New Survey Shows Significant Decline in Teen Abuse of OTC Cough Medicines & Other Substances in 2021
2021 was a year of many changes for adolescents including a return to in-person learning in the midst of the ever-evolving nature of the COVID-19 pandemic. While many hypothesized that the stressors caused by the pandemic would lead to an increase in substance abuse among adolescents, teens who reported substance abuse actually decreased significantly across the board in 2021.
*Updated results will be available shortly.
Learn More
Safeguard Your Medicine and Know What’s in Your Cabinet
Access a list of popular brand-name over-the-counter (OTC) cough, cold and flu medicines that contain the active ingredient dextromethorphan (DXM), which is the most widely used cough suppressant ingredient in the United States.
Download Graphic
A Parent’s Guide to Preventing Teen Cough Medicine Misuse
Use this brochure to educate parents, caregivers and others in your community about the dangers of teens misusing over-the-counter cough medicine products containing dextromethorphan (DXM).
Download Brochure (English)
Download Brochure (Spanish)
Monitoring the Future 2022: Study Shows Shifts in Teen Substance Misuse, Continued
The percentage of teens who misuse over-the-counter (OTC) cough medicine has decreased slightly since last year. See the results of the The National Institute on Drug Abuse – NIDA 2022 Monitoring the Future study.