DOSE:	14 tablets	oral	DXM	(pill / tablet)
		oral	Chlorpheniramine Maleate

BODY WEIGHT:

175 lb

[Erowid Note: Most Coricidin contains CPM (Chlorpheniramine Maleate) which can be dangerous in high doses. See DXM Brand Warnings for more info.]

This Experience happened in the month of September, 2003. It was a pretty good day, in fact my mood was great up until disaster struck.

My friend 'M' and I had been wanting to trip, but no good psychedelics were available to us. He mentioned an alternative: Coricidin Cough & Cold (CCC). Evidently he and his friends back home used CCC recreationally. Before this day my only experience with DXM had been pleasant and mild. I thought easy-to-swallow pills would be a big step-up from the nasty cough syrup I had history with. I was looking forward to the light feelings and giddyness I had come to expect from DXM. I did not expect CCC to be a cocktail from hell.

Twenty minutes and a store visit after our decision to take CCC, we had one box each of CCC before us. M & I consumed the pills within the space of five minutes, M gagging from the taste. I consumed fourteen pills total. Thirty minutes after consumption, the preliminary effects began to kick in. It began with a loss of motor control and balance followed immediately with a feeling which can only be described as my brain being smeared out across concrete. I began to panic.

The effects only barely resembled what I had experienced on my previous cough syrup adventures. There was a distinct feeling of having been in this particular mindspace before. If you have ever seen those cheap art reproductions rendered with thick layers of acrylic or oil paints, where a city is portrayed in blacks, yellows and reds, that's what this feeling was like. All my thoughts seemed to have a tear in them. My internal universe was huge, yet discordant.

My motor control and balance continued to deteriorate, subsequently leading to an urgent visit to the bathroom. I felt very sick, as if I had not only poisoned my body, but my spirit as well. The 'high' felt very dirty. In an effort to cool down my now overheating body, I ran my head under cold water. From there I hugged the toilet while trying to trigger my vomiting reflex. About one hour after consumption I had vomited everything I could from my stomach. This did not make me feel any better. Standing up or walking around was nearly impossible, so I planted myself on the easy chair. Driving, of course, was entirely out of the question.

The strange effects kept getting stronger, and I couldn't feel my face. Eating was impossible, for my mouth had become more dry than pot could ever make it. My vision seemed to be burned right in the center, with little static (stationary) dots appearing in mid-air. I honestly believed I had caused my brain permanent damage, because the hallucinations I was having were not changing at all. That's when my eyes crossed. I could not uncross them, even though I honestly tried. My friend was beginning to fear for me at this point, thinking it was his fault for introducing me to CCC. With lips I could not feel, past a tongue too dry to speak with I tried to tell him it was by my own will I was in this mess, and that he, having never experienced what I was experiencing, could not have known it was going to happen.

I feel it's important to mention a couple things I hallucinated at this point. I began to imagine/see a representation of my condition, for some reason I can always see my condition displayed as a picture. There were thin discs, all lined up on a flat surface. These discs were being randomly flipped vertically, showing holes underneath. I felt it was because the dissociative effects of the DXM were tearing little holes in my brain (Olney's Lesions). I also saw a fractal crystalline structure, displayed two dimensionally and starting from the left. I knew this was the path of my soul; it was the seed, growth and direction my soul has taken. It did not change when I viewed it. It always remained as a static image. I have never had a hallucination that never changed before, which caused me some [more] alarm.

Eventually my friend's mom came home. I expected to be made to leave, but thank goodness she took pity on me in my severely compromised condition and let me stay. I would not have been able to drive. It was very embarrassing not being able to diverge my eyes, and M's mother gave me a pair of reading glasses in an attempt to make my eyes normalize. It didn't work.

The turning point came when a pipe of sinsemilla was passed around. I usually have a strong reaction to pot, but in this case I knew it could only help the situation. At least I'm more accustomed to the effects of pot. I closed my eyes and saw a great wall before me with a tiny door in the middle of it. I was flying towards it. M and his mom kept making me open my eyes, but I felt I needed to sleep more than anything. At one point I passed through the door and entered into what I call 'The Halls of Human Achievement'. Every thought and decision every human has ever made was recorded permanently in this place. Each person had a plaque which was unique to him/her, and they lined the walls which receded into a white fog. It was all very clear, and I'm certain this place really exists.

I was allowed go lay down in a bedroom, where I finally started to find relief from the indescribable horror. The comedown was a lot like mushrooms or mescaline, with bright patterns flashing in bold lines. Quite unlike the first part of the trip.

The next day I was tired, but feeling quite normal and glad.

I feel it's necessary to point out the trip's three main phases:

1) 1st hour

Nausea, accompanied by confused thoughts and a messed up, yet expanded imagination. Blurred tracers.

2) Hours 1-4

Continued confusion with bright, unchanging hallucinations. Extreme dry mouth and numbness.

3) Hours 5-6

Abrupt comedown as if a release valve has been opened somewhere. Bright indole-like visuals. Residual coordination impairment, complete return of tactile sense.

In summary, I'd say the trip was worth having, but I will never willingly do Coricidin again. Once is enough; I cherish my life too much. I recommend CCC to nobody, except maybe those who *actually* have colds.

Exp Year: 2003	ExpID: 31800
Gender: Male
Age at time of experience: Not Given
Published: Jun 19, 2007	Views: 39,879
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