Four students, 10th-graders at Council Rock High School North in Newton, Pennsylvania, sickened after taking a herbal supplement that causes mood-altering effects similar to Ecstasy, authorities said.

According to school administrators, after the intake of some pills called Snurf, four boys vomited and went to the nurse’s office. The officials confiscated a package of the small, pink pills, which were allegedly bought online.

An ambulance arrived at the high school and immediately took the boys to St. Mary's Hospital. One of them was still in possession of the pills. By Tuesday, all of them had been released.

Newtown police are currently analyzing the substances to find whether they contain illicit ingredients or not. The effects reported by people who tried the pink pills call attention to dextromethorphan, an antitussive drug which has hallucinogenic, euphoric and dissociative effects at higher doses than those recommended by doctors.

In line with Deborah Levine, attending physician at New York's Bellevue Hospital Center, the cough suppressant is a synthetic morphine analog which doesn’t have the effects opium induces, WebMd reported.

"It's the ninth- and 10th-graders who are doing the dex [dextromethorphan]. One in 10 kids in grades seven to 12 has used it. In California, they have seen a 15-fold increase in kids age 9-17," Levine said. She is the author of a recent study on “pharming,” the abuse of prescription, as well as nonprescription drugs by youngsters.

Based on the data on the pills’ packaging, officials at Council Rock High School North said “we understand that SNURF is an herbal supplement with mood altering properties. We strongly recommend that anyone in possession of these pills dispose of them immediately."