Cold Medication Abuse Rising Among Kids - WSFA.com Montgomery Alabama news.

There's a frightening craze among kids these days. They're getting high on over the counter medication. The drug of choice is an ingredient found in many cold medications.

The practice can be deadly. There have been numerous reports of overdoses in other parts of the country. Now the habit is cropping up among kids in Montgomery.

At Georgia Washington Junior High School, a mother claims her daughter was given 16 tablets of Coricidin and told that the pills would get her high.

Some types of Coricidin contain a drug called Dextromethorphan or DXM, which can cause hallucinations, slurred speech, stumbling, and even death.

"It's cheap, legal, and easy to get at drug stores," says Rick Baity, an adolescent drug counselor with Harbor Lights Counseling Center in Prattville.

Kids call the Coricidin pills skittles, red devils, or triple-c's because the pills are red with a triple-c logo. Others who use Robitussin instead of Coricidin may call it robo-tripping.

Baity says he's seeing more and more kids who are doing it. "For example, we'll do a drug history and ask what drugs have you used recently. They'll answer either marijuana or ecstasy, and sometimes Coricidin as well."

Montgomery public school officials say they can't confirm the mother's story of what happened at the junior high school. But it's their policy that only adults hand out medication. So they're conducting an investigation.

No matter what that investigation reveals, the story still serves as a warning to parents that even over-the-counter medication can be deadly.

Again, the drug to watch out for can have different brand names. Look on the back of the package for Dextromethorphan.

It's considered so addictive that some kids are now stealing it. That has prompted some drug store chains to consider moving their Coricidin tablets behind the counter.

Reporter: Mark Bullock