Skip to main content Skip to main menu
National Drug Early Warning System (NDEWS) Funded to the University of Florida by the National Institute on Drug Abuse
SUBSCRIBE TO NDEWS WEEKLY BRIEFINGS

Teenage Misuse of Cough Medicines and Promethazine

Published On

Social Media

Teen nonmedical misuse of medications may be more common than we believed.

In Psychology Today’s Addiction Outlook column, Dr. Mark Gold discusses that teen nonmedical misuse of medications like dextromethorphan (DXM) and promethazine may be more widespread than previously recognized. Dr. Linda B. Cottler, Director of NDEWS, warns, “Parents should be aware of these combinations and talk to their children about avoiding ‘cough’ medicines acquired from friends, friend’s siblings, or friends’ parents.” The NDEWS web monitoring team issued an alert on February 14, 2025, after detecting a surge in Reddit discussions about DXM and promethazine since August 2024. 

Read more here.

NDEWS is funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse to the University of Florida (MPI: Cottler (contact), Co-Is: Goldberger, Nixon, Striley), NYU Langone Health (MPI: Palamar), and Florida Atlantic University (Co-I: Barenholtz)

NDEWS briefings, reports, and figures may be shared, reproduced, or excerpted, provided NDEWS is appropriately attributed, and a link to the original source material is included. NDEWS materials must not be sensationalized with language or imagery. Reference must be made to the most current version of the original NDEWS source material so as not to disseminate outdated or inaccurate information. NDEWS does not endorse or assume responsibility for third-party interpretation, commentary, or AI-generated content, including images, which use or reference NDEWS materials.