The DXM would be short term, you simply cannot keep a buzz going for that long, as it would be 1. intermittent at best due to the nausea that all the additives in Robitussin cause (i.e. explosive diarrhea) 2. A “genius” would be using pills that can be synthesized from Robitussin using citric acid, lighter fluid, and ammonia and not Robitussin itself because of 1 and the fact that Robitussin is nauseating. Robitussin doesn’t drop your IQ, it just gives you mild euphoria, a speed buzz, and disassociative effects. They probably picked this for the show because people are ignorant of this oft-used OTC drug.

You couldn’t tell if your friend was on DXM? Are you serious? What didn’t clue you off the bug eyed look, dilated pupils, or the general insanity?

Yeah, I saw that intervention and if that guy is a genius, than I’m a monkey’s uncle. Genius is as genius does.

Hey! Who the hell says 13 is hotter than Cameron? I STRONGLY disagree. Cameron is way prettier, way hotter and frankly a better character overall.
- A good character, played out. As for looks, maybe if she’d eat a sandwich.

Amber! Smoking hot! Anne Dudek by herself is hot, Anne Dudek + CB = way way hotter!)
- Aggressive is fun, but her body is much less attractive than you’d think and her face is so-so.

Another cringe-worthy House. Ever since the 3rd or 4th season.

It’s called NMDA antagonist neurotoxicity, and very few people are susceptible to it. Other than that, the House writing team pretty much has the right of it.

However, DXM is metabolized by CYP2D6. If Dude were on the verge of liver failure, hitting that fourth plateau probably would have killed him outright, so they should have been able to rule that out early.

Not all Robitussin contains guaifenesin. There are multiple formulations, and at least one contains only DXM as an active ingredient. There are others with even more active ingredients than just DXM and guaifenesin — APAP, doloxymine succinate, pseudoephedrine (or whatever the new OTC decongestant is that isn’t used for meth production), etc. Drinking robo with guaifenesin will make you vomit due to increased mucous production, and drinking robo with any combination of other active ingredients could mess you up even further. AFAIK, most of the recipes to pull DXM out of cough syrup is to either remove substances that are dangerous at “recreational” doses, or to make it easier to ingest, since sucking down a bottle of cough syrup is pretty f-in’ gross.

From a personal viewpoint, as someone who is fairly intelligent and a former DXM abuser, I never felt particularly stupid on it. At least not in any empirical sense. I definitely felt altered, and used it because I liked the feeling of disconnection (and the way it made my brain process music), but I would definitely not describe it as something that reduced my intelligence. If I wanted to feel stupid all the time, I’d stick to alcohol or barbiturates. And yeah, it’s possible to go about your day and your boring job while on a low dose without anyone noticing. The really noticeable motor effects don’t kick in until the 2nd or higher plateaus, at least in my experience.

Coincidence? Hmmm. What do you guys think?

As for the discussion about IQ and happiness, I recall from earlier years in uni (neuroscience) that several studies, including longitudinal studies of exceptionally gifted children, actually disproved the myth that intelligence = miserable and that in fact it was quite the opposite. These children grew up to be productive and adjusted adults, even as far as having “happier” marriages (ie more often stayed married). Apparently, the personality characteristic that actually seems to be correlated with unhappiness is the trait neuroticism, whereas the trait extroversion is correlated with happiness. These are not traits that are intelligence dependent.

I digress slightly, but: I’ve administered plenty of intelligence tests (both Raven’s and WAIS), and I’ve often been surprised by how hard it can be to judge a book by its cover. Even knowing this, I still tend to initially rate the introverted geeks as more intelligent than the outgoing, “wholesome” folks. I suppose it’s a good example of the availability heuristic – that intelligent people who conform to the sterotype stand out more and are therefore more accessible to memory.

DrBulgaria: I agree, bring back Mira Sorvino! :)

Sorry for my terrible English and the lack of language practice :)