They've ruined it for the rest of us -- DXM

This is a direct response to justokay's Shine posting on the dangers of DXM.

Why do I have any knowledge of the stuff at all? Because, among other things, I deal with this stuff on a daily basis at work.

If you're not already familiar with DXM, you are probably at least familiar with pseudophedrine -- and if not by name, then by reputation.  Until a few years ago, pseudoephedrine (PSE) was the active ingredient in just about every over the counter cold medicine on the market.  It is also, unfortunately, one of the key ingredients in the illegal manufacture of the very illegal substance methamphetamine (meth).  Having grown up in what is coloquially (and with good reason) referred to as the 'meth belt,' I can tell you that this is some nasty stuff.  I'm not going to be your D.A.R.E. instructor today, but if you've lived in a cave with your fingers in your ears for so long that you don't know that meth is bad, take a minute and go look it up. 

Now the fact that one of the key ingredients in an illegal drug could be purchased easily in large quantities began to concern people, and laws began to spring up to more strictly control the purchase of PSE.  In most states, you now must be 18 and provide a state or federal ID to be scanned to be able to purchase any meds containing pseudophedrine.  It's sold only by request at a pharmacy counter, there is a limit of how much can be purchased at a time, and an ID scan is performed to ensure these limits are being enforced -- you're not just being entered into the store's database, but into the government's. 

Here's where DXM comes in -- after PSE became so strictly controlled, lots of medications reformulated from PSE to DXM to avoid the stigma of being sold behind the pharmacy counter.  They advertized themselves as being more convenient and just as effective; the chain I work at carries over 100 products containing DXM as the main or auxilliary active ingredient.  The problem is, there was already an issue with the fact that DXM in large doses turns into a hallucenogen, and is very dangerous. The side effects are plentiful and, quite frankly, pretty gross.  As someone who had chronic tonsillitis as a kid and took every cold medicine known to mankind, I cannot begin to fathom why anyone would want to induce those kind of side effects on purpose.  But people are pretty darn stupid, so that's where we're at now.  This has led DXM to get the PSE treatment in more and more states.  You have to be 18 to buy it, and in some states, just like PSE, you're tracked whenever you buy it, and by how much you buy.  This is why the woman at Target had to get her license scanned, regardless of age.  It's not so much a creepy store policy as the law.

Now, a couple of more specific reactions:

First of all, don't think that having DXM in the house is going to make your normally well-behaved kid all excited and want to trip balls.  If you want to keep it around, keep it around.  If you honestly don't trust your kid to not get high on your cough syrup, then 1) keep the cough syrup, and anything else of similar interest locked up, and/or 2) educate your kid on the dangers of abusing DXM products.  If you seriously can't trust them enough to keep it in your house, that's the least of your worries.  If they want it that bad, they'll probably get their hands on it some other way, so EDUCATE, EDUCATE, EDUCATE; it's the key to preventing stupid decisions.  Like I mentioned earlier, the possible side effects of tripping on DXM can get downright gross (loss of bladder and bowel control, anyone?), so let your kid(s) know what they could be in for.  Be honest and talk to them.

Secondly, about the bar code scanning -- speaking from the employee level, your pharmacy/store the pharmacy is in has no way of accessing the info contained in the bar code of your driver's license. It's all computerized and goes straight to the state/federal government databases, and since those are the authorities issuing the ID to begin with, I don't think the info's going to be new to them.  Also, at the employee level, we're all required to abide by the government's HIPAA policies, which means any divulgence of your personal information could get both the individual and the company in a whole heap of trouble. We're talking large fines and jail time here.  Doctor's offices and pharmacies are required to hand out privacy policies; most people don't read them.  You'd be surprised at what they contain.  Most places also have a number you can call with questions or concerns. 

And finally, if you're just not comfortable handing over an ID to scan to buy cold medicine, you're pretty much out of luck these days when it comes to anything that's both effective and over the counter.  Even with PSE restrictions in place, many states are pushing to make it prescription-only (and two have succeeded) because the meth problem is still raging.  If you don't like it, take a look at some of the ways our foremothers used to treat colds; they're still plenty effective, and lots of times cheaper, too.  I'm not a fan of Neti pots personally, but for some people they work wonders.  Lots of fluids, vitamin C, chicken soup, etc.  I'm also a big believer in spicy foods to help clear congestion. If you're sick to your stomach, too, then avoid them like the plague, but for an allergy-related stuffy nose, I swear by horseradish and jalapenos (not mixed together, obviously).  WebMD has a good article on home remedies here.

Best of health to you all!