By Nathan Duke
Staff Writer

Goffstown police are trying to figure out how to prevent teens from obtaining over-the-counter drugs from a new source - the Internet.

According to police Capt. Glenn DuBois, teens involved in two recent incidents ingested drugs they obtained online.

In May, four local teenagers - two boys and two girls between the ages of 16 and 17 - were taken by ambulance to Catholic Medical Center after ingesting what police believe to be DXM, or dextromethorphan. One of the four, a 17-year-old girl, was placed in the hospital's intensive care unit.

Two days later, in a separated incident, a 16-year-old boy was taken by ambulance to the hospital, and police believe he may have been using the same over-the-counter drug for recreational purposes.

DuBois said it is difficult to prevent drug abusers from obtaining the drug, as well as taking legal action against users, because DXM can be purchased over the counter and online.

DXM is an active ingredient in cold and cough medicines. If abused, it can act as a psychedelic drug, giving its users a state of euphoria, depending on the amount taken, the age of the patient and the mixing of the drug with other drugs, said Ron Petrin pharmacist at Bedford Pharmacy.

DuBois said it is difficult to prevent drug abusers from obtaining the drug, as well as taking legal action against users, because DXM can be purchased over the counter and online.

Police believe the four teenagers who became sick after using the drug in early May bought the drug in powder form on the Internet.

DuBois said the teenagers told police they purchased pharmaceuticals online, then followed instructions they had learned about how to get high by using the drugs.

The powder can be placed in capsules, which the teenagers may have ingested, he said.

"I'm concerned for the fact that we have young people are putting dangerous things into their bodies," he said. "It is only a matter of time before someone uses (these types of drugs incorrectly) and ends up dead."

The side effects of the drug can include impaired judgment, loss of coordination, dizziness, nausea, seizures, panic attacks, psychosis and brain damage, said DuBois.

A spokesman for Ask A Nurse at Catholic Medical Center said DXM can act as a sedative that effects a user's state of consciousness if used incorrectly.

"Like any drug, it can be dangerous if not taken as a doctor prescribes," he said.

Petrin said abusers of the drug are often unaware of potential side effects and that purchasing DXM on the Internet poses some very obvious dangers.

"This is a fairly complicated and not well-understood product," he said. "My biggest concern is what (users) are actually taking when they buy the drug over the Internet."

Petrin said abuse of the drug appears to be more recent and could just be a drug culture fad.

DuBois said the two separate incidents involving Goffstown teenagers' abuse of over-the-counter drugs are still being investigated. He said there is a potential that the teenagers may have taken too large of a dosage or that the drug might have been mixed with something else.

The teenagers likely ingested the drug in capsule form, rather than snorted it, he said.

Police interviewed the five teenagers after the two incidents to find out what drug they had used and how they obtained it.

DuBois said police are still investigating whether the drug used in the two incidents was DXM.

"This sounds like a case of a good legitimate drug that, like anything else, can be abused," he said.