This post was updated slightly in August of 2022.

If you’re a Dallas Cowboy fan, there’s no way you missed the Rolando McClain controversy in 2016. But for all the non-football fans out there, we’ll catch you up: McClain, a linebacker for the Cowboys, faced a ten-game suspension for failing his latest drug test and testing positive for “purple drank.”

“Purple drank,” is a slang term for a mixture of prescription-strength cough medicine, soda (typically Sprite or Mountain Dew), ice, and occasionally a Jolly Rancher for added sweetness. The base for this dangerous mixture is cough syrup and, more specifically, the active ingredient codeine. When abused, “purple drank” can cause nausea, sedation, stomach bleeding, kidney and liver damage, depression, hallucinations, convulsions, tremors and even seizures. Also known as “sizzurp” and “lean,” “purple drank” is highly addictive and can be deadly when mixed with alcohol.

However, it’s important to keep in mind that medicines with codeine aren’t the only type of cough medicines that are abused. Cough medicines with the active ingredient dextromethorphan (DXM) can be abused in a similar way to “purple drank.” In fact, teenagers may confuse cough medicine that contains codeine with cough medicine that contains DXM as the slang terms for both are sometimes interchangeable. “Orange crush” for example, is another slang term that can refer to cough medicines with DXM or codeine. With this in mind, it’s important for parents to be fully aware of the distinction between the two substances.

Parents should also be aware that cough medicines that contain DXM are available over-the-counter (OTC). As a result, these medicines might be easier for teenagers to obtain. Teens may also mistakenly believe that because medicines containing DXM are more easily accessible, these medicines must be a harmless and easy way to get high.

Ultimately, regardless of the substance, parental awareness is the first step to stopping medicine misuse and abuse. In fact, teens who learn about the dangers of substance abuse from their parents are up to 50 percent less likely to abuse drugs. So after doing your research, make sure to have an honest and informed conversation with your teen about substance use in order to keep them safe and healthy.

We’ve thrown around a lot of slang terms in this article. It can be hard to keep up, especially when teens can occasionally use these terms interchangeably and not necessarily to refer to what the slang term was originated to describe. These terms have evolved, and they will continue to evolve so long as teens talk about them in school and share them on social media. If you’re confused, worried, or just want more information on how to protect your teen, you can learn more here.