Scopolamine, also known as Devil’s Breath or hyoscine, is a highly toxic drug made from plants in the nightshade family. It is prescribed in small doses to relieve motion sickness, nausea, cramping, and other health problems. Overdose can lead to extreme lethargy, delusions, delirium, paralysis, or death. Scopolamine is now only available by prescription due to its hallucinogenic properties.
Scopolamine is a drug classified as a tropane alkaloid drug. Popularly known as Devils Breath, the drug is created using plants that are part of the nightshade family, such as henbane and cork. Scopolamine is a highly toxic drug and is usually prescribed in very small dosages.
In addition to devil’s breath, scopolamine is also known as hyoscine. This particular identification comes from hycocyamus niger, which is the scientific name for henbane. When administered carefully, scopolamine can provide significant relief from several common health problems.
One of the main uses of scopolamine is for motion sickness. Administered through the use of a transdermal patch, the drug is absorbed through the skin in small amounts throughout the day. The controlled release of scopolamine helps ensure that an overdose does not occur.
Nausea can also be relieved with the use of scopolamine. As with treating motion sickness, a patch may be used that incrementally allows the drug to enter the body through the skin over several hours. The same approach can be employed when dealing with intense cramping in the intestines. Ophthalmologists occasionally use scopolamine to relieve various other health problems.
When administered correctly, scopolamine can provide great relief. However, an overdose of the drug can lead to serious complications. The mental abilities of the individual can be affected to the point that extreme lethargy occurs which is more or less a stupor. Depending on the amount of overdose, it is not uncommon to start experiencing delusions of an extremely distressing nature. The individual may also fall into a state of delirium. In extreme cases, an overdose of scopolamine can lead to paralysis or even death.
There are many other less common uses for scopolamine. The drug works well as a sedative. In some cases, people with Parkinson’s disease can be treated with the use of a small amount of scopolamine. Prescription sleep medications sometimes make use of small amounts of scopolamine to help with insomnia.
While scopolamine was once available in several over-the-counter medications, restrictions on its use have resulted in the drug being available only by prescription. This is true in the United States as well as a number of countries around the world. In the United States, it was possible to purchase non-prescription sleep aids and other simple medications until 1990. Because of scopolamine’s hallucinogenic properties, there was some concern that medications containing the drug could be used for recreation by taking more than the recommended dosage.
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