Long Term Coricidin/DXM/Cough Medicine Abuse

[Matthew19H]

So, I abused Coricidin (triple c's) for about three years, along with Robotussin and Delsym on occasion.  At first it was with my friends on the weekends for about a year.  then i stopped for a while when i was on probation, and started back after six months of only smoking weed. this time i was hooked, taking coricidin by myself at least two or three times a week, and for the last year or so, i did it almost every day.  The most i ever took was 28 pills, but usually it was 16 (a whole box).  At the time, i didn't realize it, but I was delusional, and pyschologically addicted.  Finally, my mom noticed I was psychotic and took me to rehab.  My delusions were like everything from thinking i was being controlled by a snake that bit my brain to thinking my friends had planted a mind controlling microchip on my head in the form of a mole, just crazy **** like that and sometimes hearing voices and hallucinating, and A LOT of paranoia.   Other drugs i did just A FEW times during this period were LSD, shrooms, DSO, morphine, marijuana, and lortabs, plus a little drinking.   Since i've been sober for the last two months, I've realized that I was totally screwed up.  

Now WITHOUT ANY DRUGS, I'm having problems with my vision, like seeing specs of light, or my vision will be pixelated, and also lights like head lights, the moon, streetlights, the sun, etc. will be all stretched out, like when you squint really hard, except my eyes are wide open.  Other times i get blasts of light, like everything is overwhelmingly bright.  It's almost as if my eyes are still dilated.    My hearing is still like it was when i was tripping.  Music sounds so full and like it's got tons of reverb even when it doesn't, and i hear this constant white noise when i'm trying to listen.  It sounds crazy, but it's like i'm stuck in the afterglow of tripping.
Also, sometimes i can't sleep because my brain is racing with crazy *** thoughts, and then other times i feel completely stupid.  i'm having memory problems, trouble concentrating, and my muscles feel tight.  Off and on, I hear a voice in my head narrating my actions, I think it's from drug induced psychosis, and i'm still having fits of paranoia and delusions.  I can't tell if it's getting better of worse.  I'm scared I'm going to be tripping permanently.

Has anybody else been through this?   If so, how long does it take to feel like you've come down completely, or will it ever even go away?  Could it be withdrawals, or can you even have withdrawals from something that's not physically addictive?  How long will it take my vision to be normal?  Have I done permanent brain damage?  Are there any ways to speed up the healing process besides taking prescription drugs?  I think I've put enough chemicals in my body already, I'd like to get better naturally if that is possible.   If I stay sober, will drug induced psychosis ever go away?

[123info456]

I have schizo-affective disorder. It was never really that bad as a kid but then I too started abusing cold medication for 7 years. I took the regular abusive dose of 16 at a time. in some cases I went two weeks without ever crashing because I used it so often. I took mushrooms once (its a long story but basically I took them after I was told that it was horny goat weed and a couple girls were on their way to visit my friend and I. it ended up being 2-3gs of dried ground shrooms from brazil) I used to snort hydros, adderal, and Xanax, sometimes separately, sometimes all together in one giant line. This was all over 8 years ago. Two years ago, I had a complete mental break down. I went into a dead street late at night and started smashing my bike on the road because I almost got hit by a car a couple times earlier that week. I then jumped the fence of a public pool. Someone told me to leave but I pleaded that it was "ok" because I knew what I was doing. I then jumped in with my clothes on. Later that night I was waiting for my clothes to dry by walking around. The cops picked me up after 7-10 of them pointed their guns at me. I nearly s**t my pants. They took me to the psychward which is when I decided to see a theorpist again. now Im on invega susstenia (montly shot form) for Schizo-affective disorder with is a combo of schizophrenia and bi-polar which triggers the schizophrenia. The meds help ALOT.

[katty713]

I was taking triple c's for about six months before I quit, but I was doing it heavily, for about a month straight, taking all 16 pills at once.  I would also mix it with weed and cigarettes and one time I even tried drinking... Now I've sobered up and gotten away from my friends that were influencing me to use, and I can relate with your symptoms.  I get these weird dancing lights in my vision, sometimes black spots where there's nothing at all, I have extreme tenseness in my jaw muscles and other parts of my body.  For a long time I was having digestive problems.  I also suffered from severe depression for the first year after I stopped taking the pills.

If you're still struggling with getting back to normal, I suggest diet and exercise as the number one remedy.  Its the only thing that makes me feel normal, to do something physical and build up my strength again, because of course, while I was doing pills, I was hardly eating, and would have tons of sugary drinks while I was high, too, to get rid of the taste of puke in my mouth.  Also, you need to hang out with sober people, people who don't smoke or drink at all.  Even drinking alcohol will get you ****** up, because your liver is so damaged.  I made that mistake once months after I had stopped using, thinking I could handle it.  In fact I got so drunk that I ended up smoking meth without even knowing it.  

Your best bet is to stay completely sober, and keep yourself busy.  Picking up hobbies like reading is good, because it makes your brain focus and slow down.  It helps me sleep, because sometimes I can't stop my thoughts from going crazy either.  Some days it would get so bad that I would think about just laying down on train tracks and giving up, and I wouldn't even feel scared by these thoughts.  On my good days, though, I know that's not what I should do.  Whenever I'm feeling weak or helpless, I talk to my friends, or I do a workout, to get my head back on straight.  You'll get through it, you just need to find a new, positive focus so your mind isn't on the past, but the future. You're still here and alive, and that's what is most important.

[natalandonlove1]

I have en going through all of these posts and really for the first time ever I have started understanding the damage I have done to my body from taking coricidin. Its started out as an escape from reality once a week with my friends but eventually I wasn't satisfied with just once a well I started taking them throughout the week as well with out my friends just to get through daily life! I remember always hearing birds chirping above my head but I loved them they made me so confident and happy! My house was always clean because I always had the energy to clean I always had food because I would steal everyday from any store I could get to. I had amazing social skills and it felt like for the first time ever I was truly enjoying life. Before I started using them I was cutting because I was mentally hurt but after I stared using them I would cut all the time and most times because it was cool to watch in my head I told myself that I was artistic and the cuts on my body were my art. I forced myself to throw up everyday to get skinnier because I hated being the chubby girl. Then eventually I needed to drink everyday to feel high on them. I do remember being paranoid and always thinking that people were conspiring against me. Eventually my friends left because they couldn't deal with always seeing me like that, my family stopped coming to see me because they hated what I was doing. I kept my body healthy by always drinking water, eating three small meals a day that always contained fruit and walking. This is the only time I have ever been able to go to school and do good. I got pregnant at about 6 months into my binge and quite immediately. I miscarried my baby though but the guy I was with didn't want me to do them anymore I figured because I had already quit I just would stay done with them. I lapsed a few times here and there for a few days or so. I got pregnant again and my beautiful baby was born three months premature absolutely non drug related. And passed away in the hospital 16 days later. Since that has happened I have starred smoking meth and I just would love to be back on them but every time I do them I don't get the good feelings I used to get hen I first stating doing them. I don't feel happy or confident, I feel paranoid and awkward I just sit there in a daze silently till I come down. Reading this though has really made me not want to do them. I no longer do any drugs at the moment but I crave them so bad. I have noticed that I occasiomly can't tell the difference between reality and fantasy. I still get paranoid and have depression/anxiety and bipolor. Is there any way to ever feel normal without them. I feel so depressed when I'm not on them and sometimes that little red devil told m I'd be happier on them. I just don't want to completey wreck my body and brain.... Ugh soooo torn!!!!!

[NightTime_Poison]

I did Coricidin for two years. Terrible stuff. I wrote my entire experience in it in my blog. The symptoms don't always completely go away. They slowly fade over time. The cool thing about your brain is, it rebuilds itself in its own neat way. I've been clean for 3 years now and I feel mostly normal, aside from some high feelings randomly, but rarely. And some weird flickers in my peripherals. Cough medicine is some nasty stuff, and not just cause it tastes disgusting. Apparently cough medicine is popular among young teens because its not exactly illegal. I'm trying to spread awareness about it over my neglected blog. If you would like to check it out, here's a link: http://dearbitchingblog.blogspot.com/2015/01/the-cough-medicine-abuse-rainbow-from.html and if you like what I wrote, share it with people. Maybe one day, people will turn to weed instead of slowly destroying themselves.

[bahamamama13165]

Hi, just thought I'd let you know I abused that drug for years, daily. I tried to quit many times and failed. Until, I went in patient for a couple months. I didn't have the money, so I put it on credit card. Still the best decision of my life. I just celebrated one year clean. Contact me if you want info on the rehab I went to. It was great. Very clean, great food, almost like a resort but without the huge price tag of some of the big name rehabs. It's privately owned buy a man in recovery and it totally changed my life. Good luck, you have a great life waiting for you on the other side of the addiction.

[nursegirl6572]

You would be better served to start a new thread as this one is old and will get passed by.

Yes, you definitely need help.  I would recommend an intensive inpatient rehab program.  Have you actually tried any kind of recovery program up til now, or just telling yourself you have to stop?

If you continue to abuse this, you will suffer devastating consequences...you've already started to.  Please get help ASAP.  If you feel you may harm yourself, seek immediate help.  Suicide isn't the answer.