What Is Lean? 9 Purple Drank FAQs - Healthline

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HealthlineSubscribeLean, Sizzurp, Purple Drank — What’s It All Mean?

Medically reviewed by Alan Carter, Pharm.D. — Written by Adrienne Santos-Longhurst on October 14, 2019

Pop culture
Ingredients
Legal status
Short-term effects
Adding alcohol
Interactions
Long-term effects
Addiction
Fatal effects
Overdose signs
Getting help

Lean, also known as purple drank, sizzurp, barre, and Texas tea, is a mixture of cough syrup, soda, hard candy, and sometimes alcohol. It contains codeine and promethazine, which evoke euphoria.

purple lean in styrofoam cup — Illustration by Brittany England

The term “lean” comes from the position it tends to put you in after drinking it. Originating in Houston, Texas, it’s typically served in a white Styrofoam cup.

Here’s a look at what’s going on behind the Styrofoam.

Healthline does not endorse the use of any illegal substances, and we recognize abstaining from them is always the safest approach. However, we believe in providing accessible and accurate information to reduce the harm that can occur when using.

How did it become so popular?

People have been misusing codeine, a main ingredient in lean, for ages, but lean’s prominence in pop culture has made it more popular than ever.

Rappers (and Justin Bieber) have been singing its praises in songs — and dying or having seizures from it — since the late ’90s (though it seems to have first appeared in the ’70s or ’80s).

Here’s a highlight reel of lean’s more specific claims to fame in pop culture:

Reports suggest it’s a major factor in Lil Wayne’s ongoing hospitalizations for seizures.
Bow Wow recently opened up about almost dying as a result of his addiction to lean.
The late Mac Miller also described dealing with an addiction to lean in 2013.
Rapper 2 Chainz was arrested at an airport for possessing promethazine, a key lean ingredient.

Then there are the high-profile athletes whose lean-related suspensions and hospitalizations continue to make the headlines.

What’s in it, exactly?

The most commonly used ingredients are prescription cough syrup that contains the opioid codeine and the antihistamine promethazine.

The cough syrup is mixed with soda and sometimes alcohol. Some people also add hard candies, especially Jolly Ranchers, to the mix.

Others use over-the-counter (OTC) cough syrup containing dextromethorphan (DXM) instead. Since OTC cough syrups no longer contain alcohol, people usually add their own alcohol to the OTC version of lean.

Other variations of purple drank involve a combination of codeine tablets added to cough syrup and soda.

The amount of each ingredient varies. But to get the desired effects, a lot more than the recommended or safe dose is used.

Is it legal?

Yes and no.

The Drug Enforcement Administration classifies codeine as a Schedule II controlled substance when it’s a single ingredient. It remains a lesser, but still potent, controlled substance when mixed with other ingredients.

All products containing it are only available with a prescription due to the risk of misuse. The distribution or manufacturing of it without a license is illegal.

Cough syrups containing codeine fall into the risk of misuse category since Actavis — considered to be the best of codeine cough syrups by lean users — was taken off the market due to its popularized misuse.

DXM cough syrup is available without a prescription, but some states restrict the sale of it to people over the age of 18.

What does it do?

Lean creates a feeling of euphoria and relaxation that makes you feel dreamy, almost like you’re floating away from your body. It acts on your central nervous system (CNS) and slows your brain activity for a sedating effect.

While some people may enjoy the euphoric effect of lean, it can also produce other less than desirable, and even downright dangerous, effects in high doses, including:

hallucinations
extreme sedation
loss of coordination
high body temperature
nausea and vomiting
itchy skin
severe constipation
changes in heart rhythms
respiratory depression
dizziness
seizures
loss of consciousness

What happens if you add alcohol?

Combining alcohol enhances the effects of the codeine and DXM. While it may seem like a good way to get higher, it’s not a great idea.

Short-term effects of adding alcohol to lean include:

trouble breathing
drowsiness or sleepiness
delayed motor skills or reaction time
poor judgment
brain fog

Plus, your chances of overdosing are a lot higher when you combine alcohol with codeine or DXM.

The most serious potential effect of mixing even a small amount of alcohol with cough syrup is respiratory depression. This reduces the amount of oxygen to your brain. It can lead to organ damage, coma, or death.

What about other interactions?

Lean can also have harmful interactions with other drugs, including some OTC medications.

Lean can intensify and prolong the sedative effects of other CNS depressants, including:

narcotics, such as oxycodone, fentanyl, and morphine
sedatives and hypnotics, such as lorazepam and diazepam
heroin
cannabis
MDMA, aka molly or ecstasy
ketamine, also called special K
sassafras, also called sally or MDA
OTC cold medicine
antihistamines
sleep aids
monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs)
mood stabilizers, like anticonvulsants and antipsychotics

Lean may also interact with herbal remedies and supplements, including natural sleep aids, such as valerian root and melatonin.

Like alcohol, all of these things can intensify the impact of lean on your CNS, resulting in potentially life-threatening side effects.

Does it have any long-term effects?

Quite a few, actually.

Liver damage

Acetaminophen, a common ingredient in cough and cold medications, has been linked to liver damage when you take more than the recommended dose or drink alcohol while taking it.

Remember, lean involves using way more than the recommended dose of cough syrup.

High amounts of acetaminophen and other drugs can prevent your liver from properly metabolizing chemicals, leading to excessive amounts in your liver. According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), prescription and OTC drugs are the leading cause of acute liver failure.

Signs of liver damage include:

yellowing of your skin or the whites of your eyes
right-sided upper abdominal pain
nausea or vomiting
dark urine
dark, tarry stools
fatigue

On their own, codeine and alcohol can also cause liver damage when you ingest more than the recommended dosage.

Withdrawal symptoms

Purple drank contains ingredients that are habit-forming. This means you can quickly develop a tolerance and dependence to it. In a nutshell, you’ll need more of it to get the desired effects and feel lousy when you don’t drink it.

Common withdrawal symptoms include:

irritability
sweating
trouble sleeping
restlessness

Other long-term effects

Lean can also cause a number of other long-term effects, including:

brain lesions that can cause memory loss, behavioral changes, and cognitive impairment
permanent psychosis
epilepsy

Is it addictive?

Very.

Just about every active ingredient used in every variation of lean can increase the amount of dopamine in your brain’s reward system and lead to addiction.

Unlike dependence, which involves your body simply getting used to a substance, addiction results in cravings and a complete loss of control over use.

Signs of a lean addiction include the following:

You need more of it to get high.
You can’t stop drinking it even though it’s negatively affecting your life, like hurting your relationships, schoolwork, job, or finances.
You crave it and think about having it constantly.
You drink it as a way to cope with your feelings or stress.
You have withdrawal symptoms when you don’t drink it.

These withdrawal symptoms include:

nausea and vomiting
insomnia
stomach cramps
diarrhea
loss of appetite
enlarged pupils
shakiness
fever and chills
body pain

Can it kill you?

Absolutely. There are many cases of people who’ve died from lean, either due to overdose or complications caused by long-term use. Some high-profile cases of this include the deaths of rappers DJ Screw, Big Moe, Pimp C, and Fredo Santana.

CNS depression from drinking high amounts of lean can slow or stop your heart and lungs. The risk of a fatal overdose is even higher when you mix it with alcohol.

Warning signs

Unlike some other drugs, there aren’t many ways to make using lean less risky. If you or someone you know are planning on using lean, you need to know what overdose signs and symptoms to watch for.

Overdose signs and symptoms

Call 911 right away if you or someone else experiences:

nausea and vomiting
confusion
blurred vision
hallucinations
blue fingernails and lips
trouble breathing
low blood pressure
weak pulse
seizures
loss of consciousness
coma

You may be scared to call for help if you’ve been taking an illegal substance, but early treatment could prevent permanent damage or even death.

Getting help

Developing an addiction to lean is totally possible. Remember, one of its main ingredients, codeine, is an opioid. This is a type of drug with a high potential for dependence and addiction.

If you’re concerned about your drug use, there’s help available. You can bring it up to your healthcare provider if you feel comfortable. Keep in mind that patient confidentiality laws will prevent them from reporting this information to law enforcement.

You can reach out to one of the following free and confidential resources:

SAMHSA’s National Helpline: 800-662-HELP (4357) or online treatment locator
Support Group Project
Narcotics Anonymous

How we reviewed this article:

SourcesHistoryHealthline has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical journals and associations. We only use quality, credible sources to ensure content accuracy and integrity. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy.

Agnich LE, et al. (2013). Purple drank prevalence and characteristics of misusers of codeine cough syrup mixtures. DOI:http://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2013.03.020
Cold and cough medicine abuse. (2014).https://www.drugabuse.gov/sites/default/files/drugfacts_cough_cold_meds.pdf
Dextromethorphan. (n.d.).https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/dextromethorphan
Hart M, et al. (2014). ‘Me and my drank:’ Exploring the relationship between musical preferences and purple drank experimentation. DOI:http://doi.org/10.1007/s12103-013-9213-7
Martinak B, et al. (2017). Dextromethorphan in cough syrup: The poor man’s psychosis.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5601090/
Over-the-counter medicines. (2017).https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/over-counter-medicines
Promethazine VC with codeine - codeine phosphate, promethazine hydrochloride, and phenylephrine hydrochloride syrup. (2011).https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=5c3c2c1b-ab52-410b-8c94-c125c6adb4d2
Sometimes drugs and the liver don't mix. (2014).https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/sometimes-drugs-and-liver-dont-mix

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Medically reviewed by Alan Carter, Pharm.D. — Written by Adrienne Santos-Longhurst on October 14, 2019

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