What is Lean? Learn the Dangers

Homemade illicit drugs can be just as dangerous as heroin, cocaine or misused prescription medication. Intoxicating concoctions brewed up in home labs usually contain many harmful ingredients that can combine in surprising and hazardous ways, and that is certainly the case with a drug known as lean.

The ‘lean’ moniker refers to the drug’s capacity to make users drowsy and cause loss of balance, forcing them to lean against something to keep from tipping over. Lean goes by a variety of names on the street.

Purple Drank is probably the most well-known alternative label for lean, but other names include sizzurp, purple lean, purple tonic, sip-sip, syrup, drank and Dirty Sprite. But regardless of what users choose to call it, lean remains an addictive substance that can cause death by overdose in some circumstances.

What is Lean and Why is it Popular?

Lean is usually composed of the following three elements that are mixed together and commonly served in Styrofoam cups:

• Prescription cough syrup that includes the drugs codeine and sometimes promethazine as the active ingredients
• Sprite or Mountain Dew
• Hard, fruit-flavored candy (such as Jolly Ranchers)

Despite its potency, these are the only ingredients required to make Purple Drank, which gets its color and name from the purple-tinged cough syrup. Codeine is an opioid drug, in the same class as heroin and highly addictive prescription painkillers like oxycodone (OxyContin), hydrocodone (Vicodin) and fentanyl. Promethazine is an antihistamine and, when taken in larger-than-normal doses, it can act as a central nervous system depressant, just like codeine.

Legal prescription opioids have legitimate medical applications for the relief of acute and chronic pain. However, when consumed in sufficient quantities, opioids cause feelings of euphoria, elation and deep relaxation. Codeine-based cough syrups are meant to be consumed in moderation, but the addition of the soda and candy masks the syrup’s medicine taste and makes the mixture far more palatable.

Sizzurp is not a benign product. Many users gravitate to the drug because they believe it is less harmful than heroin, cocaine or crystal meth, but lean is a powerful substance with serious side effects. It is thought that the typical lean user consumes up to 25 times the recommend prescription dosage of the cough syrup.

The Dangers of Lean

There are three significant risks associated with regular or heavy use of Purple Drank:

1. Intoxication
2. Overdose
3. Addiction

Although lean tastes like a soft drink, it can cause rapid and acute intoxication if consumed in significant amounts. In addition to its euphoric effects, the symptoms of excessive sizzurp consumption include:

• Blurred vision
• Persistent drowsiness
• Impaired motor control
• Nausea
• Blurred vision
• Short-term memory problems
• Mental confusion, disorientation
• Feelings of dissociation (separation from the body)

Lean Overdose

Approximately 64,000 Americans died of drug overdoses in 2016, and opioid drugs were involved in an astounding 50,000 of those fatalities[i]. Whether taken alone or mixed with alcohol or other drugs, opioid medications like codeine can lead to an overdose.

The signs of lean overdose include:

• Severe nausea, vomiting and stomach cramps
• Lethargy to the point of unconsciousness
• Clammy skin, bluish lips and fingernails
• Lack of balance and poor coordination
• Dilated pupils
• Very low heart rate and blood pressure
• Slurred, unintelligible speech
• Respiratory distress
• Seizures

If left untreated a codeine overdose can leave its victims in a coma, and death can occur from either cardiac arrest or respiratory failure. When a lean overdose is suspected, emergency medical assistance should be sought immediately. Paramedics can administer a drug called Naloxone, which can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose and save the person’s life if given in time[ii].

Lean Addiction

Opioids of all types are highly addictive if used in ways that are inconsistent with their intended use. While cough syrups that contain codeine are not normally as potent as opioid painkillers or heroin, they may be just as dangerous when mixed in Purple Drank solutions. Because the taste of the cough syrup is masked by the soda and candy, users may drink too much too fast and never realize how much codeine they are actually consuming.

Reckless consumption of lean can lead to opioid dependency, which is notoriously difficult to overcome because of the powerful withdrawal symptoms it produces. Lean addiction is a serious medical condition, and no one should attempt to stop using the drug suddenly without the assistance of trained medical professionals.

Lean’s Popularity in Hip Hop Culture

Lean has been popularized in the hip hop community where its use can be traced back to the 1990’s, or even earlier, in Houston, Texas. Purple drank is dangerous when consumed in excessive quantities and may have contributed to the deaths of Rappers DJ Screw in 2000, Big Mo and Pimp C in 2007 and Fredo Santana in 2018.

Lil Wayne is also known for his use of lean and has suffered numerous seizures that are thought to be a result of his excessive consumption of the drink. Famous Dex was recently hospitalized after consuming too much lean. An Instagram video Dex made shortly after the incident shows him publicly denouncing lean, “If I’m your role model, then stop… doing the lean.”

Parents should be on the lookout as the drink is starting to show up in middle schools and high schools, where it is sometimes mixed with alcohol. If your son or daughter listens to a lot of rap music, take a moment to find out who their favorite artists are. Children are very impressionable and many rap and hip hop songs reference the ‘purple drink.’

In January 2018 Rapper Mozzy, who collaborated on the Black Panther soundtrack, made a New Year’s resolution to kick his 8-year purple drank habit. He posted a video to social media that shows him dumping out the contents of a bottle of codeine-laced cough syrup as part of his #KickDaCupChallenge.

Treating Purple Drank Addiction

Purple Drank addiction is not as highly publicized as other forms of opioid dependency but it can be every bit as hazardous and difficult to overcome. Someone dependent on lean should seek the help of trained addiction therapists the moment they or their loved ones realize there is a problem with addiction.

Once the side effects of lean dependency are under control, the next step after detox is to transition into addiction treatment. An individualized treatment program will include a combination of personal and group therapy sessions, as well as life skills classes, stress management and opportunities for recreational and social activities.

After completing a partial hospitalization treatment program, it’s recommended to attend group therapy sessions as part of an Intensive Outpatient program. Peer support 12-step groups, like Narcotics Anonymous, are also an invaluable resource for recovering from an opioid use disorder.