Three High School Students Pass Out After Taking Pills

Three Los Alamitos High School students were hospitalized after they collapsed in late-morning classes Wednesday after ingesting an unknown number of “small white pills,” authorities reported.

One of the students, a 17-year-old boy, suffered severe reactions to the drug and was unconscious when paramedics arrived, fire officials said. The others were also treated by paramedics and taken to a local hospital, though they suffered milder reactions, authorities said.

By late afternoon, two of the students had been released from La Palma Intercommunity Hospital, while the third remained in stable condition at Los Alamitos Medical Center, said Los Alamitos Police Capt. Todd Mattern.

Police did not identify the drug but said they are trying to determine who brought the pills onto campus. Students said they were told it was the painkiller Vicodin that the students had swallowed.

“Information that we have leads us to suspect that it’s some type of prescription medication,” said Mattern.

The high school is observing Red Ribbon Week, which is marked by anti-drug rallies and speeches. Generally, students tie red ribbons around trees and light poles as symbols of drug awareness.

Paramedics were called to the Cerritos Avenue campus at 11:31 a.m. after a teacher noticed that a student in his class had slumped over, unconscious, said Capt. Paul Hunter, spokesman for the Orange County Fire Authority.

The initial report was of an “overdose,” with additional information that the unconscious student may have taken as many as five of the white pills, Hunter said. As paramedics attended to the 17-year-old victim, they received word that students in two other fourth-period classes had also passed out.

Los Alamitos Police Sgt. Jeff Travis said officers were told that the three boys had taken the pills before the class bell rang. Authorities said they are trying to determine whether other students suffered similar reactions.