Monday, January 30, 2006

DXM and DEATH letter written by a Grandmother and Mother

Here is a letter I received just recently, I asked the family if it would be O.K to post it for others to see and hopefully learn from. Here is her answer and their tragic expericence with DXM.

Dear Beth,
Of course you may post what I wrote about my Grandson's death! Anything I can do to help get the message out that DXM can & will kill you.

Dear Beth,

I came across your website by accident and I am so happy I did. This is the greatest! There should be more web sites like yours.

I have been looking for websites about DXM & deaths. You see my beautiful 17 year old grandson, the light of my life died Jan. 24 2005 of a DXM overdose. His so called friend was selling these capsules for $5.00. Josh Coyle knew that there was a chance that this kill Glenn or anyone else but he neglected to tell my grandson this. Now, he is gone and Josh Coyle was convicted with involuntary manslaughter and is in the Danville, Va jail awaiting his appeal. Josh Coyle was also charged with 7 other counts.

I want so much to tell these children & adults that one night of their so called fun is not worth death and the pain that their families feel after they are gone. If they think this will not happen to them, it can, why take the chance? It is not worth it.
My grandson Glenn Thomas Jr. died a very violent death, his best friend was with him when he died at my mothers home, Glenn had raised about 10 feet in the air before he landed on the floor of his bedroom when he died.

There isn't a day that goes by that I don't cry for my beautiful grandson. The pain I feel has not yet left my heart nor do I feel it ever will. Glenn made a mistake by taking that pill of pure DXM and he paid for it by death. He left behind a sweet 6 year old brother who misses him so much. And a 5 month old son whom he never got to see.

I would like very much for this to get out about how deadly this DXM is. Please the pain is not worth the death of a loved one for a stupid pill.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this.


Ms. Idar Stout
Glenn Thomas's Jr. Grandmother

Dear Beth,

My daughter wrote this letter and I want to share this with you, you may use this also if you think it will help. I call it a Mothers Letter:

Unless you have lost a child, you will never understand. The pain that I live with is indescribable. Everyday that I wake up and all through the day, I relive the last day of my sons life. I relive walking into the emergency room seeing all the personal crowded around my son, hurriedly trying to pump life back into his heart, seeing the nurse in the corner cry because there was nothing left they could do for my child.

I have an everlasting picture in my mind of my sons bloodshot eyes staring blankly back at me. I screamed his name hoping to wake him up, I laid over his cold body wanting to keep him warm.

I held my child for the last time on that day. I touched his thick hair, I held his strong hand, and I told him I loved him in his ear, for the last time.
Glenn has been gone a year and there is not a day that goes by where we don't feel his absence. His 6 year old brother remembers something Glenn had said or did for him and he cries. He says I wish Glenn could come back here one day.
There is a baby boy left behind who will grow wondering about his daddy, a baby boy who will grow up wondering what his daddy was like.
Glenn had a future; he had talent, his beautiful voice and intelligent mind allowed him to be a poet and a songwriter. Up until the end of his life, he was in the recording studio putting out CDs. He sang about what went on in the world, he sang about the war and the unjust of it. He wanted to be heard, he wanted to be known.

My son wanted to live, he loved life. Glenn did not mean to not wake up the next day, he did not mean to traumatize his very best friend, who was with him and found him, who grieves now everyday and who relives Glenn's last day of life over and over.
Glenn's family has a lifetime of suffering; we will forever have eternal loss.

Glenn's Mother

Beth this letter was written to be heard by the court when Josh Coyle was being sentenced.
All this pain and suffering our family carries with us was caused by DXM. Is it really worth it?

Thank you Beth for allowing us to be Glenn's voice. If there is anything I can do please let me hear from you.

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

People die from overdosing on Tylenol every day. Should we ban acetaminophen too? Then there is water intoxication. Nothing is safe in the hands of the ignorant and reckless.

"One death is a tragedy, one million deaths is a statistic."

Anonymous said...

I am writing in ref. to the sentence i saw "so called friend Josh coyle" I knew glenn and josh and I just want to say Josh was GOOD friends with glenn and it was glenns decision to buy the pill and if he hadnt gotten it frum josh he would have gotten it frum someone else so why blame josh?glenn could have overdosed by buying it himself over the internet.. Glenn was a good friend and i know for a fact if he was in that courtroom that day he prolly would have said "Man,I took it myself" cuz thats how he was...Im relly sorry for your loss i loved glenn 2 and it hurtz and there isnt a day goes by where I dont think about him..he was a good person and now hes in gods hands he is safe and it was his time to go..we all have to die one day and sum of us go younger than others...

Unknown said...

First of all, where did he find pills of DXM so concentrated that he only needed three of them to overdose? Most pills of DXM I have come across lie in the 15 to 30mg range, and for someone of my weight to reach a good 3rd (out of 4) plateau trip, I need to take about 850mg worth. I have reached 4th plateau on over 1000mg before, but I won't go back. If you're going to trip on DXM, you should be smart and get the FDA regulated DXM you can get in the store. Robotussin makes a pill that's pure DXM, but you do have to take a good number of them. I say he died from impurities associated with the street manufacture of drugs, but that's only my theory, and I mean no harm nor to demean his death.
If it's any consolation, I assure you that if he were truly full of so much DXM that he overdosed, he was in no pain nor aware of the oncoming death. He probably died seeing amazing visuals to be surpassed only when death greeted him.

Kevin said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Kevin said...

First of all this site is more of a memorial for these young victims that unfortunalty past away(God rest there soul)from the use of dxm. Its not to say well its there falt for taking it, it was there decision, and especially not saying how many pills u need to take to hit what plateue, and giving the BRAND OF WHAT U NEED TO GET(as jason so freely expresed in the above comment). Every kind of drug has an addiction, it being mentally or physicaly. Dxm is VERY DANGEROUS and addicting both physicaly and/or mentally, I know i was very addicted to dxm. I overdosed and went to the E.R.. I came very close to death, im not going to get in to specifics but I was one of the lucky one's. Now i am clean and sober of everything Praise God. Dxm should be BANNED. It is very dangerous. I read the testimonie of the death of Glenn, and I broke down in tears, I am very sorry for the loss of your son/grandson, and in his memory and all the others that have passed away from dxm, we can let others know the dangers of dxm, and maybe they will take it to heart and learn from other people's mistakes/addictions. Again I am very sorry for your loss. Again (may God rest his soul).

Kevin said...

And also for anybody that is doing/addicted to dxm or any other kind of drug, realy needs to realize that there hurting there bodys and putting there life in danger. You need to get help. Your not going to help your self unless you want to help your self but if you do have a problem I highly recomend you to admit your self into a drug rehab, and you need more than a 28 day program. I was in rehab for 5 months and now that I look back on it them five months is what's going to let me live the rest of my life, my life has changed forever. If it wasnt for rehab and god i would be dead. Your life is prescious dont waste it on a high just to come down and do it again, its not worth it. Be high on life.
Kevin

Unknown said...

I don't understand one part of the comment. It said "Glenn had raised about 10 feet in the air before he landed on the floor of his bedroom when he died.". How did he raise ten feet in the air?

I agree with anyone that said Glenn knew the risk. I am sure his friend was selling pills filled with pure DXM. There used to be a site that sold them, but is no longer in business. They never recommended anyone taking more then 2 at a times.

DXM can be addictive to some people. I should know. I used to go on binges of Coricidin, which is the most dangerous pill to get high with. I took 2-3 (32-48 pills in a few hours) boxes a day for a week. I got to the point I stole boxes. I am lucky I never got caught and don't have a record. I am also lucky to be alive. I know alot of people have died just from taking one box. Many of those people had alcohol in their system at the time. I still sometimes give into the urge. I have been lucky not to gotten back into it. I know I am taking a risk each time though.

I am sorry for your loss, but Dxm isn't to blame. Anyone who takes DXM should know the risks, before they try it. If they ignore or don't check the risks. No one else should be blamed, but that person.

Reason said...

Dont blame the drugs... blame retarded children for take DXM Freebase, which has to be extracted (surprisingly easily) from cough syrup using Ammonia and Naptha (both can be found at ACE hardware), which are both toxic...

Remember, drugs are a science. Do everything right, you will be fine (your IQ won't, but you will). Leave any room for error, and your dead.

Recipe- Equal parts cough syrup and ammonia. Shake. Add 1/10 amoutn Naptha. Shake. Drain and save Naptha, evaporate.

Lilly said...

Hi,
I came by via googling for numbers of deaths caused by dxm.
I'm so sorry to hear about this incedent. I agree with the others that there has to be some kind of poison left in these pills.
I'm doing some myself from time to time, capsules from the pharmacy, well controlled. I've done an allergy test before my first use, started low on the first plateau and raise slow and not above the second level, always doble checking for any possible cross reaction.
Futhermore, all information I read before was in English as there are hardly any sources in my mother tongue German. So there is always a way to get informed, to minimize the risk. And buying pills on a street shpuld obviously be rolled out early...
Nevertheless, I do not blame anyone. I even think it is hard to blame the seller unless he did not produce the free base himself risking a poisoning by the used chemicals.

Unknown said...

for one thing, why did he levitate before he died? dxm can do some trippy things but thats a first.

as far as blaming his friend, its normal to want to find someone or something to blame. blaming the drug and the person who gave him the drug is a common reaction but the only blame that should honestly be placed is on the victim himself for taking something without knowing the risks.

out of curiosity, do you know what the one pill was? i cant imagine one capsule of dxm powder would kill him unless it had something else in it or he was on other drugs that caused a bad reaction.

rubberviking said...

B.C. pharmacies move cough medicine behind counters to curb teen overdoses
By Sandra McCulloch, Victoria Times ColonistMarch 10, 2010Be the first to post a comment
•Story•Photos ( 1 )
A spike in youths overdosing on cough syrup containing DXM has prompted the College of Pharmacists of B.C. to warn a dozen Victoria pharmacies to put these products behind the counter.Photograph by: Adrian Lam, Victoria Times ColonistVICTORIA — Some B.C. pharmacies are moving cough remedies containing Dextromethorphan — known as DM or DXM — behind the counter at the request of the College of Pharmacists of B.C. following a rash of intentional overdoses by teens.


In the last two weeks alone, four teenagers in the Victoria area have landed in treatment after overdosing.


DXM, a cough suppressant and pain reliever, is easily accessible at drugstores. Youth use it to get high by exceeding the recommended dose.


According to the College of Pharmacists, the prime recreational users of DXM are 14 to 15 — although there are reports that children as young as 10 also use the drug.


Signs will be placed on pharmacy shelves where cough remedies are kept directing purchasers to the dispensary for a consultation, college spokesman Marshall Moleschi said Wednesday.


If the spike in DXM use catches on in other areas beyond Victoria, more pharmacies could move to stow such drugs behind the counter.


"We're going to continue to monitor the situation," said Moleschi, adding that the consumers' need must be balanced with protecting youth from harming themselves.


Some youth see cough medicine as a harmless way to get high, said 14-year-old Sarah Hackett, who has started a Facebook page called "DXM is not cool!" that boasts 287 members after two weeks.


"One of my friends went to the hospital because she overdosed on it," said Hackett. "I just really freaked out and didn't know what to do."


Although the friend is now OK after landing in detox, Hackett said many of her peers don't know the dangers of abusing DMX.


"At first they say it's just cough medicine," she said. "I went home and researched it. I found out what it does is (it) messes up your brain and can give you brain damage. Your brain will stop telling your lungs to breathe."


Overdoses can cause breathing difficulties, nausea, dizziness and rapid heartbeat, among other symptoms, as well as the potential for death, said Cheryl Chaytors, manager of Victoria's specialized youth detox.


The four youths who recently survived overdoses were referred to detox by social workers and Victoria hospitals," said Chaytors, adding that the detox process lasts seven to 10 days. "They will have some lasting effects from using the DXM — dizziness . . . no fine motor controls, confusion, memory loss, depression and anxiety.


"The problem is, youth see it as safe because it's something they get from the drugstore."


And, more notably, it's easier to get than alcohol.


"It's easy to go to the drugstore and buy that kind of stuff, or it's quite easy to shoplift," Chaytors said.

© Copyright (c) Canwest News Service

Read more: http://www.calgaryherald.com/health/pharmacies+move+cough+medicine+behind+counters+curb+teen+overdoses/2668250/story.html#ixzz0iM1RRMSX

Unknown said...

Don't blame dxm about that tho. Its his fault for doing too much. Do you blame the mountain when mountian climbers fall to their death? NO. So why blame dxm? If someone shot a person with a gun should the gun be put in jail? Its rediculous. Tell your kids to not do drugs and raise theem right and they won't. Maybe its your fault. Think about all the stress you gave him before you blame inatamate objects=) sorry.=p

Unknown said...

Thanks for great information you write it very clean. I am very lucky to get this tips from you.DXM Abuse.

lichterderdeutschland said...

I agree with this. Honestly I've taken 80x 15mg pills and been fine physically, though mentally I was freaked out. I've heard f people taking upwards of over 8 grams and living. The main worry is higher doses can freak people out (plateau sigma, you start hearing voices) and people can do stupid things. I've hit it twice and once I tried to slit my own throat cuz the voices told me to. But still there is no way he overdosed on that stuff with $5. It was probably laced

Anonymous said...

my brother O.D. of that first he looked pale, his eyes where blood shot and dilated. he then passed out at this meeting we where at then he stoped breathing his skin turned gray he had know pulse i yelled in panic does anyone know cpr while i was high the whole time. then man who was sitting next to him. the man was about six foot african american with short hair wearing jeans and a calored polo shirt began giving him cpr and mouth to mouth to get him breathing and then the paramedics showed up and just before they had gotton there he regained conscience after getting to the hostipal he seems disorented and had a near death expericene and seems like he had braindamage but his eventually his heath went back to normal.

Unknown said...

to those debating doses

these people dying from OTC > its the combination of different chemicals in the meds, or being unable to metabolise the chemical

People extract dextramethorphan, and can also buy it in powder form from research companies. the mentioned capsules in this article were likely measured powder, or even unmeasured powder. which gave to poor kid his lethal dose. or he was unable to metabolize the chemical.

caucasions are the risk group i think for not being able to metab the dextromethorphan


somerandomguy said...

So he died from falling on the ground...? Doesn't sound like drugs even needed to be involved in the discussion. If so, then anything could have made him fall, hell working on a ladder could of killed him. BAN LADDERS!!!!

somerandomguy said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
somerandomguy said...

It is sad that anyone had to die, but to put blame on someone who was in NO WAY responsible for your own son falling is just horrible. Now you guys are trying to ruin someone elses life by putting them in jail for nothing. That is just sick

Anonymous said...

I personally overdosed on dxm, I went on a binge for about six days straight, on the six day I took a 4oz bottle of tussin max strength and 8 ciridin with 30 mg dxm 4mg chlorpheniamine. Note that I rarely have ever combined DXM and chlorpheniramine and this was not a mind blowing dose to me. I have abused the drug for several years For 4 times a week, month after month. This time I felt overly high and eventually passed out stopped breathing and had Cpr on me at an AA meeting. I remember being unconscious in a lower state of consciousness and I wasn't breathing for several minutes. I know that Dxm has neuroprotective effects on cells when subjected to lack of oxygen, which normally causes automatic cell death, maybe it helped from giving me brain damage. If I was by my self I would have died most likely. They situation at the meeting caused anxiety which I feel also lead to this event to happen.

Glenn's mom said...

Thank you 'IH dm' that is exactly what happened. My son Glenn did not know the amount of the pure dxm powder that was put into the capsule that was given to him. My son only knew that a few days before that, one of his friends took a capsule from the same guy that gave my son his and he knew that his friend was okay, nothing bad happened to him, his friend told him it was a chill high, he had only taken 1, maybe low milligrams . My son knew nothing of this drug except that it was new and he wanted to experience what his best friend experienced so he tried it with his friend. For that ultimate risk, he paid with his life. The dealer that GAVE it to my son and his friend GAVE them 4 telling them to let him know what they think the next day. Even though he told the detectives the next day that he knew he gave Glenn and his friend more than enough to get high on, he stated that yes he knew it was a dangerous amount for 2 teenagers to have, he stated the seven stages of the high, the 7th being death, he stated and confessed that he never measures the amount of any of the powder that he pours into each capsule (the medical examiner testified that the amount was so fatal that 2 people could've split what was in my son and both would've died as well), he stated that the powder was bought online from India for research purposes, he claimed to be a friend to my son but never once warned him of the dangers. As I said, my son paid for his mistake with his life by taking it. But you people can honestly believe that this guy was not at fault? Acting as a pharmacist, mixing up his concoction recklessly without measuring, giving it away wanting them to report back to him about his product, not warning of the dangers to the people that he considers friends of his. He told the detectives that he knew his capsules could cause death, if my son knew that he would have been cautious and too scared to mess with it nor would he have let his friend take it. There are some really mean and cruel people out there. I stumbled across this site when looking up my son from missing him to pieces. I did not realize that my mother wrote that letter or shared my letter that was written for the jurors to this site about my son. My mother has a lot of issues and has been estranged from my son and I for a long time, it was a nice write up from her, however, the statement about my son dying a violet death and his body convulsing 10 feet in the air is completely false, it hurts and sickens me to read that from her.I worried and wondered did Glenn have a paralyzing fear as he was slipping away, did he know he was leaving his body but couldn't cry out for help, the medical examiner reassured me that my son did pass peacefully in his sleep, no convulsions or violet reactions. Thank you to the kind and understanding people who commented on this. It amazes me how many people are so ignorant of the subject, knows nothing about the facts but still choose to comment so that their stupidity and meaness is known, are you proud of that?

Glenn's mom said...

Another fact you may not be aware of: There were 2 men in Indiana operating an internet business selling & shipping the pure powder form to anyone who ordered, regardless of their age. The men were ordering this from a company in India for 'research purposes' these 2 men sent a shipment to Maryland, two best friends (13 & 14yrs old) did it together and died together, they sent another shipment to Florida where 2 more friends (ages 15 & 17) did it together and died as well. After the DEA caught onto it they contacted these 2 guys about their business and the affects it was having and caused 4 deaths, they warned them to stop selling & shipping the DXM, the DEA put a warning on the business web site. These 2 men defied the DEA and still shipped one more shipment, that shipment took away one more teenager, my son. All of them knew their product was killing kids, they continued to risk lives. If you have any questions or want real and correct facts before assuming and then being unnecessary mean about my child, feel free to email me at: glennistrue1@yahoo.com
Author of: A Mother's Letter/ Glenn's mom