Okay, I did a search and didn’t find anything on this topic. So all you smart Doper doctors and scientists and stuff out there care to tell me why when I take Sudafed and stuff like that, I feel like I’m floating, and I start having some strange hallucinations and stuff? And, no, I have not been drinking liquor or taking any other drugs when I’ve been taking cold medicine. What’s in cold and sinus medicine that does this to folks? Is it excessive caffeine, or is it that long-assed word that starts with a p? Pseudoephedrine hydrochloride? And why would anyone want to take false ephedrine rather than the real ephedrine. What is ephedrine? 
Anyway, what is it in this medicine that gives folks out of body experiences? I’ve asked my friends and family, and it ain’t just me seeing funny lights. Inquiring minds want to know.
Danggit, and I previewed too! In the title of the thread, “one” should be “some folks.” It must’ve been the cold medicine that made me miss that error. :o I suppose it’d be too much trouble to ask a mod to fix that.
Many cold medications contain DXM, which is a dissassociative. If you are having hallucinations (and don’t enjoy them), take a medication that does not contain DXM.
In addition, if the cold medicine is an “elixer” it probably contains alcohol, sometimes quite a bit.
Here’s a few earlier threads on cough syrups:
taking Tussin as a drug
NyQuil and overdosingdiphenhydramine hydrochloride = high ?
Narcotics In Cough Syrup?
Can you really make methamphetamines out of OTC cold medicine?
Sometimes you don’t even have to ask.
pseudoephedrine can screw up your sense of balance, leading to odd, floaty sensations. It can also lead to the spins and nausea, but fortunately, that seems to be rare.
“Ephedrine” comes from “ephedra” - a plant-based remedy getting some press for side effects. “Pseudoephedrine” is a related compound with similar effects but less intense side effects. You take pseudoephedrine because it’s less likely to cause a serious side effect than ephedrine would, but gives much the same results.
fatdave, my cold medicine doesn’t have DXM, just pseudoephedrine HCl, but thanks for the tip. I had no idea DXM could cause the types of reactions it does. Makes me almost scared to use it.
David Simmons, well you learn something new everyday. I mean really. If I want alcohol, then I’m going to drink it straight up. I don’t need to drink cough elixir. [shudder]
Squink, thanks for the links. 
bibliophage, thanks, for fixin’ that for me, hon.
Broomstick, thanks for the definitions. Still I have to wonder. If it ain’t ephedrine and doesn’t come from the ephedra plant, then call it what it really is. Is there another term for pseudoephedrine HCl? Where does pseudoephedrine HCl come from?
Our bodies react to chemicals that bind to neuroreceptors. If a substance is psychoactive, you may get an effect from it even if you’re not intending to use it for recreation. As an example, codeine, which is related to opium, gives you opium-like psychoactive effects in addition to stopping your coughing. Some compounds have been refined until they don’t have those recreational side effects–Imodium is an example of an opium-like substance that doesn’t cause euphoria.
Ephedra can make people speedy/euphoric. Sudafed (=pseudoephedrine HCl) can do the same. They’re used for both allergies and asthma because they dry up secretions. I THINK ephedra hits the histamine and acetylcholine receptors, but don’t quote me on this, because I don’t have my reference book here.
A good source of information on drugs and how they work, in understandable language, is Buzzed.
IIRC, pseudoephedrine is the stereoisomer of ephedrine (right-handed vs. left-handed molecule). Pseudoephedrine is naturally occurring, in Ma Huang (ephedra) and Asclepias Tuberosa as a couple of examples. Search Google “pseudoephedrine source” or “pseudoephedrine ephedra” for more info than anyone could possibly want.
So pseudoephedrine doesn’t stand for false ephedrine, sorry. It’s a related but distinct molecule.
Shoshana & Theobroma, wow. All those high-falutin’ science terms! 
I’ll have to go consult my dictionary and stuff. I just think that whoever comes up with these names for drugs really ought to be spanked sometimes. If the stuff ain’t ephedrine, then call it what it really is. If it is ephedrine, or some derivative of ephedrine, then they ought to just name it so and quit confusing folks. :mad: I still find it amazing to think that out of all the chemical compounds that are out and about today there ain’t nothing non-opiate or non-ephedrine-class derived that will supress coughs and dry up sinuses. Or is there? And, why is it that when Sudafed and similar products say they’re a non-drowsy formula, they still knock me out in mere minutes? Is it the drug, or is that just part of having a cold? Anyway, I’m going to have even more fun than I usually have with google today, let me tell you! Thanks for the additional information. I just love learning about science.
I don’t have quite as bad a reaction as you describe Celestina but I’ve pretty much given up trying to treat allergy symptoms, other than headaches, with OTC meds when I know I’ll be driving that day. A couple of years back I took something “non-drowsy” and thought I was going to crash my car because the roads seemed to be trying to move as I drove…after that decided I’d rather have a stuffy or runny nose!
So, on to the most important question. Which cold medicine is best for recreational use? I dont think the one’s with codeine are available OTC anymore.
Funny I should stumble onto this thread, as I am coming off a cold and have discovered something quite odd:
Vick’s Nyquil= decent, symptom-free rest
Storebrand Nyquil knockoff= bad, brown Woodstock acid trip
I guess the extra $$ for the real deal is worth it in this case.
She told me she loved me like a brother. She’s from Arkansas, hence the Joy!
I think the answer you all are looking for is antihistimines. OTC cold remedies contain them (most do).
When I lived in Florida I had BAD allergies. HUGE hives, stuff nose couldn’t breathe. The doctor told me to take Benadryl. This is an OTC antihistimine. It worked wonders BUT I was so sleepy. Even the next day when I woke up the effects lasted. I was awoke but felt like I was drifting thru the day.
He switched me to the prescription antihistimines that don’t do that. They also didn’t work.
Today I don’t take them as the side effects of the antihistimines are worse than the cure.
This is why many urge that meds like Claritan (sp?) and Allegra, which are by prescription only in the USA, be made OTC. They are actually safer than Benadryl and the others like Benadryl.
Of course w/o the side effects means they don’t work as well. That is why the commercials for Benadryl say “Nothing works better.” Nothing does help like an antihistimine but the feeling you guys feel is from the side effects of the antihistimine.
Sure, but you can legally buy alcohol. Young people can’t. People get hooked on a lot of things. My wife worked in a pharmacy for several years and one woman in out town was hooked on the cough syrup Codeine Turpenhydrate(sp?). That wouldn’t be hard to do because it really tastes good, I think.
Anyway, the law at the time was that you had to sign a register and could only get it once per day. She went to every pharmacy in town (3 of them) almost every day and got a bottle and sometimes even had a friend get it for her.
elfkin477, I know what you mean. If I take cold medicine, I don’t go near any machinery!
[celestina gets her virtual paddle and whacks Quintas & Homer on their virtual bottoms.]
Quintas & Homer, this thread is not for you to discuss the intricacies of how to trip off of DXM or anything else for that matter! Take it to email. :mad:
gatopescado, wow. I’ll definitely make sure now to never buy generic Nyquil. [shudder]
Markxxx, thanks for the headsup on antihistamines.
David Simmons point taken. Still, it’s just frightening to think that folks will go to such measures to get a buzz.
celestina: The drugs are purely legal. They are even OTC, ferchrissakes! It is not illegal to get high off of them! Getting high is not itself illegal. If getting high was, in itself, illegal, they’d have to somehow keep me from programming or even thinking about programming.
If I discover that sage soaked in urine produces a really neat high, nobody could stop me from tripping off of it. Why? Sage is legal. Urine is legal. Their combination is legal. Get the point?
[celestina fingering her virtual paddle]
Derleth, hon, I know that OTC cold medicine is legal, and I also know that there’s a BIG difference between sage soaked in urine and DXM. I don’t think OTC cold medicine of any kind is intended to be used to get high, especially considering how dangerous DXM, ephedrine, and pseudoephedrine are if taken in dosages that are too high or if they are mixed with other substances. Nevertheless, if folks want to use them recreationally, then that’s totally up to them. I don’t want the particulars of how to use cold medicine recreationally discussed in my thread :mad: because I personally think that anyone who does use DXM recreationally qualifies for the Darwin Awards. [sniff] Call me crazy.
Quintas, don’t ask. It is illegal to abuse over-the-counter medications by taking them in a way inconsistent with the labeling. It is contrary to SDMB policy to ask how to do illegal things. Please don’t make that mistake again.
Homer’s reply to this thread has been deleted for the reason that it contained tips on how to abuse OTC medications. I trust no one else will make that mistake in this thread.
bibliophage
moderator GQ