BACKGROUND: 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. METHODS: 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. RESULTS: 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. CONCLUSIONS: 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.
BACKGROUND: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. METHODS: 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. RESULTS: 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. CONCLUSIONS: 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.
Authors: Dhwanil A Dalwadi; Seongcheol Kim; Shahnawaz M Amdani; Zhenglan Chen; Ren-Qi Huang; John A Schetz Journal: Pharmacol Res Date: 2016-05-06 Impact factor: 7.658
Authors: Stefania Chiappini; Alessio Mosca; Andrea Miuli; Francesco Maria Semeraro; Gianluca Mancusi; Maria Chiara Santovito; Francesco Di Carlo; Mauro Pettorruso; Amira Guirguis; John Martin Corkery; Giovanni Martinotti; Fabrizio Schifano; Massimo Di Giannantonio Journal: Biomedicines Date: 2022-02-01