PHOTO (on the left): Facebook.com
At first glance, Matthew and Lauren Phelps’s story sounds like a straightforward, tragic homicide. Husband kills his wife, calls the cops, and pretends to be clueless about how the murder took place by finding an excuse. In Matthew’s case, the excuse is – although not completely unknown – not very common. Matthew claimed that he did not know what he was doing because of…a cold medicine.
Matthew woke up one day next to his wife, who was stabbed to death, with a knife and dried blood all over him. According to his 911 call, he had no recollection of killing her. He took too much Coricidin Cough & Cold medicine to allegedly help him with his sleep issues. He had a dream, and when he woke up, he had no idea what happened.
“I had a dream, and then I turn on the lights, and she’s dead on the floor,” he said.
Reading people’s reactions online in the comment sections of numerous media outlets, most find Matthew’s excuse to be complete nonsense. Some, however, who have witnessed or experienced cough medicine addiction, think that – while highly unlikely – a bad reaction to this medicine could have resulted in a violent outburst and is not outside the realm of possibility.
People have reported severe hallucinations and blurred vision, as well as confusion, anger, and nightmares (and a long list of other side effects). Ironically, it also causes people to have trouble sleeping, which is the reason Matthew claimed to have been abusing this medicine to begin with.
The combination of this drug’s side-effects could have had the 28-year-old spiraling out of control. There is a lot we don’t know yet. Did he have an undiagnosed mental illness? Was he taking anything else in combination with Coricidin?
Some commenters have pointed to Matthew’s Instagram as proof for signs of his long-term mental distress. We need to be careful using that as any type evidence because if we judge people by their dark sides, any horror movie fan can seem as a potential murderer. Matthew’s page shows more love for Star Wars with just a few horror movie references, however, a few posts seem worth some attention.
His profile description states “I can’t seem to tell if I am dreaming anymore.”
His very last post is an image of some kind of machine with switches and buttons for “anxiety,” “chaos,” and “violence.”
A post about psychedelia can be traced back to two years ago in a trippy Alice in Wonderland reference. Problems of sleep can also be seen at that time, as well as potential nightmares in a cartoon image about demons surrounding a sleeping person.
Whether this man had undiagnosed mental issues or not, if he took man-made, synthetic, and dangerous pharmaceuticals for at least two years, pharmaceuticals which are often abused in order to achieve a high, have they fueled his psychosis?
There’s more to the story that is going to unfold. Matthew’s next court date was set for September 25th (no new information has come out as of yet in the media).
This story brings awareness to over-the-counter drugs such as Coricidin, and their side effects that are not worth the potential benefits. Considering the abundance of natural alternatives and the sordid history of side effects this class of drug is capable of causing, the question remains: why is this stuff still legal?
Mental health continues to be a huge issue, and the search for the “magic pill” often brings more problems. Learn about the holistic care that can help overcome depression, anxiety, stress, and addiction. The Mental Wellness is playing online Sept. 25 – Oct. 2, 2017. Sign up for FREE now.
Cold Medicine “Coricidin” and Violent Behavior
While Bayer’s official statement is that “there is no evidence to suggest that Coricidin is associated with violent behavior,” that is not fully true.
Coricidin Cough & Cold, often called “Triple C’s,” is a popular over-the-counter substance that many abuse to achieve a chemically-fueled high.
This drug produces hallucination and dissociation from reality.
Other side effects, according to a teen rehab facility Inspirations for Youth and Families are:
-Nausea
-Abdominal pain
-Vomiting
-Irregular heartbeat
-High blood pressure
-Headache
-Numbness of fingers and toes
-Loss of consciousness
-Seizure
-Brain damage
-Possibly death
WebMD also adds the following:
-Drowsiness
-Blood Disorder
-Hallucination
-Blurred Vision
-Cannot Empty Bladder
-Chronic Trouble Sleeping
-Confused
-Anger
-Excessive Sweating
-Head Pain
-Involuntary Quivering
-Nervousness
-Nightmares
-Over Excitement
-Problems With Eyesight
-Ringing In The Ears
-Sensation Of Spinning Or Whirling
From the side effects, it’s obvious that Coricidin negatively impacts the whole body. But there is one specific active ingredient in it that is responsible for mental issues – Dextromethorphan Hydrobromide (DXM), a cough suppressant.
DXM is a commonly-abused substance. High doses of it leads to impaired cognitive function and memory. The most dangerous stage of DXM intoxication causes the person to lose control of their body.
Some doctors believe that it can cause a person to fully lose themselves.
Dr. Roshini Raj told Inside Edition that “this medicine does contain ingredients that could potentially cause delusions, hallucinations, agitations, euphoria, or even psychosis.”
Psychosis is a dangerous mental state in which a person’s thoughts and emotions dissociate with reality. Violence and psychosis often go hand in hand.
One study on psychosis found that when anger was combined with hallucinations or delusions, it drove about 12% of people to commit violent acts. This violence was because of the delusions. However, people who were delusional but not angry did not become violent.
Coricidin on rare occasion can cause both: delusions and anger. Can it then lead to violence?
Long-term Coricidin addiction has been linked to episodes of acute psychotic behavior with mania and paranoia.
A 2012 study called “Dextromethorphan abuse leading to assault, suicide, or homicide” concluded that high doses of DXM can result in mania and hallucinations leading to “violent and self-destructive acts.”
Matthew’s story is not the first in the list of killings that may have been triggered by a drug-induced psychosis.
A 2012 study cites at least five cases of assault, suicide, and homicide due to DXM abuse.
- A 31-year-old man cut his arms and chest, then stabbed himself and his girlfriend in the chest while both were high on DXM.
- An 18-year-old college student was accidentally killed by his friend by sitting on his chest. Both were high.
- A 15-year-old boy hung himself after taking 22 Coricidin pills.
- A 13-year-old boy committed suicide by taking 164 pills.
- A 29-year-old man became physically aggressive with his family and was taken to a hospital.
Associated Press also reported a story of Dr. Louis Chen, who was convicted for murdering his partner and his son last year. Louis stabbed his partner over 177 times, and slashed the 2-year-old’s throat. He, too, claimed that his actions were due to a cough-syrup induced psychosis.
The Los Angeles Times newspaper reported that a 14-year-old boy killed his brother by hitting his head with a claw hammer after eating Coricidin pills all day.
The trend of taking DXM recreationally is increasing every year. Today, there are over 140 over-the-counter products, and Coridicin is considered the most dangerous.
Every drugs has benefits and risks. But what’s most upsetting is when the drug’s risks highly outweigh its potential benefits. Coricidin is not a drug that deals with a life-threatening or serious illness. For a drug that treats cough and congestion, its list of side-effects is outrageous.
Coricidin’s pain relieving and fever reducing Acetaminophen, an antihistamine, and DXM can successfully be substituted with natural alternatives like Umcka ColdCare (active ingredient is plant-based Pelargonium Sidoides), or Genexa Multi-Symptom Cold Relief with many organic ingredients, or other herbal formulas and lifestyle or diet changes.
While violence is not a common side-effect of pharmaceutical cold medicines, it is hard to determine what the gradual effects of chemical cold medicine can do to a human mental state. In a pharmaceutical-filled society, who is to say which drug in the drug cocktail can bring the person’s altered mind over the edge?
Mental health continues to be a huge issue, and the search for the “magic pill” often brings more problems. Learn about the holistic care that can help overcome depression, anxiety, stress, and addiction. The Mental Wellness is playing online Sept. 25 – Oct. 2, 2017. Sign up for FREE now.
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