Health - Prolonged bad experience on starter dose

[jcpren]

Someone I know very well had this experience a few years ago. The report was submitted to Erowid but never appeared.

Does anyone know what might cause such problems at such a low dose? Has anyone heard of this happening to anybody else?

I decided to give DXM a try one Saturday evening. I was relaxed at home, and about 9 or 10pm I took 13 Robitussin chewy pastilles over about half an hour, each with 7.5mg DXM and no other active ingredients. I had read most of the FAQ on Erowid, and I thought that around 100mg would be a suitable starter dose for me (63kg). I didn't take anything in combination with it.

I was watching a DVD that I had enjoyed before and I hoped that it would be more enjoyable this time under the effects of DXM, but it seemed just the same as usual. I found myself yawning uncontrollably at times, which was actually a side-effect I had noticed when I had taken DXM "properly" on another occasion for a cough. About an hour in, I got up to go to the bathroom, and suddenly I felt very light-headed. I didn't feel quite in control of my legs - it was like being drunk but I still felt as if I was thinking clearly.

As time went on, I had to go to the bathroom a few times because of an upset stomach, which I think is to be expected because an ingredient in the pastilles does that to guard against overdose. But that eventually wore off.

A bit later, I noticed in the mirror that my pupils were dilated. I walked along the thick carpet in my hall and it felt as if my feet were sinking right down into it. As boring as it may sound, it felt nice, and it was the best thing I got out of DXM the whole night. I was disappointed that my experiences of the film and listening to music were just the same as ever.

As the film came towards the end and the effects got stronger, I started to feel really ill. I thought it might be a good idea to try and make myself sick to get rid of any pastilles that might still be there in my stomach, as I didn't feel that things were going well. On the way to the bathroom, I got an intense hot flush that started in the pit of my stomach and spread over my entire body, leaving me feeling terribly exhausted and drained of energy. More flushes came over me in waves as I was going upstairs, and they seemed to be getting worse. I lay down on the stairs, actually wondering if I was going to pass out or even die there alone, it was so bad. However, the feeling did pass after a while, and I eventually went to bed and went to sleep.

The next morning, I felt fine at first. I was able to walk properly and my pupils and senses were back to normal. However, another hot flush came over me as I went down the stairs, though it was not as bad as the ones the night before. I had some breakfast and spent most of the day in bed, feeling quite weak again.

That Sunday evening, I forced myself to go and visit my Mum, who was in hospital, but it probably wasn't a good idea. I felt quite ill and light-headed when I went into the supermarket on the way there, and I snapped at another customer for no good reason, which is not like me at all. I also had to stop the car on the way to the hospital, when more flushes came over me and left me feeling exhausted, as bad as ever. I got to the hospital late, and had to go to the bathroom to try and splash water on my face and bring myself back to normal in order to speak to my Mum. She could tell I was ill, and I ended up leaving after 10 minutes, feeling very guilty that my visit had done nothing but worry her.

The flushes (usually hot but occasionally felt cold as well) and weakness continued in fits and starts over the next four days. I spent a lot of time in bed thinking that something was seriously wrong with my body. Eating/drinking did not seem to help the problem. Sometimes I thought I was better, and I even had one good day in the middle of it all, but when the hot flushes kept coming back I was seriously considering going to the doctor or hospital. At times, I also felt like I had a heightened sense of smell, to the extent that normal odours seemed overpowering and nauseating. However, all these problems wore off after the fourth day, and I have been fine ever since.

Reading reports on Erowid, I know that this is a very unusual experience, especially for such a low dose. I think my body must have had some kind of adverse reaction to DXM, so I haven't touched it since.

I should add that I have occasionally smoked hash with friends, but on one occasion, I had a bad experience characterised by hot flushes, erratic movement, and a feeling of weakness/fainting. However, this passed within minutes and left me with no lasting effects.