Strychnine

Background

Strychnine is a strong poison. Only a small amount is needed to cause serious effects in people. Strychnine poisoning can cause extremely serious negative health effects, including death.

Strychnine is a white, odorless, bitter crystalline powder. It can be taken by mouth, breathed in, or mixed in a solution and given intravenously (injected directly into a vein).

Where it is found

The main natural source of strychnine is the plant Strychnos nux-vomica. This plant is found in southern Asia (India, Sri Lanka, and East Indies) and Australia.

In the past, strychnine was available in a pill form and was used to treat many human illnesses. Today, strychnine is used mainly as a pesticide, particularly to kill rats.

Uncommonly, strychnine is found mixed with "street" drugs such as LSD, heroin, and cocaine.

How it works

Strychnine stops the chemical that controls nerve signals to the muscles from working. The chemical controlling nerve signals works like the body's "off switch" for muscles. When this "off switch" does not work correctly, muscles throughout the body have severe, painful spasms.

The person's consciousness or thinking are not affected at first, except that the person is very excitable and in pain. However, eventually the muscles tire and the person can't breathe.

Signs and symptoms

The level of strychnine poisoning depends on the amount and how someone was exposed. It also depends on the person's health at the time of the exposure.

After swallowing strychnine, symptoms of poisoning usually appear within 15 to 60 minutes.

People exposed to a low or medium amount by any route of exposure will have the following signs or symptoms:

• Agitation
• Apprehension or fear
• Ability to be easily startled
• Restlessness
• Painful muscle spasms possibly leading to fever or kidney and liver injury
• Uncontrollable arching of the neck and back
• Rigid arms and legs
• Jaw tightness
• Muscle pain and soreness
• Difficulty breathing
• Dark urine
• Initial consciousness and awareness of symptoms

People exposed to high amounts may have the following signs and symptoms within the first 15 to 30 minutes of exposure:

• Respiratory failure (trouble breathing), possibly leading to death
• Brain death

Showing these signs and symptoms does not necessarily mean that a person has been exposed to strychnine.

Exposure

Air

It is also possible to absorb strychnine through the nose, eyes, or mouth. For example, a person could be poisoned by breathing in strychnine powder that has been released in the air.

Drug

Strychnine could be smoked or snorted as a part of street drugs. Poisoning has been reported from strychnine given intravenously (in the vein) and through the nose.

Food and water

If strychnine is in water, you could be exposed by drinking the water. If strychnine is in food, you could be exposed by eating the food.

What to do if you are exposed

Recovery from strychnine exposure is possible with early hospital treatment. Therefore, the best thing to do is get medical care as quickly as possible.

Get away

If you think strychnine may have been released into the air, the best thing to do is get away from it.

If the strychnine release was indoors, get out of the building.

If the release was outdoors, move away from the area of the release. Stay upwind if possible and go to higher ground.

Quickly moving to an area with fresh air is a good way to lower the chance of death from strychnine.

Evacuate or "shelter in place"

If you are near a strychnine release, emergency teams may tell you to evacuate the area or "shelter in place" inside.

For more information on evacuation during a chemical emergency, visit "Responding to Evacuation."

For more information on sheltering in place during a chemical emergency, visit "Responding to Sheltering in Place."

Take your clothes off

Remove the clothing as quickly as possible. Cut clothes off instead of pulling it over the head. If you are helping others, avoid touching unsafe areas and take off the clothing quickly.

Wash your body

Wash any strychnine from your skin with a lot of soap and water. Washing with soap and water will protect you from any chemicals on your body.

If your eyes are burning or your vision is blurred, rinse your eyes with plain water for 10 to 15 minutes.

If you wear contacts, remove them and put them with the dirty clothing. Do not put the contacts back in your eyes (even if they are not disposable contacts).

If you wear eyeglasses, wash them with soap and water. You can put your eyeglasses back on after you wash them.

Throw your clothes away

After you have washed yourself, place your clothing inside a plastic bag. Do not touch unsafe areas of the clothing. If you can't avoid touching unsafe areas, or you aren't sure where the unsafe areas are, wear rubber gloves. You can also use tongs, tool handles, sticks, or similar objects to put the clothing in the bag.

Anything that touches the dirty clothing should also be placed in the bag. If you wear contacts, put them in the plastic bag, too.

Seal or tie the bag, and then put that bag inside another plastic bag. Throwing away your clothes this way helps protect you and others from any chemicals that might be on your clothes.

When the local or state health department or emergency team arrive, tell them what you did with your clothes. The health department or emergency team will arrange for further disposal. Do not handle the plastic bags yourself.

For more information about cleaning your body and throwing away your clothes after a chemical exposure, see "About Getting Clean."

Treatment

Treatment involves removing the drug from the body (decontamination) and getting supportive medical care in a hospital setting. Supportive care includes giving:

• Intravenous fluids (fluids injected directly into a vein)
• Medications for convulsions (muscle shaking) and spasms
• Cooling measures for high temperature

Long-term health effects

If the person survives the harmful effects of strychnine poisoning, long-term health effects are unlikely.

Examples of long-term effects include, but are not limited to, brain damage from low oxygen and kidney failure.

People strongly affected by strychnine poisoning are not likely to survive.

More information

You can contact one of the following:

• Regional poison control center: 1-800-222-1222
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Public Response Hotline
  • Phone: 800-CDC-INFO
  • Teletypewriter (TTY): 888-232-6348
  • E-mail inquiries: cdcinfo@cdc.gov

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) protects people's health and safety by preventing and controlling diseases and injuries. The CDC enhances health decisions by providing credible information on critical health issues. The CDC promotes healthy living through strong partnerships with local, national, and international organizations.