Purple Drank. That is the name of the drink that has become fashionable among Spanish teenagers and that is taken in some of the botellones that young people organize in Spanish cities every weekend. It is a syrup with codeine that is mixed with alcohol and soft drinks that acquires a striking violet color and can cause harmful effects on the body of those who consume it.
In order to make visible the danger of ingesting it and its short and long-term effects, the president of the College of Pharmacists of Las Palmas, Loreto Gómez Guedes, wanted to raise awareness among the population through an interview with La Voz.
The search for a moment of relaxation and the experience of a small euphoria is what drives young people to mix this medicine with alcohol. "They take it in quantities that can generate an overdose with a cardiac arrest and end in death," says Gómez.
In addition, its consumption can create addiction and a dependence on codeine. "Here they are directly starting with an overdose because they don't take a spoonful, so they already start with amounts that are an overdose," she says.
Also, this drug can trigger serious health problems. "It can cause circulatory problems, arrhythmias, tachycardia, respiratory depression or circulatory collapse," explains the president.
Social networks, the main channel of dissemination
One of the channels through which this substance has been disseminated is TikTok, where it has gone viral and has encouraged many young people to consume it. "There are rappers and people with influence on social networks who also encourage its use," she declares.
This causes great misinformation to the public that consumes the audiovisual content that these influencers publish on social networks. "From the College of Pharmacists of Las Palmas we are fighting against hoaxes because we cannot remain silent, but I don't know if the action is enough to reach young people because they may pay more attention to what an influencer says than to what we say," she says.
Fake prescriptions in Tenerife
The most difficult thing to get the syrup is to get a medical prescription. The president has highlighted that on August 27 in the province of Tenerife, 14 fake prescriptions for codeine syrup were detected, probably due to the theft of booklets containing private prescriptions on paper. "In the province of Las Palmas we have not yet detected fake medical prescriptions, but the situation is being monitored," she says.
Pharmacies have already begun to take measures to control the non-therapeutic consumption of this syrup. "We have sent a circular to pharmacies so that they are on the lookout," says Gómez.
That is why a strict control of prescriptions is carried out. "It is requested that the excessive sale of cough syrup be controlled and to avoid it being used for a purpose other than to cure coughs," she points out.
Also, from Public Health and from health professionals are raising awareness and giving information about it because the visibility of this drug is important so that society is aware of its existence.
Information and trust, the keys to combat its consumption
Information from an early age is a vital tool to fight against purple drank and any other drug. However, the trust of parents with their children creates a bond that makes it easier for them to start a conversation if they need help or have doubts.
Many times it is better for a child to go to their parents saying: "I have been told that codeine is great, that it has no problems at all", because in this way it can be explained that it is actually a drug and that it is harmful to their health.