abuse death in Michigan: http://www.sourcenewspapers.com/archives/index.inn?loc=detail&doc=/2002/March/29-2598-news2.txt. My guess is that this death mentioned, of Matthew Davis on 20 January 2002, is likely one of these three mentioned at http://www.raverx.com/html/article.php?sid=175.

 

March 29, 2002

Turned upside down

Teen's death impacts best friend's family.

By JON OTTMAN - Staff Writer

On Jan. 19, 2002, 17-year-old Matthew Davis of Washington Township spent the night at a friend's home in northern Shelby Township.

The next morning, Matt's friend found him, a victim of acute drug intoxication.

Police and medical investigators determined that, over the course of the previous 24 hours, Matt had ingested several intoxicants, including alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, heroin and half a box of Coricidin, an over-the-counter cold medication.

Some of the drugs, the friend knew about. The others, he did not.

In the wake of Matt's death, there are two families left reeling with grief, the Davis family and the family of Matt's 17-year-old friend, an honors student at Eisenhower High School.

The Source is withholding the names of the friend's family at their request to protect their identity and to allow their family to heal in the wake of Davis' death.

"I can't begin to describe how our lives have been turned upside down," the boy's father said. "One minute I was outside taking down Christmas lights and the next minute, I have a dead child in my basement."

He said that his family is trying to understand what happened, and how.

"Matt was like a son to us," the father said.

As difficult as the situation is for the father and mother, there is the tremendous loss felt by their son, who lost his best friend.

But the father said their loss pales in comparison to that of the Davis family, who lost a son and a brother that January morning.

Then there are other issues to deal with.

"It is just a horrible situation," the father said. "We got threatening phone calls, people were asking if we were drug dealers or whether our son was going to be charged with murder. We had to change our phone number and we are still dealing with the after effects."

Detective Sgt. Thomas Kohl of the Shelby Township Police Department investigated Matt's death.

Kohl said that the friend's family is a victim of a tragic set of circumstances.

"They are good, decent people and I don't think they provided the atmosphere for that type of activity," Kohl said. "It's a tragedy that Matt died at their house. He could have died anywhere, but he died there. They are victims of this, too. They were concerned that kids might try to do drugs or drink alcohol at their house and they tried to take steps to prevent it, but what are you going to do? I think there was nothing that they could have done to prevent this."

The boy's mother said that she and her husband try to be involved with their children and their children's friends.

Strict rules were in place in the home and steps like regular inventories of the parents' beer and a locked liquor cabinet.

"If I even smelled a match I would get up and check right away to see what they were doing," the father said.

The mother said that the friends, including Matt, knew that she wouldn't hesitate to step in and say something to the teens if they were doing something wrong, and she did so on several occasions, including an earlier instance where someone brought alcohol into her home, a very unwelcome move that met with disappointment when discovered.

"They left the bottle in the trash downstairs," she said.

Found out, the friends avoided her, knowing a stern lecture was coming.

"They stayed in the car when they came to pick up (my son) because they were afraid of me, but I went out there and had them roll down the window. I asked them what they were thinking, what they wanted me to tell their parents when they (had been seriously injured or killed in a drinking-related crash.) What do you want me to tell them?," she said, pausing to compose herself and wipe away a tear. "I could be considered a very strict parent; I treat my kids' friends as if they were my own and they knew they would suffer the consequences of their actions."

She said that despite the loss that her son feels, he can't take responsibility for the actions of his friend.

"He did not encourage or assist in that behavior," she said. "Matt chose to do what Matt chose to do."

The father said that, like Matt's father, he and his wife felt that their son could have had a positive influence on Matt.

"We felt that way always -- I certainly did," he said. "And as far as responsibility, I feel that the whole community should feel responsible when a youngster passes away like this."

Their story

Following the March 24 publication of "This is Matt's Story" chronicling the life and death of Matthew Davis of Washington Township, the mother of Matt's friend wanted to share her family's story, to share what her family has experienced in the wake of Matt's death.

This is her letter:

We are the owners of the Whitby Way home where (Matt) died, the parents of his best friend. This is our story.

Matt and our son met in their eighth grade science class at Malow Junior High. They became best friends almost instantly. Until our sons obtained their driver's licenses, Kathy Davis (Matt's mother) and I played chauffeur countless times, transporting our sons between our homes. Most Friday and/or Saturday evenings found one of the boys spending the night at the other's home. Matt was always welcomed in our home, as he was a very respectable and kind young man. Our son always felt welcomed in the Davis home as well. We grew to care very deeply about Matt as he and our son grew up together.

We had noted some subtle and disturbing changes in the relationship between Matt and our son in the last six months or so. Their time together was decreased, mostly because our son had begun working again. His job and schoolwork occupied most week day evenings, but weekends still found the boys together frequently. We also noted that they were spending less time at our home or his home. When our son used his car, they were usually going from one friend's home to another, to the movies or to a (local entertainment complex). Although Matt was always polite and greeted us when he came and went, sometimes we felt he was avoiding eye contact as he would walk through the door and immediately head to our son's room. He often was over at dinnertime, but frequently would refuse any offers to join us. He would say that he just ate or was or wasn't hungry and would stay in our son's room while our son ate. In earlier days he nearly always joined us. We knew he was having academic difficulties and difficulties keeping employment. We wondered where he was getting money to eat out, go to the movies, or be entertained. We cautioned our son about being too generous with his friends. We frequently would ask if Matt was all right, what kind of plans did he have. Our son would respond, "I don't know--I guess he's all right," and not voice to us any difficulties Matt may have had, becoming very defensive of him in instead. I do remember hearing him arguing over the phone with someone in his room. He just said he and Matt had a fight and he wanted to be alone. However, he and Matt were back together the next day as if nothing had happened.

Our son told us, on the unfortunate day that Matt died and heroin was found in Matt's belongings, that he was aware that Matt had been experimenting with heroin. When we looked at him incredulously and asked "You saw him take heroin yesterday?" He said, "No." He had told Matt a few weeks earlier that he should stop any heroin use, and if Matt decided to continue using it, not to use it in front of him or on our property. He never used it in front of our son after that.

These are the facts of Matt's final hours. A parent was home during this entire time period. On Jan. 19, Matt was dropped off with another Washington Township friend at approximately 2:30 p.m. Matt and this other youth did share a box of Coricidin, which they brought into the home, in the privacy of our son's bedroom. This was not the first time our son witnessed Matt taking this quantity. For approximately 2 1/2 hours, the three boys listened to music, played the guitar and talked while in the privacy of our son's room.

At 4:30 p.m., our son asked if they could leave to go to another mutual female friend's home. He was given permission, with instructions to call home in a few hours with any further plans for the evening. After leaving our home, they did go to this female's home and got into her car. A second female friend was also in the car. With the female friend driving, all youths engaged in the use of marijuana, which was supplied by Matt. No marijuana was used in our home or on our property.

At approximately 9 p.m., our son, Matt and the other Washington Township youth returned to our home. Our son asked if Matt could spend the night. "Yes, as long as he had his parents' permission," I answered. He stated he did and it was at this time that the boys left to pick up a pizza they had ordered. They returned in about 10 minutes and walked right past me to our basement, which has a furnished TV/entertainment area, dining set and refrigerator. This is a frequently used area by all. The boys' appearances, walking and voices were unremarkable. I did not detect any unusual odors. They proceeded to the basement. eating the pizza at the table, while my younger daughter and her friend were down there watching a movie. My daughter and her friend did not note any unusual behavior. They (the boys) did help themselves to one beer each out of the refrigerator down there, of course without our permission. We knew there were six beers and a variety of soda pop in the refrigerator. There were three beers remaining the next day. There was no other alcohol consumed in our home or on our property.

The toxicology report after Matt's death was negative for alcohol. Our liquor is kept in a locked liquor cabinet on the first floor.

At approximately 11:30 p.m., our son asked if he could take the other Washington Township youth home, who lives near 28 Mile Road and Van Dyke. He also asked if he and Matt could stay out until 1 a.m. because we had told our son we would extend his curfew one weekend night. I said yes, but not one minute later. I retired to bed, getting my husband up to wait for their return. We always stay up to wait for our children to return home.

At exactly 1 a.m., Matt and our son returned, again their appearances, walking and voices unremarkable. They both told my husband good night and proceeded to the basement to sleep, where the boys always did for the three years they knew each other. We had rented a couple of DVDs and they were going to watch them. Staying up late and sleeping in past noon was not uncommon for our son and Matt. Our son states he and Matt watched one movie and talked. Our son fell asleep around 3 to 4 a.m. on the sofa. Matt was on the loveseat. Prior to falling asleep, our son was unaware of any drugs Matt consumed other than stated earlier.

On Jan. 20, at 11 a.m., my husband went down to see if the boys were up and let the dog out, who was sleeping next to Matt on the floor. Our son had a pillow covering his face and Matt had the blankets pulled completely over his head. This is how they always slept, so the daylight didn't wake them. My husband heard audible snoring from both. He put the dog out and went outside to do work. I left for errands at this time.

At 1:30 p.m., our son awoke and saw Matt lying with the blanket covering his face. There was nothing unusual. He went up to his room to shower. When the two other youths came to pick Matt up, and our son pulled back the covers, our son immediately grabbed the phone and called 911, while running to get my husband. The other two youths passed my husband on the staircase and immediately left our home, despite my husband telling them to stay put...

I also would like to add that the Shelby police did search our son, the basement and our son's room with permission. No illegal drugs or paraphernalia were found. Drugs were discovered in Matt's personal effects. My husband and I searched our son's car and also did not find anything drug related.

The grief that our family has experienced does not match that of the Davis family, but this has been a very difficult time for all of us, especially our son. Comments have been made inferring that our son is somehow responsible for Matt's death, that wild parties had occurred in our home, that we are irresponsible parents, our home is an unsafe environment. Nothing could be further from the truth. We may not be perfect parents, but we love our children and always put their needs and safety first. We are not afraid to admit when we are wrong or need help and seek professional assistance when needed. More importantly, our son is responsible for his actions and choices, not the choices that his friends make. He is a wonderful, kind, polite, helpful, intelligent and handsome young man with outstanding academic achievements. His entire family and we are very proud of him. He did not contribute to Matt's death in any way, other than staying his loyal friend.

While discussing Matt's drug involvement with us and two police officers hours after his death, our son became very frustrated at one point and cried out "What was I supposed to do? Tell him I'm not going to be his friend anymore because he used heroin?" The four adults, in unison, yelled out "Yes, that is exactly what you should do." As mature adults, we are strongly aware of the horrors and tragedy that drug use can cause, having witnessed them in our lifetimes. We know that addictions are difficult to overcome and sometimes what might appear as harsh measures, such as refusing to be a codependent, are needed to help the person with the problem. Our son is 17 years old. What was important to him was helping his friend the best way he knew how, by staying his friend.

Our son lost his best friend, the friend he talked to nearly every day, the friend he was closest to and shared all his thoughts and dreams. He didn't like what Matt had chosen to do, but he didn't judge him either. He accepted him for (who) he was.

------------------------------------------------------------------

 

   #3) This is a news report that states a 20 year old woman, who was known to have a severe DXM abuse problem, committed suicide by an intentional overdose of pure DXM HBr powder. The relevant passages are the following:

 

"On March 3, 1999, Hall told Perino about the overdose death of a
20-year-old University of Minnesota sophomore named Summer Rose Pray.
Pray committed suicide on Sept. 18, 1998, by taking a massive overdose
of dextromethorphan hydrobromide, or DXM, which Pray allegedly obtained
from JLF. Police have several receipts of the purchases Pray allegedly
made from JLF.

"DXM is the active ingredient in most over-the-counter cough syrups. In
recommended doses, it acts as an expectorant; in large doses, it can
cause hallucinations and out-of-body experiences -- "robotripping," as
DXM enthusiasts call the unique state of consciousness produced by the
drug.

"Summer Pray's father, Ron Pray, was outraged by his daughter's death,
and contacted Senator Tom Daschle's office.

"Ron Pray sent a letter to Ace Gallagher, a Daschle staffer, on April 2,
2000
, in which Pray chronicles his daughter's drug abuse (beginning with
marijuana), her purported addiction to DXM, and her participation in
various drug treatment programs. (A fax cover sheet, included in
discovery documents, shows that Senator Edward M. Kennedy's Labor Police
Office was also aware of Pray's letter.)

"After Summer Pray finished an out-patient drug-treatment program and
began "seeing a psychologist for depression," Ron Pray sent a letter to
JLF in August, 2000, "asking that they not provide this substance [DXM]
to her again."

"According to a receipt obtained by police, however, Summer Pray did
make another purchase of DXM from JLF shortly before she committed
suicide.

'"I investigated JLF and found that they readily sell dangerous drugs
and mushrooms but have a disclaimer that it is not for consumption," Ron
Pray wrote to Daschle's office. "They make the ridiculous claim that the
materials they sell are for religious worship, research or for
decorations. Reading between the lines it is obvious to me that they
sell an assortment of drugs to individuals for the purpose of
intoxication ...

'"Summer's death was a result of the combination of depression and drug
abuse ... I feel that we could have dealt with her depression
successfully, had it not been for the strong addiction she developed to
dextromethorphan ... Had this drug not been so readily available maybe
Summer would be alive today.

'"It does not seem reasonable that a company like JLF should be allowed
to sell these dangerous and addictive substances. Basically, they are an
internet drug dealer and apparently can operate within the laws. I would
hope that somehow their activity could be stopped ... "

"Ron Pray's letter, and the attention of Daschle's office, may have
provided more momentum to the investigation of JLF. But distribution of
DXM is not one of the charges that Niemoeller faces. In fact, DXM, while
mentioned in the search warrant of Niemoeller's farm, is not listed in
the federal grand jury indictment. That may be because DXM is perfectly
legal and is specifically exempted from federal drug laws. And while
Summer Pray may have overdosed on DXM purchased from Niemoeller, she
could have accomplished the same outcome by drinking a few bottles of
Robotussin.

"But the case of Summer Pray may bolster the prosecution's argument that
Niemoeller knows his customers are using his products for consumption."

 

 

   She is described as a heavy DXM abuser, but it also says this was intentional suicide rather than an accident. However, whether the DXM abuse caused her to become suicidal, or whether perhaps a lack of will to live motivated DXM abuse, is unknown. Thus, causation is not clear here.

 

   The other deaths are a DXMer who committed suicide using a method involving DXM, and posted his suicide note mentioning such to Usenet. This one is more dubious to call a recreational DXM death than that of Summer Rose Pray based on my evidence. If it weren't for the fact DXM was used as part of the suicide method, I'd say the correlation is questionable at best. The last is that I have confirmed that a woman who was a heavy DXM user that was active on DXM IRC channels, and made a few posts to a DXM website bulletin board, has died apparently of a drug OD. The problem is that the laws in the US state she lived in are such official cause of death is not public record. Thus, while I can confirm she is dead, what the exact cause of death was, and if DXM was involved, likely will not be confirmable.

 

   I include the above for completeness, and leave it to the reader to determine what relevance these have to this website, and the respective credibility of these reports. If I obtain further information about these deaths, I will report that on this website.

 

-Robert F. Golaszewski

25 May, 2002

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