The patron saint of cough syrup

Inspired by the rock journo-tested usage in a recently discussed Miami Herald thumbsucker, I've found the following law to be in
effect: If you are writing about Lester Bangs, you must
reference cough syrup, Romilar or Romilar-brand
cough syrup. And there is good evidence supporting
Lester Bangs as the patron saint of such medications.

Related: Every article that mentions "Let it Blurt" or "Almost
Famous" must mention cough syrup. Every article on Neal
Pollack, rock critic, also employs usage of "cough syrup."

Searched the web for "Lester Bangs" AND "cough syrup". Results 1 - 10 of about 378. Search took 0.14 seconds

The recent benchmark:

"It's enough to make Lester Bangs, the late, great rock scribe and muse for both 'Pollacks' and 'Almost Famous,' roll over in his cough-syrup-soaked grave." -- Miami Herald

"The discovery of music and Romilar cough syrup was his distinctive prescription..." -- Salon

"...a long-dead cough syrup-swilling, drug- and alcohol-abusing rock critic..." -- The Bloomington Pantagraph

"...abandoned the Witnesses in his teens, started drinking cough syrup to get high, and never looked back..." -- Slate

"...lovingly captures the highs and lows of the charismatic, cough syrup-swilling wordmonger..." -- Austin Statesman

..."by the end I was not convinced that an insatiable appetite for cough syrup and a big record collection add up to a
'lust for life.'" -- Chicago Reader

"...Bangs' desperate love for Romilar cough syrup." -- Denver Post

"Romilar cough syrup being his favorite and a passion he would indeed carry well into his adult life." -- Tucson Weekly

"...millions of cough syrup-soaked words..." -- Fast Forward Weekly

"A heavy cough syrup and speed user..." -- Philly City Paper

"...he teeters among empty cough syrup bottles..." -- City Pages,
on Neal Pollack/Lester Bangs.

"...cough-syrup junky and renowned rock critic Lester Bangs said,
'I don't know which is more pathetic...'" -- Reno News and Review

"...I seldom am tempted to abuse cough syrup." -- Ken Barnes, USA Today, commenting on Bangs to some reader

"...Jehovah’s Witnesses and raised on a teenage diet of jazz records, Jack Kerouac, cheap speed and Romilar cough syrup..." -- LAWeekly

"He’d been drinking cough syrup since he ... " -- The Observer, on Lester Bangs/Neal Pollack

"...Lester Bangs drank Romilar, insulted rock stars, and died."
-- Bergen County Record

"He was partial to Romilar, a cough syrup that was hypnotically hallucinogenic ..." -- more Bergen County Record

"He was a drug-using, Romilar-swilling, Jehovah's Witness-rejecting..." -- CNN

"Lester was content with downing the Romilar..." -- Memphis Commercial Appeal

"...his obsessive guzzling of Romilar cough syrup ..." -- Iron Minds

Indeed, association of brand Romilar with Lester Bangs is so powerful
that medication.com's three most recent examples of "Romilar" in
the news have nothing at all to do with therapeutic use of dextromethorphan.

Medication.com

Romilar
Drug Information - Guaifenesin
Active Ingredient: Guaifenesin
More Information: Buy Romilar here

Recent Romilar News:
...'round the dial Pulse of the Twin Cities, MN - 2003-11-27
... Sex, drugs, rock 'n' roll, Lester Bangs CNN Europe, Europe - 2003-10-22
... Gonzo with the wind The Globe and Mail, Canada - 2003-05-24

-- Medication.com, Romilar news

---

"Lester Bangs later proclaims in a fit of Romilar resentment..."
-- Philly City Pages, again

"Rock 'n' roll coursed through Bangs' veins almost as much as alcohol and Romilar..." -- Independent Weekly

"...he was doin' GALLONS of Romilar then, but he was my friend ..."
-- Chicago Reader

"...he also included accounts of his massive consumption of alcohol, pills and his favorite mind-altering substance, Romilar cough medicine." -- Philly Inquirer

Interesting facts about Romilar (dextromethorphan) cough syrup --
a teenager's or very stupid older man's "high," inextricably linked to Lester Bangs.

1960s - 1970s: Dextromethorphan is available over the counter
sold under the brand name Romilar. Romilar was introduced as a replacement for codeine containing cough remedies in an effort to cut down on abuse.

c. 1973 Romilar in dextromethorphan tablet form removed from the market after an upswing in sales due to recreational use.

c. 1977 Old original Romilar is replaced by dextromethorphan containing cough syrups designed to limit recreational use due to the unpleasantness of consuming large volumes of syrup.

Late 1980s: Recreational dextromethorphan use is prominent among the punk subculture.

1990 - 2003 Recreational Romilar use continues. A number of deaths have been documented due to the recreational use although a majority of these have been the result of products (such as Coricidin Cough and Cold) that combine dextromethorphan with other substances that become dangerous in high doses.

From the American Journal of Emergency Medicine a case
history, not contributed by Lester Bangs, of a young patient
credited with the highest daily dose of "Romilar" in medical
literature.

"A 23-year-old man was transported via ambulance to the hospital after being found in a snowbank ``agitated and hallucinating.'' The patient had been on his way to group therapy, which he attended for an addiction to [Robitussin], when he became exhausted and lay down.

"Before leaving for the meeting he had consumed three 12-ounce bottles of cough syrup (Robitussin DM [AH Robins, Richmond, VA]) (2160 mg or 31 mg/kg) and ``several'' beers..."