Robo tripping has become an increasingly popular way of legally getting high, especially for young adults.
The Partnership for a Drug-Free America says 1 in 11 teens have admitted to using robo tripping as a way of legally getting high. The euphoric properties and the ease of obtaining the drug can make it an attractive option for a quick, legal way to get your fix.
However, just because you can purchase it over the counter doesn’t mean it’s a safe way to get high. There are many risks and side effects associated with robo tripping, and the dangers outnumber the benefits. Read on to find out more.
What is Robo Tripping?
Robo Tripping, named after the common brand Robitussin, is the use of cough suppressants to get high. The high comes from the ingredient Dextromethorphan, or DXM.
A robo trip dosage can range anywhere from 100-200 mg (roughly 6 times the recommended dose) to 600 mg and above.
It is also commonly referred to as “triple-c tripping”, which stands for the Coricidin Cough and Cold, another popular brand name. Other street names include “skittles”, “dex”, “tussin” or “purple drank,” a mixture of syrup and juice, often with fruit candies or other sweets.
What Are the Effects of Robo Tripping?
Robo tripping can have a multitude of psychoactive effects, such as feelings of euphoria, a welcome disassociation from reality, and hallucinations. While the drug is derived from opiates, the high is most similar to Phencyclidine (PCP) or Ketamine (Special K, K).
When coming down from the high, users often experience decreased ability to think and react properly. This can also be accompanied by paranoia, anxiety, fatigue, restlessness, and social isolation.
1. Physical Side Effects
The most common effect of ingesting high amounts of DXM is nausea, followed by other gastrointestinal symptoms, including cramps, bloating, diarrhea, and stomach pain. These symptoms can occur not only during the initial high but long after the high has subsided.
Over-consumption of DXM can also impair the user’s ability to think clearly over time. Users have reported decreased mental function and responsiveness, which can lead to a decrease in academic performance and healthy activities they used to engage in.
Another common effect has been referred to as the “Robo Itch,” which is the street term for an allergic reaction triggered most frequently by the inert ingredients in the medicine, e.g. dyes, fillers, and similar substances. Some users have been bothered enough by the itch not to use DXM again; others have hurt themselves by excessively scratching for relief.
2. Emotional Side Effects
More long-term effects of robo tripping can include mood swings and irritability, as well as depression, mania, and anxiety. Users may also abuse DXM as an unhealthy coping mechanism for the stresses of everyday life.
The combination of these symptoms can take a tremendous toll on the user’s life, eventually leading to increased problems in nearly every aspect of their life.
If you or someone you know has developed a dependency on robo tripping or the abuse of similar substances, it is important to seek help. Individual and group counseling can be a great option for those seeking to heal from their addiction. Help may also be found by reaching out to friends and loved ones.
3. Building up a Tolerance
Regular robo tripping can, over time, require larger and larger amounts of the substance to achieve the same high. After a few uses, the same amounts of the drug fails to produce the same high.
As with many substances, the body can build a tolerance to certain levels of the substance, leading to consumption of higher and more dangerous amounts. This can start happening after just a few instances of excessive use.
4. Physical Dependency
DXM users can experience a multitude of withdrawal symptoms on days where they don’t consume the drug. Such effects include anxiousness, vomiting, fatigue, irregular heartbeat, and a compulsive desire to get the drug.
Once the user becomes accustomed to robo tripping every day, life can seem overwhelming, daunting, or impossible without the help of the substance. The body begins to crave the drug just to bring the user to a normal state.
5. Life-Threatening Overdose
Consuming excessive amounts of DXM to get high can also result in a life-threatening overdose.
Symptoms of this can include vomiting, impaired vision, loss of coordination, dissociation, visual/auditory hallucinations, and loss of consciousness. In extreme cases, these overdoses can also lead to a coma.
Anyone concerned about their loved one or child’s possible abuse of DXM can look for a multitude of signs, including a strange medicinal smell on their breath, increased social isolation, changes in mood and sleep patterns, unexplained disappearance of money, and unusual changes in appetite.
6. A Possible Gateway Substance
As with many intoxicants, DXM carries the risk of acting as a gateway drug to further, more serious drug abuse.
The excitement of the high can often lead to pursuing new, more exciting ways to take things to the next level. This curiosity can lead the user down a darker, more dangerous path of substance dependency and abuse.
7. Social Consequences
Continuous robo tripping can have devastating effects on the user’s social and personal life.
As the user becomes more and more dependent on the high, they can become more withdrawn and isolated. Loved ones may notice a significant change in their behavior and rifts may grow in their relationships.
Furthermore, if a user recruits another friend to get high with, they are inviting these consequences to that friend’s life as well. This begins a cycle of behavior that can spiral out of control, leading to increasingly harmful effects.
Find Safer Ways to Get High
Now that we’ve seen the many risks and dangers of robo tripping, it seems that the pros outweigh the cons. Fortunately, there are better alternatives out there.
If you’d like to learn more about safer ways to get high legally, check out our post The 8 Best Ways to Get High in 2018 or The 10 Best Legal Herbs That Get You High.
Alternatively, you can find ways to get high without drugs by checking out our post 10 Brilliant Ways to Get High Without Drugs.