Yes, 'Purple Drank' Can Be Deadly

Dallas Cowboys linebacker Rolando McClain is facing a 10-game suspension because he violated the NFL’s substance abuse policy by testing positive for opiates, the Dallas Morning News reports. The Morning News and others reported that the opiate in question is “purple drank,” a slang term for a potent mixture of prescription-strength cough syrup, soda and Jolly Ranchers. Also known as syrup, sizzurp and lean, the recreational drink was popularized by hip-hop artists in the 1990s, and inspired later songs like Lil Wayne’s “Me and My Drank” and Three 6 Mafia’s “Sippin’ on Some Syrup.” Despite cough syrup’s benign over-the-counter reputation, it can be a dangerous substance, especially when used improperly. The active ingredients in prescription-strength cough syrup ― codeine and promethazine ― can cause dizziness, nausea, impaired vision, seizures, rash and confusion, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine. And like other opioids, the medication is highly addictive, slows breathing and can be deadly when mixed with alcohol.  It contributed to the death of DJ Screw, the Houston artist whose slowed-down “chopped and screwed” remix genre paid homage to the side effects of the cough syrup drink. DJ Screw died in 2000, at age 29, of a “codeine overdose with mixed drug intoxication,” according to his autopsy report. Deaths haven’t completely diminish...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news