Coricidin Explained

Coricidin, Coricidin 'D' (decongestant), or Coricidin HBP (for high blood pressure), is the name of an over-the-counter cough and cold combination drug containing dextromethorphan (a cough suppressant) and chlorpheniramine maleate (a first-generation antihistamine).^[1] Introduced by Schering-Plough in 1949 as one of the first antihistamines, it is now owned by Bayer.^{[2] [3]} Varieties of Coricidin may also contain acetaminophen (an analgesic/antipyretic) and guaifenesin (an expectorant).

Medicinal use

Coricidin is used to alleviate common cold symptoms such as coughs and congestion. Other versions of Coricidin are used to reduce fever or as an expectorant, while Coricidin HBP includes chlorpheniramine for people with high blood pressure. Side effects can include diarrhea and hallucination.^[4]

Recreational use

See also: Recreational use of dextromethorphan. Coricidin, in its cough & cold formulation, is sometimes used in high doses as a recreational drug because it contains the dissociative dextromethorphan. In this context, Coricidin is referred to as Cs, Red Devils (Red Ds), Triple Cs, Skittles, trips, or china red.^[5]

In popular culture

An empty glass Coricidin bottle was adopted as a guitar slide by blues-rock guitarist Duane Allman while teaching himself slide guitar in the late 1960s.^[6] Allman found it to be just the right size and shape for the purpose after receiving two birthday gifts from his brother, Gregg: a copy of Taj Mahal's debut album, with its version of "Statesboro Blues", and a bottle of Coricidin for a cold he had gotten.^{[7] [8]} Other prominent slide guitarists, such as Derek Trucks (a later member of the Allman Brothers Band), Ray Wylie Hubbard, Rory Gallagher, J. D. Simo, and Gary Rossington also adopted the Coricidin bottle as a slide.^[9]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Label: Coricidin HBP Cold and Flu . . December 30, 2021.
2. Web site: Coricidin Meaning . . March 12, 2018.
3. Web site: Schering-Plough profile . adbrands.net . June 24, 2016.
4. http://www.webmd.com/drugs/2/drug-2247/coricidin-hbp-cough-and-cold-oral/details/list-sideeffects "Coricidin HBP Cough and Cold"
5. Silva AR, Dinis-Oliveira RJ . Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of dextromethorphan: clinical and forensic aspects . Drug Metabolism Reviews . 52 . 2 . 258–282 . May 2020 . 32393072 . 10.1080/03602532.2020.1758712 .
6. Web site: Duane Allman's Coricidin Bottle Slide Returns Back to Allman Family After 40 Years . . May 22, 2013.
7. Web site: Furlong P . Gregg and Duane Were Brothers . kuvo.org . . February 17, 2014. It was his birthday (and he had a cold), so I went and bought him a bottle of Coricidin. . . Then I went by the record store and got that first Taj Mahal record, with all the butterflies on the cover and him sitting on a rocking chair. We’d played with Taj before, borrowed an amplifier from him. So I got Duane that record and the pills.” Gregg took the gifts over to Duane’s and left them on his front porch. Twenty-four hours later, Duane called, “Get over here quick, babybrah (for baby brother). Quick, man!” Duane had taken the pills out of the bottle and removed the label. “He put on that Taj Mahal record, with Jesse Ed Davis playing slide on ‘Statesboro Blues,’ and started playing along with it. When I left those pills by his door, he hadn’t known how to play slide. From the moment that Duane put that Coricidin bottle on his ring finger, he was a natural..
8. Web site: The Allman Brothers Band . Guitar Techniques . August 7, 2015. PressReader.
9. • Derek Trucks—Guitar Player Staff . Derek Trucks: Slide Sans Frontiers . Guitar Player . March 14, 2006.
   • Ray Wylie Hubbard—Web site: Dansby A . Q&A: Ray Wylie Hubbard . Lone Star Music Magazine . March 1, 2012.
   • Rory Gallagher—Book: Connaughton M . Rory Gallagher: His Life and Times . 2012 . The Collins Press . 9781848899803 . en.
   • J.D. Simo—Ross M . J.D. Simo Brings the Blues Back Home on on(sic)'Let Love Show the Way' . Guitar Player . February 17, 2016.
   • Gary Rossington—Scoppa B . The Allman Brothers: "We were stretching the limits of what had been done in rock'n'roll" . Uncut . November 20, 2015.