Scopolamine Facts
Deliriant;
Description
Scopolamine (hyoscine) — Devil's Breath, burundanga — is a naturally-occurring deliriant of the tropane alkaloid class. It blocks acetylcholine signaling throughout the brain and body, causing sedation, memory loss, and at high doses, full delirium.[1]
Subjective effects include dry mouth, sedation, visual acuity suppression, memory loss, disorientation, and at higher doses, vivid realistic hallucinations. The experience is defined by subtraction — attention, memory, and reality-testing erode progressively until invented perceptions are indistinguishable from the real world.
Scopolamine produces little dependence at clinical doses, but the gap between therapeutic and toxic exposure is narrow.[2] The main danger is impaired sweating — heat causes rapid overheating, and combining it with other anticholinergic drugs sharply amplifies delirium risk.[3]
Dose and durationby route · individual sensitivity varies
Starts in 30 – 45 minLasts 4 – 6 hours
Body and dependence
- Acute toxicity
- High
- Chronic toxicity
- Moderate
- Physical dependence
- Low
- Psychological dependence
- Negligible
- Withdrawal
- Moderate
- Compulsive redosing
- Negligible
Tolerance
- Builds
- None
- Fully resets after
- Not recorded
- Carries over to
- atropine;
diphenhydramine; other anticholinergic agents
Effectslikely at a common dose
- Perception
- Visual acuity suppression;
+14 possible, including Spatial disorientation, Vestibular distortion, Visual haze / noise - Body
- Abnormal heartbeat;
Dry mouth; Nausea suppression; Pupil dilation; +13 possible, including Dehydration sensation, Dizziness, Heart rate perception changes - Thinking
- Cognitive impairment;
Confusion; Decision impairment; Focus suppression; Information processing suppression; Memory suppression; +12 possible, including Analysis suppression, Suggestibility enhancement, Thought disorganization - Feeling
- none likely · 6 possible, including Anxiety, Dysphoria, Paranoia
- Self
- none likely · 9 possible, including Communication suppression, Social disconnection, Depersonalization
- Time
- none likely · 2 possible, including Temporal disorientation
- Awareness
- none likely · 1 possible
Who shouldn't take it
Combinations60 recorded
Seek help immediately if
Deliriants are genuinely dangerous — treat any strong reaction as a medical emergency.
- True delirium — confused, disoriented, doesn't know what's real or recognize people/danger
- Vivid, frightening hallucinations; agitation or aggression
- Hot, flushed, dry skin and high body temperature
- Dilated pupils; blurred vision
- Fast heartbeat; inability to urinate
- Seizures; unconsciousness
What to do
- Call emergency services — deliriant poisoning (especially datura / belladonna) can be life-threatening
- Keep them physically safe — they may not know what they're doing and can badly injure themselves; remove hazards and stay with them
- Do not leave them alone; do not try to reason them out of it — they are delirious
- If overheating, cool the body
- Recovery position if drowsy, vomiting, or unconscious; be ready for rescue breaths / CPR
Deliriant effects are long (many hours to more than a day) and the person is not safe or in control throughout. The main dangers are self-injury during delirium, overheating, and — for potent anticholinergics like datura — cardiac and central-nervous-system toxicity. Medical monitoring is often needed.
988 Suicide & Crisis LifelineFireside Project: 62-FIRESIDE
References
- [1]^Renner UD, Oertel R, Kirch W (2005) Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics in clinical use of scopolamine — Therapeutic Drug Monitoring PMID:16175141
- [2]
- [3]^Ziadeh H, Rhodes S, Sheyn D, Hijaz A (2024) Risk of dementia associated with the use of anticholinergic medications: a review of recent literature — Current Opinion in Urology doi:10.1097/mou.0000000000001211