What is DXM and its effects on behavior? Dextromethorphan is an antitussive drug commonly found in over-the-counter cough suppressants. It is therapeutically beneficial for the uses indicated on the drug's labels (such as limiting coughing), but in recent years it has begun to be used abusively. “Abusive” is defined by the dosage amount and frequency of dosages. A normal dosage amount would be 10 to 20 milligrams per kilogram of body weight; an excessive amount might be more than 30 milligrams per kilogram of body weight, but is usually on the order of hundreds of milligrams per kilogram of body weight. Dextromethorphan, an emerging drug of abuse. It is often found in over-the-counter medications such as Robitussin®, Vicks 44, and desylum. DXM is known by street names: skittles, triple C, red devils, dex, DM or robo; and the act of abusing the drug is often known as robotripping or dexing. It became popular as a hallucinogenic drug. It is similar to codeine, but is known not to be as addictive, which is why it has been used in many cough suppressants instead of codeine. Due to its easily accessible availability, DXM is popular among a younger audience of young adults and teenagers. The routes of administration could be intranasal or oral. Intranasal route means direct snorting of DXM in powder form into the nasal cavities. Oral intake can be of various forms: simply a large dose of cough suppressant medicine or a more highly concentrated modified mixture. If you have a little background in chemistry, DXM can be separated from the other ingredients in a cough medicine. The effects of DXM on the body are inhibitory in nature. Binds to and inhibits excitatory receptors...... middle of paper...... Sigma-1 in the antidepressant effects of dextromethorphan. At recreational doses, DXM releases 5-HT and therefore can possibly be an antidepressant. Dextromethorphan is a contender in reducing heroin and opioid withdrawal symptoms. DXM may increase the effectiveness of clonidine in reducing withdrawal symptoms and reduce the need for opioid agonists to relieve withdrawal symptoms. Quinidine effectively reduced or reversed the effects of DXM on withdrawal symptoms in opioid-dependent subjects. The Therapeutic Effect of Adding Dextromethorphan to Clonidine to Reduce Opioid Withdrawal Symptoms: A Randomized Clinical TrialDXM at supratherapeutic levels may cause excess serotonin levels and, when taken with at least therapeutic levels of SSRIs, may cause serotonin syndrome. Dextromethorphan-induced serotonin syndrome