Albany-Area Students Abusing Drug – End Up In Hospital

Drug abuse has been a constant problem for all schools, around the Albany area and the country.

Now here’s another problem with an over the counter medication. On monday, there were three girls that were sent to the hospital because it’s believed that they were abusing Coricidin, a cough suppressant also called Triple C.

In a story that I saw on News 10 ABC, the girls are all students of South Colonie High School. There’s also mention of a couple of 15-year-olds that allegedly did this. One of the parents commented to News 10 ABC that her daughter had taken 14 pills. The girl’s eyes were dilated and she couldn’t go to the bathroom. The mother briefly left her and when she returned she had fallen on the floor and was hyperventilating. The girl was then rushed to the hospital.

Assemblyman John McDonald, who also owns Marra’s Pharmacy in Cohoes mentioned that if it’s used properly, it’s safe, and how dangerous it is if this medication is if it’s abused. Some of the effects could lead to problems in kidney and liver functions.

There’s been a bill that was recently passed which will prohibit people that are under 18-years-old from buying Coricidin without a prescription, helping to curb this problem which is actually a nationwide problem, not just local. In March, 2014, that bill will become a law.

Apparently, you need to not only keep medications out of the reach of young children, but now it’s a good idea to keep them away from some teenagers, too.