Lean, also called purple drank, sizzurp, and syrup, is a drug mix that has become more popular in recent years. It mixes prescription cough syrup with codeine or promethazine, soda (often fruit-flavored soda), and sometimes candy or Jolly Rancher to add flavor. Even though popular culture may make it seem cool, lean abuse can be terrible for your physical and mental health.
Side Effects of Lean
Lean, also called purple drank or sizzurp, can have different side effects depending on the ingredients and the person. Some of the most common side effects are drowsiness, sedation, poor coordination, confusion, dizziness, slow heart rate, difficulty breathing, constipation, nausea, and the possibility of becoming addicted. In some cases, taking a lot of lean or using it for a long time can cause breathing problems, seizures, organ damage, and even death.
- Drowsiness: A feeling of extreme tiredness and difficulty staying awake.
- Sedation: A state of calmness or relaxation, often leading to drowsiness.
- Impaired coordination: Difficulty controlling movements and performing tasks requiring fine motor skills.
- Confusion: Mental disorientation, difficulty thinking clearly, and feeling mentally foggy.
- Dizziness: A sensation of spinning or lightheadedness.
- Slowed heart rate: A decrease in heart rate, leading to a slower pulse.
- Respiratory depression: Shallow or slowed breathing, which can be dangerous.
- Constipation: Difficulty passing stools and infrequent bowel movements.
- Nausea: A feeling of queasiness or the urge to vomit.
- Potential addiction: Lean can be highly addictive, leading to dependence and withdrawal symptoms when use is stopped.
Short Term Effects of Lean
The short-term effects of lean, also known as purple drank or sizzurp, can include:
- Euphoria: A sense of intense happiness and well-being.
- Relaxation: Feelings of calmness and reduced anxiety.
- Sedation: A state of drowsiness and lethargy.
- Slowed reaction time: Impaired coordination and delayed response to stimuli.
- Impaired judgment: Difficulty making sound decisions and assessing risks.
- Blurred vision: Visual disturbances and difficulty focusing.
- Dizziness: Feeling lightheaded or unsteady on one’s feet.
- Nausea and vomiting: Upset stomach and the urge to vomit.
- Constipation: Difficulty passing stools and infrequent bowel movements.
- Respiratory depression: Shallow or slowed breathing, which can be dangerous.

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Long Term Effects of Lean
Lean is a mixture of codeine, promethazine, and soda used as a recreational drug. It can have severe effects on your physical and mental health over time. Some of the long-term effects that could happen are:
- Addiction: Using a drug for a long time can make you physically and mentally dependent on it, which makes it hard to stop.
- Damage to organs: Long-term use of lean can hurt organs like the liver, kidneys, and heart.
- Respiratory problems: Using lean for a long time can cause problems with breathing and make you more likely to get respiratory infections.
- Cognitive impairment: Being too thin can make it hard to think, remember, and use your mind.
- Mood disorders: Long-term use of lean can make mood disorders like depression and anxiety more likely.
- Problems with the stomach and intestines: Using lean can cause digestive problems like constipation, stomach bleeding, and stomach ulcers.
- Hormonal imbalances: The ingredients in lean can throw off the body’s hormone balance, which can cause several health problems.
- Relationship and social problems: Using lean for a long time can strain relationships, hurt performance at work or school, and cut people off from social activities.
- Overdose: Using lean in the wrong way or taking too much of it can lead to a dangerous overdose that can cause breathing problems, coma, or even death.
Lean Factsheet
What Is Lean Drug?
The Lean drug, also known as Purple Drank, is a recreational concoction that combines prescription-strength cough syrup (often containing codeine and promethazine) with soda and sometimes candy for flavor. Lean produces sedative and euphoric effects when consumed due to opioids and other ingredients. However, Lean is considered dangerous due to its potential for addiction, respiratory depression, and other severe health risks.
Lean Purple Drank Effects
- Euphoria and relaxation: Lean can induce intense happiness and a sense of calmness.
- Sedation and drowsiness: Lean has sedative solid properties, leading to excessive sleepiness and lethargy.
- Impaired coordination: Lean can cause numbness, clumsiness, and difficulty with motor skills.
- Respiratory depression: One of the most dangerous effects of Lean is slowed breathing or even respiratory failure.
- Dizziness and lightheadedness: Lean can cause dizziness, lightheadedness, and balance problems.
- Nausea and vomiting: Some users may experience gastrointestinal discomfort and vomiting.
- Constipation: Regular use of Lean can lead to severe constipation.
- Addiction and withdrawal: Lean contains opioids, making it highly addictive and causing withdrawal symptoms when use is stopped.
Lean Cough Syrup Addiction Treatment
- Medical Detoxification: The first step in treating Lean addiction is often a medically supervised detoxification process. This helps manage withdrawal symptoms safely and ensures the individual’s physical stability during withdrawal.
- Behavioral Therapies: Various behavioral therapies, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), motivational interviewing, and contingency management, can effectively address the psychological aspects of addiction. These therapies help individuals understand and modify their thoughts, behaviors, and triggers related to Lean use.
- Support Groups: Participating in support groups like Narcotics Anonymous (NA) or other addiction support groups can provide individuals with a supportive community of people who have experienced similar challenges. These groups offer guidance, encouragement, and accountability during the recovery process.
- Individual Counseling: Individual counseling sessions with addiction counselors or therapists can provide personalized support, address underlying issues contributing to addiction, and develop coping mechanisms for relapse prevention.
- Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT): In some cases, medications such as buprenorphine or naltrexone may be part of a comprehensive treatment plan. These medications can help reduce cravings and manage withdrawal symptoms, supporting long-term recovery.
- Dual Diagnosis Treatment: If there are underlying mental health disorders co-occurring with Lean addiction, a dual diagnosis treatment approach may be necessary. This involves simultaneously addressing substance use disorder and the co-occurring mental health condition.

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Hotline (855) 695-1160Lean Abuse Statistics
To fully comprehend the impact of Purple Drank abuse, it is essential to examine the available statistics that shed light on the prevalence and consequences of this dangerous trend. Purple Drank, also known as Lean, has gained alarming popularity among various demographics, leading to a concerning rise in addiction and associated health risks. In this section, we delve into the available data and statistics surrounding Purple Drank abuse, aiming to provide a comprehensive overview of the extent of the problem. By understanding the statistics, we can better grasp the urgency of addressing Purple Drank abuse and work toward effective prevention and intervention strategies.
3.8%
Approximately 3.8% of adults aged 18 to 25 in the United States reported misusing cough and cold medicines, including Lean or Purple Drank.
Source: NSDUH
2008 to 2011
Between 2008 and 2011, there was a significant increase in emergency department visits related to codeine misuse among young people.
Source: Fortuna et al., Pediatrics, 2016.
Increase In Seizures
The DEA has noted an increase in seizures of cough syrups containing codeine and promethazine, the main components of Lean, in recent years.
Source: DEA
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FREE Addiction Hotline – Call 24/7How Long Do the Effects of Lean Last
Lean is a mixture of codeine, promethazine, and soda used as a recreational drug. The effects of lean can last for different amounts of time depending on the person’s metabolism, dosage, and how often they use it. Most of the time, lean can make you feel better for a few hours.
Most of the time, the first effects happen 30 minutes to an hour after taking it, and the peak effects happen 1 to 2 hours later. People who use it may feel euphoric, calm, sleepy and see things differently. After the peak, the physical and mental effects may go away slowly, but some effects, like drowsiness or poor coordination, can last several hours.
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What are the Effects of Lean? Dangers Of Lean
Lean is a mixture of codeine, promethazine, and soda used as a recreational drug. People who use it face several risks. Some of the significant risks of being lean are:
- Respiratory Depression: The opioid in lean, codeine, can slow or stop your breathing by putting pressure on your respiratory system. This can lead to a lack of oxygen, damage to the brain, a coma, or even death.
- Dependence and addiction: Regular use of lean can lead to physical and mental dependence, making it hard to stop. A person’s health, relationships and overall well-being can suffer significantly if addicted to lean.
- Overdose: Misusing or using too much lean significantly increases the risk of overdose. If you take too much lean, you can stop breathing, have seizures, stop your heart, and have other problems that can kill you.
- Central Nervous System Depression: Because Lean is a sedative, it can make you sleepy, confused, less coordinated, and slow your reactions. These effects can make accidents, injuries, and bad decisions more likely.
- Organ Damage: The combination of codeine and promethazine in lean can hurt the liver, kidneys, and heart, among other organs. Using lean for a long time can hurt your organs and cause other serious health problems.
- Mixing lean with alcohol, benzodiazepines, or other drugs that slow down the central nervous system can strengthen the sedative effects and raise the risk of breathing problems and overdose.
- Legal Consequences: Using lean for fun is against the law in many places, and possessing or selling lean can lead to legal trouble and criminal charges.
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Lean Addiction Treatment
At We Level Up, we help people struggling with lean addiction by providing complete and personalized addiction treatment programs. Our treatment focuses on addiction’s physical, mental, and social aspects to help people get better and stay better.
Some of the ways we treat lean addiction are:
- Medical Detoxification: We offer detoxification under medical supervision to help people safely deal with withdrawal symptoms and get stable in the early stages of recovery.
- Individual therapy: Our experienced therapists work one-on-one with clients to find out what causes lean addiction and help them come up with ways to deal with problems and avoid relapse.
- Group therapy: During group therapy sessions, people can connect with others going through similar problems, share their experiences, and learn from each other.
- Behavioral Therapies: Therapies that have been shown to work, like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Motivational Interviewing (MI), are used to deal with negative thought patterns, help people develop healthier behaviors, and boost their motivation to get better.
- Dual Diagnosis Treatment: If a person has an addiction to lean and a mental health disorder simultaneously, we can treat both conditions.
- Holistic Approaches: We use different holistic therapies, like mindfulness practices, yoga, art therapy, and stress reduction techniques, to improve people’s overall health and help them on their way to recovery.
- Aftercare and Support: Our treatment programs include planning for aftercare to ensure ongoing support and ways to prevent relapse. We might put people in touch with support groups, outpatient programs, or other community resources that can help them stay sober in the long term.
At We Level Up, our addiction specialists, therapists, and medical professionals work hard to give compassionate care and give people the tools they need to beat lean addiction. We believe in getting to the bottom of addiction and giving people the tools they need for long-term recovery and a healthier life.
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Search Drug & Alcohol Rehab / Detox & Mental Health. Effects of Lean? What are the Dangers of Lean? Topics & Resources
Sources
- National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) – Cough and Cold Medicine Abuse: https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/misuse-prescription-drugs/overview Learn More: what are the effects of lean / what are the side effects of lean /side effects of drinking lean
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) – Misuse of Prescription Drugs: https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline Learn More: what are the effects of lean / what are the side effects of lean /side effects of drinking lean
- Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) – Drug Fact Sheets: https://www.dea.gov/drug-facts Learn More: what are the effects of lean / what are the side effects of lean /side effects of drinking lean
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) – Prescription Opioid Overdose Data: https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/data/overdose.html Learn More: what are the effects of lean / what are the side effects of lean /side effects of drinking lean
- Food and Drug Administration (FDA) – Safe Disposal of Medicines: https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/where-and-how-dispose-unused-medicines Learn More: what are the effects of lean / what are the side effects of lean /side effects of drinking lean
- National Institutes of Health (NIH) – Codeine: https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/codeine Learn More: what are the effects of lean / what are the side effects of lean /side effects of drinking lean
- National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) – Prescription Drugs and Cold Medicines: https://www.drugabuse.gov/drug-topics/trends-statistics/infographics/prescription-drugs-cold-medicines Learn More: what are the effects of lean / what are the side effects of lean /side effects of drinking lean
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) – Substance Abuse Treatment Locator: https://findtreatment.samhsa.gov/ Learn More: what are the effects of lean / what are the side effects of lean /side effects of drinking lean
- National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) – Substance Abuse and Mental Health Data: https://www.samhsa.gov/data/report/2019-nsduh-detailed-tables Learn More: what are the effects of lean / what are the side effects of lean /side effects of drinking lean
- National Library of Medicine (NLM) – Purple Drank: https://medlineplus.gov/purpledrank.html Learn More: what are the effects of lean / what are the side effects of lean /side effects of drinking lean