cough syrup

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Company Recalls Contaminated Cough Syrup

Notice applies to 8 lots of Robitussin Honey

(Newser) - Haleon says it's voluntarily recalling eight lots of its Robitussin Honey cough syrup with expiration dates in 2025 and 2026 because of the risk of microbial contamination. The company says it hasn't received any reports of adverse events, and healthy individuals probably aren't at risk, but the...

Murder Suspect to 911: 'I Think I Killed My...'

He says he woke to find wife dead after taking cough medicine

(Newser) - An aspiring North Carolina pastor has been charged with murder after confessing in disbelief to a 911 dispatcher that he thought he killed his wife in his sleep. According to the News & Observer , Matthew James Phelps says he took a dose—"more than I should have"—of...

'CEO of Purple Drank' Brought Down by Own Instagram Page

Law enforcement officials monitored Harrison Garcia's account

(Newser) - The self-described “CEO of Purple Drank” will be operating out of a new office: federal prison. According to the Washington Post , a judge has sentenced Harrison Garcia, also known as “Cuban Harry” and “Muhammad_a_Lean,” to 30 years after the 27-year-old was found guilty of armed drug...

Doc Who Blamed Cough Syrup Gets 49 Years for Murders

It's the maximum sentence within state guidelines

(Newser) - Dr. Louis Chen, convicted of fatally stabbing his lover 177 times before slashing their toddler son's throat from ear to ear in a gruesome 2011 double homicide he blamed on a buildup of the active ingredient in cough syrup, will spend 49 years in prison for his crime. "...

Doctor May Blame Double Murder on Cough Syrup

Louis Chen accused of stabbing partner, 2-year-old son to death

(Newser) - A doctor accused of murdering his partner and their 2-year-old son in 2011 will go on trial in April next year—and he may blame cough syrup for the grisly killings. Louis Chen's defense team in October filed papers signaling that they will argue that the 43-year-old was suffering...

Cold Meds Land 7,000 Kids a Year in the Hospital

Report tallies ODs, bad reactions

(Newser) - More than 7,000 American children a year end up in emergency rooms after taking over-the-counter cold or cough medicines, the federal Centers for Disease Control reports. Most of the children take overdoses of the drugs on their own, but a quarter have bad reactions to normal doses given by...

Millions Get High on Cold Drugs
Millions Get High on Cold Drugs

Millions Get High on Cold Drugs

12-year-olds abuse over-the-counter medicines

(Newser) - More than 3 million Americans, some as young as 12, have used over-the-counter cough and cold medicines to induce hallucinations, out-of-body experiences and other effects, a US government survey has found. The study uncovered high levels of abuse of 140 drugs containing the cough suppressant DXM, reports MSNBC.

Honey Works on Kids' Coughs
Honey Works on Kids' Coughs

Honey Works on Kids' Coughs

Study says it soothes throat, helps children sleep

(Newser) - Parents looking for an alternative to cold medicines for their young kids might consider a sweet solution—honey. A new study suggests that a commonly available dark variety soothes children's coughs and helps them sleep better, the Houston Chronicle reports.  The study comes in the wake of the FDA's...

Toxic Cough Syrup Causes Deaths in Panama

How a tailor in China passed glycol off as glycerin, and killed hundreds of children

(Newser) - American drugmakers are on the lookout this week for another in the growing list of potentially deadly Chinese exports. This time, it's diethylene glycol, a sweet-but-toxic chemical that masquerades as glycerin in common medications like cough syrup and that has already killed almost 400 people—many of them children—in...

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