^^good grief. why all the bickering? who cares?
Has anyone mentioned yet that Trump was quite obviously under the influence of during this announcement?
https://nypost.com/2017/12/07/white-house-downplays-trumps-slurred-speech/
Nothing is as it seems, folks. High strangeness abounds. Stay on your toes.
Stay in your lane, LOL. I did catch the slurred speech but how in the world would you know he was on Scopolamine? The slurred speech was bothersome to me.
See below -
Scopolamine reduces the secretions of certain organs in the body, such as the stomach and intestines. Scopolamine also decreases nerve signals that trigger your stomach to vomit.
Scopolamine is used to prevent nausea and vomiting caused by motion sickness or from anesthesia given during surgery.
Scopolamine is also used to treat certain stomach or intestinal problems, muscle spasms, and Parkinson-like conditions.
Scopolamine side effects
Get emergency medical help if you have signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficult breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.
Call your doctor or tell your caregivers at once if you have:
- little or no urinating;
- fast or pounding heartbeats;
- confusion, paranoia; or
- trouble swallowing.
Common side effects may include:
- dry mouth, increased thirst;
- dry skin;
- constipation;
- painful or difficult urination;
- drowsiness, dizziness;
- feeling restless; or
- blurred vision, dilated pupils, your eyes may be more sensitive to ligh
Devil's Breath: Urban Legend or the World's Most Scary Drug?
Medically reviewed on Sep 7, 2015 by
L. Anderson, PharmD.
Next time someone tries to hand you a business card, should you think twice before grabbing it?
Some would say “yes”. There are stories circulating that a chemical known as “Devil's Breath” is making its way around the world, being blown into faces and soaked into business cards to render unsuspecting tourists incapacitated. The result? A “zombie-like” state that leaves the victim with no ability to control their actions, leaving them at risk of having their bank accounts emptied, homes robbed, organs stolen, or raped by a street criminal. Are these sensationalized stories part of an urban legend or a factual crime scene?
Devil's Breath is derived from the flower of the “borrachero” shrub, common in the South American country of Colombia. The seeds, when powdered and extracted via a chemical process, contain a chemical similar to scopolamine
called “burandanga”. Borrachero has been used for hundreds of years by native South Americans in spiritual rituals. The compound is said to lead to hallucinations, frightening images, and a lack of free will.
Amnesia can occur, leaving the victim powerless to recall events or identify perpetrators. According to a 1995 Wall Street Journal article, about half of all emergency room admissions in Bogota, Colombia were for burundanga poisoning. Scopolamine is also present in Jimson Weed (Datura stramonium), a plant found in most of the continental U.S.
And wouldn't you know it -- this street drug is available in
prescription form, too. If you suffer from seasickness, maybe you've used scopolamine (
Transderm Scop) on your last ocean adventure. The active ingredient is available in a 1 milligram transdermal patch worn behind your ear to help ward off
motion sickness or postoperative nausea and vomiting. The medicine slowly absorbs through the skin from a specialized rate-controlling membrane found in the patch. It's worn for three days before being replaced. The low dose and slow absorption helps to prevent severe side effects in most people. Scopolamine transdermal patch is not classified by the DEA as a controlled substance.
Controlled substance or not, there could be true illegal use of the drug. High doses or spiked drinks could cause issues. The State Department
notes on their website that scopolamine can render a victim unconscious for 24 hours or more. In Colombia, where its use seems to be most widespread, “unofficial estimates” of scopolamine events are at roughly 50,000 per year. In large doses it can cause “respiratory failure and death”. However, these effects are due to oral administration in “liquid or powder form in foods and beverages”, not being blown into one's face or absorbed via a piece of soaked paper. Not surprisingly, the majority of these Colombian incidents have occurred in night clubs and bars, reminiscent of the
date-r*pe drug Rohypnol. However, some events in Colombia reportedly have an interesting twist: wealthy-appearing men are often targeted by young, attractive women; not the other way around.
Pharmacologically,
scopolamine is classified as an
anticholinergic medication and belladonna alkaloid. Side effects like dry mouth, blurred vision, headache, urinary retention, and dizziness can occur even at the low dose used in the transdermal patch.
Overdoses can lead to a dangerous fast heart rate, dilated pupils, toxic psychosis, confusion, vivid hallucinations, seizures or coma, among other events. Use with alcohol is warned against in the
official package labeling. Combining it with alcohol, as in a spiked drink, or with other sedative drugs would certainly hasten central nervous system depression. Confusion, disorientation, excitability, and amnesia could ensue with oral consumption. But immediate “zombie-like” side effects by blowing it into someones face? That seems unlikely, from a pharmacologic standpoint. Others have also
questioned the reports of robberies taking place when the powder is blown into someone's face or
placed on a business card.
Accounts of scopolamine being used worldwide are available. In Paris,
a report from Newsweek Europesurfaced that elderly people were being targeted by a Chinese international network. The U.S. State Department also
warns on its website that travelers to Colombia may be at risk of robbery due to criminals using a variety of drugs, not just scopolamine. Medical case reports
have been published of women from London having prolonged headaches after possible clandestine scopolamine exposure. Reports of illegal use of scopolamine in the U.S.
are available, but unsubstantiated. The reliability of these all of these reports are difficult to confirm.