The following will only make sense to forum members who know about my use of DM (dextromethorphan) in an attempt at neuroprotection of my remaining mid-brain neurons.

AshleyK and others recognize that this is something I began four or five years ago after learning that a similar drug, naltrexone, appeared to have neuroprotective effects when taken at very low doses.

I was propelled into this experiment after learning about research work done in the laboratories of Dr. J-S. Hong at the NIEH (National Institute of Environmental Health) at Research Triangle, North Carolina. He found that both naltrexone and dextromethorphan, as well as naloxone and the endogenous peptide dynorphin, decreased the inflamatory activation of microglial cells in animal mid-brains at extremely low concentrations. I began taking low doses of DM since it could be obtained in simple cough syrups without a prescription, unlike the other drugs.

Maybe I should use the "paranoid" mood tag like Carolyn, but the sudden recommendations from (?) to remove cough remedies for children from the pharmacy shelves "because they are ineffective, or may be harmful" just happen to be the precise OTC medications I have been using to get my dextromethorphan. I use the pediatric preparations containing the lowest concentration of DM because that makes it is easier to measure the very small 4-6 mg dose I take each night (slightly over 1/2 teaspoon of syrup with 7.5 mg per teaspoon). Curiously, those are also the only DM preparations in which it is the only active ingredient. The closest I have been able to find lately are preparations which also contain an antihistamine and/or a decongestant.

Have the FDA and/or their Big Pharma buddies found out about the potential for neuroprotection by this class of drugs, but they don't want the word to get out so that Drugs Inc. can make "me too" drugs and market them as miracle neuroprotective/anti-inflammatory blockbusters?

I told you I was paranoid!