Morbidity and mortality associated with the nonmedical use of dextromethorphan

In 2005, an estimated 598,542 drug-related emergency department (ED) visits in the U.S. involved the nonmedical use of pharmaceuticals. Dextromethorphan, a drug found in many over-the-counter cough and cold medications, was implicated in over 8,000 of these visits. These estimates are based on data from the Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN). DAWN is a public health surveillance system administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration that tracks drug-related ED visits based on a national sample of hospitals. DAWN also collects data on drug-related deaths from participating medical examiner/coroners in selected metropolitan areas and selected States with centralized ME systems. In 2004, DAWN MEs reported 163 deaths related to drug misuse that involved dextromethorphan.

This presentation will use data from DAWN from 2004 to 2006 to examine morbidity and mortality associated with the nonmedical use of dextromethorphan. The role of polydrug use, the health effects of the nonmedical use of this drug, and the demographic characteristics of the ED visits and deaths will be explored and compared. The presentation's objectives are to alert attendees to the potential risks faced by persons who use dextromethorphan medications in ways inconsistent with product labeling.

This presentation is part of the session titled Using Population and Facility Data to Understand Emerging Substance Abuse and Mental Health Phenomena: New Findings from SAMHSA's Office of Applied Studies, chaired by Anna Marsh.