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Coricidin, Coricidin 'D' (decongestant), or CoricidinHBP (for high blood pressure), is the name of a drug marketed by Schering-Plough that contains dextromethorphan (a cough suppressant) and chlorphenamine maleate (an antihistamine). Varieties of Coricidin may also contain acetaminophen (an analgesic/fever reducer) and guaifenesin (an expectorant). The drug is marketed as a remedy for the common cold, especially for people with hypertension, whose high blood pressure may worsen if they take other decongestants.
Recreational use
Coricidin brand cold medicine is often taken in (often much) higher than recommended doses for its dextromethorphan (DXM) content. Since DXM has psychedelic effects in high doses, it is sought for recreational use, but high doses of Coricidin can be toxic. This is because DXM and the other active ingredient, chlorpheniramine, are metabolized by the same liver enzyme. The presence of both chemicals causes competition for the enzyme, and so the DXM remains unmetabolized for longer. Also, chlorpheniramine has anticholinergic activity, which in high doses can cause adverse reactions. An unknown number of people have died from overdosing on Coricidin.
Interesting facts
In the 1960s, blues-rock guitarist Duane Allman (1946-1971) of The Allman Brothers Band began using an empty glass Coricidin bottle as a guitar slide, finding it to be just the right size and shape for this purpose. Other prominent slide guitarists, such as Bonnie Raitt, Rory Gallagher, and Gary Rossington of Lynyrd Skynyrd adopted the Coricidin bottle as well, but such bottles eventually went out of production in the early 1980s (although replicas have been produced since 1985).**
See also
External links
"Coricidin"