# He took some cough medicine and thinks he murdered his wife **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 4, 2017, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-took-some-cough-medicine-and-thinks-he-murdered-his-wife/795498 "2017-09-04T19:01:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Patx2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/73ab20/32.png) [@Patx2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patx2)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2017, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-took-some-cough-medicine-and-thinks-he-murdered-his-wife/795498/1 "2017-09-04T19:01:49Z")
A man in North Carolina called 911 to report he had woken up after taking too much Corcidin to help him sleep. He was covered in blood and his wife had been stabbed to death. I’m not familiar with Corcidin unless it’s marketed under other names and it sounds like he wasn’t sick. I didn’t put this in GQ because I’m not sure there’s a factual answer to my questions. I’m guessing they may be able to tell the time he took the medicine. Would it be possible to use that with an estimated time of death and figure out how much medicine he consumed to use this as a valid defense? Would it be possible to prove that he’s full of shit, murdered his wife in cold blood and took the medicine after the fact as a cover up? Ik some medications if taken improperly can really have bad effects. I know we’ve posted about Ambien on here and some cough medications can be bad news but enough to make you murder your spouse in bed? ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2017, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-took-some-cough-medicine-and-thinks-he-murdered-his-wife/795498/2 "2017-09-04T19:06:39Z")
I took Chantix to quit smoking for a couple of weeks. I remember having dreams that I thought I was awake. In the dreams where I might have actually been somewhat awake I would consider things that had never even crossed my mind before. I never did anything even in the dream but I quit taking the medication, I felt like I was loosing my mind. ---
**Author:** ![Ignotus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ecc23a/32.png) [@Ignotus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ignotus)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2017, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-took-some-cough-medicine-and-thinks-he-murdered-his-wife/795498/3 "2017-09-04T19:11:50Z")
[Coricidin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coricidin). ---
**Author:** ![Student\_Driver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3da27b/32.png) [@Student\_Driver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Student_Driver)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2017, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-took-some-cough-medicine-and-thinks-he-murdered-his-wife/795498/4 "2017-09-04T19:32:46Z")
Coricidin Cough & Cold (Triple Cs in pill user world) is one of the drugs of voice for people who want to robo-trip (and that name comes from Robitussin, another popular choice). One of the Coricidin syrups is also popular… So I’m thinking this is more than just the story of “needed sleep.” ---
**Author:** ![pool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pool/32/4152_2.png) [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2017, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-took-some-cough-medicine-and-thinks-he-murdered-his-wife/795498/5 "2017-09-04T20:09:53Z")
When I was younger I used to Robo-trip quite frequently, it doesn’t make you see things per se, you will have closed eye hallucinations but when you open your eyes you don’t really see like monsters and stuff it just distorts your perception such as feeling you are tiny and the room around you is huge or vice versa, also it distorts your perception of time which is really bizarre because it really does feel like an hour has gone by and only 7-8 minutes have. I don’t really see how it would make you kill your spouse unless you were at risk for some kind of mental illness like schizophrenia or something and it caused it to come to the surface and have a break with reality, either way I think the guy just murdered her and tried to make up a fake story, have fun with life in prison! ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2017, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-took-some-cough-medicine-and-thinks-he-murdered-his-wife/795498/6 "2017-09-04T20:18:49Z")
Too bad she didn’t take any. It would have stopped the coffin. ---
**Author:** ![Patx2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/73ab20/32.png) [@Patx2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patx2)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2017, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-took-some-cough-medicine-and-thinks-he-murdered-his-wife/795498/7 "2017-09-04T23:44:38Z")
> [@HoneyBadgerDC](#): > > I took Chantix to quit smoking for a couple of weeks. I remember having dreams that I thought I was awake. In the dreams where I might have actually been somewhat awake I would consider things that had never even crossed my mind before. I never did anything even in the dream but I quit taking the medication, I felt like I was loosing my mind. A few years back, a friend of mine stopped taking Chantix, for her the side effects of suicidal thoughts was real. ---
**Author:** ![Patx2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/73ab20/32.png) [@Patx2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patx2)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2017, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-took-some-cough-medicine-and-thinks-he-murdered-his-wife/795498/8 "2017-09-04T23:49:51Z")
This is interesting, I knew cough medicines, even OTCs could make you loopy but not to the extent that some of you have explained here. As was posted above, I’m also thinking unless he is unstable, it didn’t go down as he said. ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2017, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-took-some-cough-medicine-and-thinks-he-murdered-his-wife/795498/9 "2017-09-05T00:11:51Z")
> [@Patx2](#): > > I knew cough medicines, even OTCs could make you loopy but not to the extent that some of you have explained here. The effects sought by recreational users require extremely high doses, like 2 or 3 bottles drunk at once. From Wikipedia: “Chlorpheniramine is an anticholinergic that can cause very serious reactions in high doses.[citation needed] This may be compounded by the fact that dextromethorphan and chlorpheniramine are both metabolized by CYP2D6 isozyme of Cytochrome P450. This could increase the plasma concentration of both drugs by inhibiting metabolism and increasing blood serum concentrations. Another danger is chlorpheniramine’s notably long half life (about a whole day), which may result in high levels of it building up in one’s body if Coricidin is abused frequently. **Symptoms of withdrawal include memory loss, weight loss, disorientation, irregular sleep schedules including to but not limited to confusion on when the former user originally fell asleep,** frequent trips to the bathroom with the illusion of the need to go, increased appetite, vomiting and lack of ambition due to dependence on the euphoric feeling and increased drive that occurred while using.” > [@running\_coach](#): > > Too bad she didn’t take any. It would have stopped the coffin. Sounds to me like his smoker’s hack became rather extreme. ---
**Author:** ![Student\_Driver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3da27b/32.png) [@Student\_Driver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Student_Driver)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2017, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-took-some-cough-medicine-and-thinks-he-murdered-his-wife/795498/10 "2017-09-05T00:47:51Z")
How about abuse of the anti-diarrheal Imodium AD? ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2017, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-took-some-cough-medicine-and-thinks-he-murdered-his-wife/795498/11 "2017-09-05T03:01:45Z")
Damn, these stories of supposedly harmless meds are weirding me out. I’m going to stop taking cough syrup and anti-histamines, and… heck, I’m swearing off Tylenol and toothpaste just in case! ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2017, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-took-some-cough-medicine-and-thinks-he-murdered-his-wife/795498/12 "2017-09-05T03:22:35Z")
> [@digs](#): > > heck, I’m swearing off Tylenol and toothpaste just in case! Actually, my dentist tells me toothpaste is a Bad Idea – use too much, as in the usual full-width ribbon you see in the commercials, and the paste forms a film that actually shields tartar and plaque from the bristles. You’re better off using a brush just wetted, with no paste or at most a little dab of toothpaste, for the most effective cleaning. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2017, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-took-some-cough-medicine-and-thinks-he-murdered-his-wife/795498/13 "2017-09-05T03:57:33Z")
I’ve heard of Ambien making one do weird things while asleep, but not Coricidin. I have heard of robo-tripping, however, and I didn’t know that Coricidin was related. The 911 call, as described, sounded suspiciously cold and flat, but I suppose he’d say that was due to the meds as well. I don’t find him at all credible, but of course my view of the facts is extremely narrow. ---
**Author:** ![Evan\_Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b487fb/32.png) [@Evan\_Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evan_Drake)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2017, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-took-some-cough-medicine-and-thinks-he-murdered-his-wife/795498/14 "2017-09-05T10:41:54Z")
Whilst in this dreamstate of awful unknowing, wouldn’t he have had to rise, all unconsciouslike, go to a drawer, open it, withdraw a knife and return to hover above his beloved wife before stabbing again and again and again — before laying himself down beside her and sleeping beside her stabbed unaware form ? Amazing the things we can do in our sleep. ---
**Author:** ![Patx2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/73ab20/32.png) [@Patx2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patx2)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2017, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-took-some-cough-medicine-and-thinks-he-murdered-his-wife/795498/15 "2017-09-05T11:18:17Z")
I’m wondering about the wife, too. Even if she was sound asleep, if someone starts stabbing you, I’d have to say that would be a wake up call. Did she try to fight him off? I’ve seen very little details other than him calling 911 in tears so idk what the scenario really was but there’s got to be more to the story imo. ---
**Author:** ![Student\_Driver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3da27b/32.png) [@Student\_Driver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Student_Driver)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2017, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-took-some-cough-medicine-and-thinks-he-murdered-his-wife/795498/16 "2017-09-05T12:37:29Z")
> [@Student\_Driver](#): > > How about abuse of the anti-diarrheal Imodium AD? I should have followed this up with a cite. From WebMD: THURSDAY, May 5, 2016 (HealthDay News) – Searching for an alternative to opioid painkillers such as Oxycontin and Vicodin, some addicts are now turning to the diarrhea drug Imodium for a high, researchers say. This abuse of Imodium – with its key ingredient, loperamide – is a growing problem in the United States, according to the researchers. “People looking for either self-treatment of [opioid] withdrawal symptoms or euphoria are overdosing on loperamide with sometimes deadly consequences,” said study author William Eggleston ---
**Author:** ![Evan\_Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b487fb/32.png) [@Evan\_Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evan_Drake)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2017, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-took-some-cough-medicine-and-thinks-he-murdered-his-wife/795498/17 "2017-09-05T13:41:18Z")
> [@Patx2](#): > > I’ve seen very little details other than him calling 911 in tears so idk what the scenario really was but there’s got to be more to the story imo. They’re always in tears. ---
**Author:** ![Evan\_Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b487fb/32.png) [@Evan\_Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evan_Drake)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2017, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-took-some-cough-medicine-and-thinks-he-murdered-his-wife/795498/18 "2017-09-05T13:43:55Z")
_I wandered home 'tween twelve and one I cried, “My God, what have I done ?”_ ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2017, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-took-some-cough-medicine-and-thinks-he-murdered-his-wife/795498/19 "2017-09-06T14:42:03Z")
According to the Oracle (Wikipedia), long-term high-dose use of dextromethorphan (the “active” ingredient in Coricidin and similar products) can lead to “toxic psychosis”. I doubt occasional non-recreational use at the recommended dosage is a valid defense for a murder charge, but a jury might buy it. [Theme song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYlFyE6ugVc) for the thread. ---
**Author:** ![Patx2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/73ab20/32.png) [@Patx2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patx2)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2017, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-took-some-cough-medicine-and-thinks-he-murdered-his-wife/795498/20 "2017-09-06T21:34:05Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > According to the Oracle (Wikipedia), long-term high-dose use of dextromethorphan (the “active” ingredient in Coricidin and similar products) can lead to “toxic psychosis”. I doubt occasional non-recreational use at the recommended dosage is a valid defense for a murder charge, but a jury might buy it. > > [Theme song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYlFyE6ugVc) for the thread. I really want to see how this plays out and if they will use the “toxic psychosis” defense. I’m thinking they would have to prove he’d been drinking it or popping it by the boatload. Once in awhile isn’t going to help his defense team. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-took-some-cough-medicine-and-thinks-he-murdered-his-wife/795498.md?page=2)