The candy-flavoured cough syrup concoction popularised by rap singers abroad, has been around for years but doctors are concerned about South African kids increasingly seeking out this dangerous ‘high’, glamorised in songs and videos.
A recent warning by schools in the Cape Province warns of this new drug trend which is all the rage amongst local teens. It is feared that the trend has already found its way to other provinces too.
The home-made drug is called Sizzurp (also known as purple drank, syrup and lean) and is a mix of codeine-based prescription cough syrup and cooldrink such as Sprite. It is sometimes also mixed with candy and one or two paracetamol tablets.
The drug is particularly dangerous as all of these items are freely available and can be mixed at home.
The codeine, which is an opiate, produces a feeling of euphoria. The cough syrup also contains a drug called promethazine, which acts as a sedative.
The drug is often taken on an empty stomach to enhance the potency of the ‘high’ and when in withdrawal, the youngster’s body visibly shakes as if he or she is feeling cold.
The Clinix Health Group advises parents to keep up to date with the latest trend and be particularly aware of their teens purchasing cough syrup. “The legal age for dispensing schedule 1 and 2 medications is 14 years, so it is up to parents to monitor and educate their kids about the dangers of this mixture,” says Bernadette Campbell, Nursing Services Manager at Clinix Health Group.
The drug codeine is a dissociative drug with similar effects to Ketamine, which causes a kind of ‘out of body’ experience. When the kids talk about using it, they refer to it as ‘leaning on syrup’, because if you sip on it all day long it’s like getting very intoxicated and they literally have to lean on something to stand up.
The danger is that if one looks at the ingredients in isolation they are fairly innocuous but when combined it is very dangerous. Sizzurp doesn’t have a noticeable smell, it produces an intense high and has minimal side effects initially. Because codeine is a narcotic, it can cause addiction.
“If one overdoses it can cause seizures and you can end up in treatment. Once a person gets addicted, they can’t just cut it off. They will experience ‘cold turkey’ and be very ill for a while,” says Ms Campbell.
Clinix recommends that parents lock up any medications they may have at home. Also, throw out any old prescription drugs and talk to your children about the dangers of this drink in order to protect them and make them aware of this silent danger.
