Scopolamine hallucination

Therapeutic doses of scopolamine produce CNS depression, characterized by drowsiness, amnesia, and dreamless sleep (Brown and Taylor 1996). It reduces arousal and increases the effort required to awaken (Parrott 1987). Higher therapeutic doses of atropine cause central excitation, characterized by restlessness, irritability, confusion, disorientation, hallucinations, and delirium. Larger doses produce central depression, paralysis, coma, and death by respiratory failure and cardiovascular collapse. 

Scopolamine. Is a central nervous system depressant that can cause excitement, blurred vision, urinary retention, and severe hallucinations. The dose is around to 1 mg and should be used with caution. Scopolamine has been used to treat Parkinson s disease with good success. 

Atropine-like effects - dry mouth, dilated pupils, confusion, hallucinations, memory lose Solanaceae family -jimsonweed, henbane, deadly nightshade (Atropa belladonna), angles trumpet (atropine and scopolamine) Clinical effects of many of the plants recognized since ancient times. Deaths are rare but children vulnerable. Hallucinations from muscarine and psilocybin... 

Although atropine and scopolamine share many properties, an important difference is the easier entry of scopolamine into the CNS. Typical doses of atropine (0.2-2 mg) have minimal central effects, while larger doses can produce a constellation of responses collectively termed the central anticholinergic syndrome. At intermediate doses (2-10 mg), memory and concentration may be impaired, and the patient may be drowsy. If doses of 10 mg or more are used, the patient may exhibit confusion, excitement, hallucinations, ataxia, asyn-ergia, and possibly coma. 

In the doses usually used, atropine has minimal stimulant effects on the CNS, especially the parasympathetic medullary centers, and a slower, longer-lasting sedative effect on the brain. Scopolamine has more marked central effects, producing drowsiness when given in recommended dosages and amnesia in sensitive individuals. In toxic doses, scopolamine, and to a lesser degree atropine, can cause excitement, agitation, hallucinations, and coma. 

Jimson weed contains the naturally occurring compounds atropine and scopolamine, which can interfere with the activity of the nervous system by blocking the action of a key chemical known as acetylcholine. This interference can produce hallucinations. Ingestion of the plant can also cause dilation of the pupils, blurred vision, rapid heart beat, reduction of salivation, as well as sedation and all of these effects are potentially useful in the practice of medicine. Consequently, by the early 1800s people the world over were buying Jimson weed from their local apothecaries. This included the citizens of Mecca. 

The atropine series contains a number of very closely allied alkaloids of which the chief are atropine, hyoscyamine, and hyoscine (also called scopolamine). They are found in the roots and leaves of many plants of the Solanaceae, notably belladonna (Atropa belladonna), henbane (Hyoscyamus niger), the thorn apple or jimson weed (Datura stramonium), and some members of the Duboisia and Scopolia genera. These plants were used during the Middle Ages as sorcerer s drugs and have been smoked, chewed, or imbibed in the form of decoctions by primitive people for the hallucinations and frenzy they produce (Figure 14.1). 

Many different classes of drugs can produce hallucinations when given in toxic doses (e.g. the anticholinergics, such as atropine and scopolamine), but such symptoms are generally associated with confusion and lack of sensory clarity. As such, hallucinations are a component of a toxic psychosis. 

Incidental and accidental intake of atropine and scopolamine, which are the main tropane alkaloids in plants of the solanecae family, may provoke poisoning of man and livestock [11,13-15, 55, 57,119-122] causing agitation, aggression, hallucinations, dry mouth and skin, mydriasis, loss of consciousness followed by coma combined with tachycardia, hypotension, and hyperthermia [57, 121], A detailed statistical analysis of paediatric plant exposures in Germany within the years 1998-2004 has been provided by Pietsch et al. [123], They found that most prevalent victims of accidental plant exposures are children in the age of 1-6 years presumably being misled by the attractive plump berries. 

This group of compounds has both peripheral and central properties. It is known from ancient literature that atropine has psychotomimetic effects (extracts from Atropa belladona were used to induce hallucinations in wizards ). Central effects increase when the compounds are considered in the following rank atropine, scopolamine, benactyzine, Ditrane, and, finally, BZ and other esters of glycolic acid (Albanus, 1970). BZ was originally studied for the therapy of gastrointestinal diseases. But even in small doses it produces side effects, such as confusion and hallucinations. Therefore, BZ was withdrawn from commercial studies and turned over to the US Army as a possible candidate for incapacitating... 

The mental effects are equally dramatic restlessness, disorientation, and other symptoms of delirium, including vivid hallucinations that may seem so real that people lose all contact with ordinary reality. Because scopolamine usually leaves you with some amnesia, it is often hard to remember these hallucinations clearly when the drug wears off. Going into other worlds is tasci-nating, but the worlds datura takes people to can he frightening populated by monsters and devils and filled with violent, frenzied energy. 

Systemic reactions from the topical administration of scopolamine are quite similar to those of atropine. However, CNS toxicity appears to be more common with scopolamine than with atropine. In a series of several hundred patients whose pupils were dilated with 1% scopolamine, seven cases of confiisional psychosis were observed. The reactions included restlessness, confusion, hallucinations, incoherence, violence, amnesia, imcon-sciousness, spastic extremities, vomiting, and urinary incontinence. Others have reported similar acute psychotic reactions in children receiving from 0.6 to 1.8 mg of topically administered scopolamine. However, no deaths have been reported from topical ocular use of scopolamine.Treatment of toxic reactions is the same as that far atropine toxicity. 

Scopolamine in therapeutic doses normally causes drowsiness, euphoria, amnesia, fatigue, and dreamless sleep with a reduction in rapld-eye-movement (REM) sleep. However, the same doses of scopola ne occasionally cause excitement, restlessness, hallucinations, or delirium, especially in the presence of severe pain. 

BZ (7.4 - 14.5 pg/kg) aerosol Inhalation, 2 subjects 3834 (2 0 mg) percutaneous, 1 subject Atropine (125 pg/kg) Intramuscular, 3 subjects Prolixin (15.0 - 23.0 pg/kg) Intramuscular, 6 subjects 302668 (10.0 pg/kg) Intravenous, 1 subject 302196 (75.6 Pg/kg) oral, 1 subject TAB (90 mg total) Intramuscular, 1 subject Pretreatment with methyl scopolamine (1.0 mg) 1 subject Only 2 subjects (AlOJ) and (AlOK) who received doses of BZ and were subsequently treated with physostlgmine, showed any prolonged central effects (hallucinations, disorientation, confusion) lasting 4 to 6 days post >exposure Both subjects were asymptomatic and appeared normal when discharged from test. One subject (AlCM)) was exposed to Prolixin (23.0 pg/kg) and then treated with multiple doses (1.0 mg X 7 doses) over a 2 ay period, intramuscularly At 27 hours post-exposure, the subject complained of blurred vision, and facial expression was mask-llke, tongue "thick" and jaws open. 

Ostfeld and Aruguete (127) performed a similar study In which 54 volunteers were subjected to subcutaneous Injections of 150-800 ug of scopolamine hydrobromide. The lowest dose Induced moderate bradycardia, but decreased salivation. The highest dose completely blocked the secretion of saliva and seemed to induce sleep, hallucination, and mental disorientation more frequently chan the dose of 10 mg of atropine sulfate used by Ostfeld et al. (126). The larger doses were associated with decreased ability to perform casks requiring close accentlon. 

The combination of loss of sleep for one night and scopolamine at 10 Mg/kg had a more than additive effect on performance In the Number Facility Test and considerably more effect on manual dexterity chan the scopolamine alone. The combination also produced hallucinations In about 2.7 times as many subjects as the same dose of scopolamine alone. The results with the lover dose of scopolamine were similar to chose reported above, but less striking. The men deprived of sleep for two nights became so somnolent after the dose of scopolamine chat the tests could not be run. 

Many unsafe herbs are anticholinergic in nature, often due to significant hyoscyamine (and to a lesser extent, scopolamine) content. This includes belladonna, the nightshades, henbane, jimsonweed, and mandrake. These herbs cause a constellation of symptoms often referred to as Hot as a hare, blind as a bat, dry as a bone, red as a beet, mad as a hatter. This includes confusion, hallucinations, agitation, elevated temperature, hypertension, tachycardia, mydriasis, dry mucous membranes, dry/flushed skin, and nausea/vomiting. Ultimately, respiratory arrest, seizures, and life-threatening arrhythmias can occur. ... 

The presence of an epo group seems to increase the mydriatic activity (Table 3.13). However, scopolamine (7), which contains an epoxy group, is a central depressant, as indicated by drowsiness, euphoria, amnesia, and dreamless sleep. Atropine (4), which does not contain an epoxy group, stimulates the medulla and higher cerebral centers. In clinical doses (0.5-1.0 mg), this effect is usually confined to mild vagal excitation. Toxic doses of atropine cause restlessness, disorientation, hallucinations, and delirium. 

Scopolamine is also used as a treatment for motion sickness. In excess, these plants can cause a toxic delirium that may lasts hours to days, marked by amnesia, confusion, dissociation, hallucinations, delusions, euphoria, and sometimes episodes of bizarre self-injury (100). 

Tropane Alkaloids found in plants of the family Solanaceae, especially Datura suaveokns, Brupismansia and Brunsfdsia species. The alkaloid Hyoscine (scopolamine) in high doses can cause hallucinations giving the sensation of flying through the air, hence... 

The most common adverse reactions of scopolamine are dry mouth, drowsiness, transient impairment of accommodation including mydriasis and blurred vision. The infrequent adverse reactions of scopolamine, especially in higher-than-therapeutic doses, include disorientation, memory disturbances, dizziness, restlessness, hallucinations, confusion, difficulty urinating, rashes or erythema, acute narrow-angle glaucoma, and dry, itchy, or red eyes. 

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