Smoking crushed hyoscine/scopolamine tablets as drug abuse.
Farzad Jalali, Reza Afshari, Ali Babaei
Substance Use & Misuse June 2014 DOI: 10.3109/10826084.2014.880178 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Case study Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 36 |
| Population | Male prisoners with at least a 3-month history of hyoscine N-butyl bromide/scopolamine (H/S) abuse |
| Key findings | The authors report that among 36 male prisoners who smoked crushed hyoscine N-butyl bromide/scopolamine (H/S), hallucinations and neurological symptoms were common, with irritability (94%), inability to concentrate (91%), amnesia (88%), palpitation (86%), flushing (86%), and insomnia (83%) most frequent. They characterize H/S as acting similarly to other hallucinogens and suggest concurrent H/S abuse in patients on methadone maintenance therapy could become a future abuse trend. |
Abstract
Hyoscine N-butyl bromide/scopolamine (H/S) is a type of anticholinergic agent that is commonly used as an antispasmodic drug. We have evaluated the effects of crushed H/S smoking in prisoners who illicitly abused this drug. All imprisoned cases with at least a 3-month history of HS were evaluated from April 2012 to September 2012. Demographic information, history, and clinical findings were studied. In total, 36 male cases with a mean (SD, min-max) age of 33.3 (3.6, 27-42) years were included. All subjects were cigarette smokers with a history of substance abuse and were under Methadone Maintenance Therapy (MMT). The majority (75%) of participants smoked H/S tablet with pin, and others used aluminum foil. Hallucinations were the most common neurological features. Amnesia (88%), insomnia (83%), palpitation (86%), flushing (86%), irritability (94%), and inability to concentrate (91%) were the most common findings. Among them, auditory (61%), visual (72%), and tactile (72%) hallucinations were reported. This is the first case study of hyoscine smoking abuse. We found that H/S acts similar to other hallucinogens. Concurrent abuse of H/S in cases under MMT could be a future trend of abuse. Clinicians should be aware of abuse potential of H/S in treatment of some patients for drug overdose.