Counsellors see rise in Gravol use

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This article was published 19/05/2015 (3925 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

More and more Brandon youths are using over-the-counter medications to get high.

Addictions Foundation of Manitoba counsellors are seeing an uptick in young people using the drug dimenhydrinate, more commonly known as Gravol.

The drug is designed to prevent and treat motion sickness as well as nausea and vomiting.

While the drug is effective in normal doses at preventing nausea, large doses of dimenhydrinate can lead to a high that may include lack of co-ordination, disorientation, euphoria, hallucinations and an “out of body” sensation.

“We’ve seen an increase in Gravol use to get high, particularily among our younger population,” AFM Parkwood Treatment Centre supervisor Lisa Thibeau said.

Complicating the matter is that many teens are mixing the drug with other substances to multiply the drug’s effect on the body.

“We’ve seen clients who will take a higher than recommended dose by itself and they have those euphoric and hallucination sensations, but we’ve also had people that will mix it with other things, and a lot of the time that’s alcohol,” Thibeau said.

The drug isn’t without its risks, either.

Short-term physiological effects range from blurred vision, dry mouth, reduced concentration and nervousness — all effects that wear off once the drug exits the system.

It’s the permanent burdens that are most concerning.

“There are some long-term effects for people who take it regularily,” Thibeau said. “It can cause depression, confusion and lack of energy. So like any other drug, it can affect their socialization, school work or work life and family relationships.”

The drug can also cause trouble urinating and vomiting in chronic users.

In extreme cases, overdosing on the drug has caused death.

One in five teens have reported using over-the-counter medication to get high, according to AFM. Those numbers are consistent with a Manitoba Youth Health Survey of more than 64,000 students in grades 7 to 12 at 476 schools conducted in 2012-13.

That survey showed 17 per cent of students reported using an illegal, prescription or over-the-counter drug for the purposes of getting high in the past month.

“Anecdotal reports indicate that young people are using much higher doses now than previously,” AFM communications officer Jennifer Faulder said. “This poses a serious toxic risk, especially when used with other drugs.”

The specific mechanism of the “high” has not been determined because dimenhydrinate affects many chemical systems in the brain, including histamine, acetylcholine, serotonin, noradrenaline, dopamine and opioid systems.

“The widespread impact of Gravol in the brain may explain the variety of symptoms associated with its abuse,” Faulder said.

The drug is also prevalent in some people with psychiatric disorders.

“Some people with schizophrenia or other psychotic disorders find certain effects of Gravol appealing,” Faulder said, adding that the drug creates a calming effect or relief from side-effects of other medications.

“Tolerance and dependence can occur with chronic abuse. Chronic abuse may be difficult to detect since it resembles psychiatric disorders like depression.”

Benadryl, an anti-histamine that contains diphenhydramine hydrochloride, is another drug that is on the rise.

It has escalated to the point where drug companies have issued statements about the misuse of some over-the-counter drugs.

Thibeau said people seek out AFM at different stages in their drug use.

The organization uses a variety of tools, from public educational programs to one-on-one counselling sessions, to try to curb the problem

“We try to help people understand exactly what they are using and the types of harms that can result,” Thibeau said.

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