What is Lean?

[n2sooners]

I posted this in another thread about what Trayvon Martin might have been doing with the Skittles and Arizona watermelon drink. I had never heard of this before, and I think this is information that parents with teens (I have two) should know.

WHAT IS “LEAN” ?

According to Urban Dictionary, “Lean” is described as follows:

“… 6. Lean is a mixed drink originating in the Southern Rap culture. It is a mixture of Promethazine and Codeine cough syrup and a soft drink such as Sprite (usually). While other soft drinks may be used, Sprite was the original.

[And now also Arizona Watermelon for Watermelon Drank/Lean]

There are some variations of Lean. For example, Promethazine and Codeine syrup is usually Purple in color. But there are other colors of syrup that work the same way. There is a golden-colored syrup (hydrocodone based) and other colors as well.

Lean slows you down. It makes you feel good. It’s meant to be sipped on, and it taste damn good. One of the best feelings you will ever experience. Euphoria with a hint of sedation. …”

Lean is also the drug mixture that killed Pimp C. nigga pimp c died on an overdose of lean (urban dictionary descriptive)​

OK, so now we know Trayvon is seeking a source for a powerful cough syrup, commonly used in the ”drug culture or circle” to make an intoxicating drink called “Lean” – also known as the infamous “purple drank/Purple Lean/Lean/Sizzurp.”

Purple Lean, or Lean, is an intoxicating beverage also known by the names lean, sizzurp, and liquid codeine. It is commonly abused by southern rappers and wannabe suburban teenagers. It is a mixture of Promethazine/Codeine cough syrup and sprite, or other beverage [such as Arizona Watermelon] with a few jolly ranchers and/or skittles thrown in.​

So, what then exactly is “DXM“?

“DXM” is an abbreviation for the cough suppressant Dextromethorphan Hydrobromide — which is the active ingredient in the cough-syrup brand Robitussin.

According to numerous websites found with a search, DXM is increasingly being abused as a recreational drug. One of the more scholarly and scientific sites found with in-depth analysis of DXM and its various uses is “Erowid.org“. According to its “FAQ”, Erowid is:

“…a small non-commercial organization that operates in the controversial and politically challenging niche of trying to provide accurate, specific, and responsible information about how psychoactives are used in the United States and around the world. We are committed to protecting the privacy of contributors and reporting on the topic non-judgmentally. Although our primary focus is on the Erowid.org web site, we also provide research and data for other harm reduction, health, and educational organizations.”​

In short, it’s a site filled with information on various forms of drug abuse, mostly to enable the abusers to do so with as little risk as possible. It is not within the scope of this discussion to make any value judgements about this fact so we’ll continue our discussion – considering Erowid a valuable resource for our research and typical of the sort of information someone can easily locate on today’s Internet.

According to Erowid’s ”DXM Home Page“:

DXM is a widely available over-the-counter cough suppressant. When taken far above its standard medical dosage, it is a strong dissociative used primarily by teens.​

Their “DXM Basics” page further makes clear that it is:

“…a semisynthetic opiate derivative which is legally available over-the-counter in the United States. It is most commonly found in cough suppressants, especially those with “DM” or “Tuss” in their names. It is almost always used orally, although pure DXM powder is occasionally snorted…“​

At this point you’re probably thinking – as I did at first – “how bad can this stuff be if it’s available over the counter!” However, as we’ll see, it’s actually startlingly dangerous stuff!

Erowid begins to hint at DXM’s seriousness in their “DXM Basics” discussion:

“…High doses … are sometimes compared to the effects of other dissociatives such as PCP or ketamine…”​

This stuff is compared to PCP ? This is no exaggeration! DXM in higher doses is actually a very volatile and dangerous drug, and they are quite right when they compare DXM to PCP and Ketamine!

In fact, the drug has come to be known in some circles as “Poor-Man’s PCP!”

Perhaps more importantly, unlike marijuana and many other drugs of abuse, DXM does not cause sedation, and in fact can produce profound agitation hence the comparison to PCP. In the “DXM Basics – Problems” section, Erowid notes:

“…DXM causes physical and psychological effects that may be frightening or unpleasant… Psychological effects can include profound disorientation, depression, a feeling of personal disintegration, or a feeling of “unreality” and disconnection that may persist for days. Chronic use may cause depression, psychological dependency, and possibly brain damage. Large doses may be associated with psychotic breaks…”​

It was at this point that I first noted the feeling of the hair standing up on the back of my neck – but this sensation would become much more common and pronounced as I continued reading and gaining understanding.

One of the best sources I’ve found for DXM info is Erowid.org’s “DXM Vault.” One article in particular was especially helpful – “The DXM FAQ by William E. White – Version 4“, published at the previously linked site Erowid.org.

This document is, to be blunt, written for “recreational users” of DXM – those who will use it “to get high.” I will refer to “recreational use” by its proper term: Abuse.

In the document’s “Introduction”, the author notes that as the number of people abusing DXM has grown since he published the first version of his FAQ, so to the number of adverse effects and problems has also grown:

“… A few people, on the other hand, seem to be greatly susceptible to DXM addiction and some of these have suffered long-term health consequences. A very few may have suffered permanent brain damage from extremely heavy use of DXM (e.g., an 8oz bottle of Maximum Strength syrup every day). On the other hand, some people consume the same amount for years seemingly without consequence. And while some people can consume DXM regularly without psychological consequences, others suffer from severe depression and psychotic breaks, even leading to a few cases of suicide attempts…”​

He goes on to note the growing indications that there is a possibility of a phenomenon called “NMDA Antagonist Neurotoxicity (NAN)” – microscopic holes in the brain called “Olney’s Lesions.”

The source has lots of links in the story. The entire story is a part two on Trayvon Martin's drug use, but I just mainly wanted to get the information about this drug out there for parents.

 

[aeropb]

lean is another name for a street drug.

 

[dennishoddy]

Whats wrong with that? We should legalize it!

We should legalize all drugs. Its a free society ya know......

Who's it gonna hurt?

 

[n2sooners]

Whats wrong with that? We should legalize it!

We should legalize all drugs. Its a free society ya know......

Who's it gonna hurt?

I don't know if this stuff is legal or not. All the ingredients are legal. I just put this out there because candy flavored PCP that kids can make from stuff you can get at Wal-Mart might be something parents would want to know about. There are probably parents out there who have all the ingredients in their house right now.

 

[Coded-Dude]

sizzurp - The original formula:

Promethazine w/Codeine syrup
Any fruit flavored soda
A jolly rancher

This is nothing new, its actually quite old....I actually think Pimp C(one of the rappers in the video below) died from this stuff.

 

[348]

Two white cups and I got that drink. Might be purple, might be pink.

 

[okietool]

Jeez why can't we just go back to Orange Sunshine and Acapulco Gold?

 

[Glock]

Speculation and sensationalism at its finest... Lets continue to villianize the departed to make the ********* winner seem more like the hero he should never be.

 

[dennishoddy]

I don't know if this stuff is legal or not. All the ingredients are legal. I just put this out there because candy flavored PCP that kids can make from stuff you can get at Wal-Mart might be something parents would want to know about. There are probably parents out there who have all the ingredients in their house right now.

I put my post up as a jest. Seriously, kids in my day in the late 60's drank caugh medicine with caffine like water.

Took LSD and committed suicide, and so on.

All of the pups on here think drug abuse started in their generation. I could go on, but won't now.

 

[dennishoddy]

Speculation and sensationalism at its finest... Lets continue to villianize the departed to make the ********* winner seem more like the hero he should never be.

Who is the Hero?