Nicotine. An alkaloid from Nicotiana tabacum. C10H14N2. Solutions in distilled water or alcohol.
Clinical
Aura of epilepsy. Brain-fag. Collapse. Epilepsy. Seasickness. Spasms. Tetanus. Tobacco, effect of.
Characteristics
*Nicotine. has had a very heroic proving by Flak, Wochenfeld, Wertheim, Schroff, and Reil. Very violent, tonic and clonic spasms were produced, indistinctness of senses, loss of consciousness. *Peculiar symptoms and sensations were: Great sensitiveness of eye to light, along with indistinct vision. Aura in upper jaw. As though a sharp brush had been drawn through esophagus to stomach, Disagreeable sensation extending upwards and downwards from stomach. Emptiness and faintness in stomach. Coldness extends *from tips of fingers and toes over trunk, and warmth streams into them from the stomach. Jerking respiration.
Relations
*Antidotes: See under Tabac. * Compare: Tabac., Digit., Lobel., Oenanth., Absinth.
SYMPTOMS.
Mind
Delirium with frightful vision. Inability to think or fix attention on any subject.
Head
Vertigo and headache. Dullness of head, heaviness, dizziness, stupefaction. Head drawn back with rigidity of muscles of neck and back.
Eyes
Eyelids feel too heavy. Lachrymation. Pupils dilated. Indistinct vision with sensitiveness of eyes to light.
Ears
Indistinct hearing, sensation as if ears filled with cotton.
Nose
Expired air had odour of alcohol (to provers and others).
Face
Face pale, features drawn. Sensation of an aura in upper jaw.
Mouth
Sharp burning sensation in tongue. Increased saliva. Scraping, burning taste, especially low down in throat, causing hiccough and hawking.
Throat
Dryness, and scraping in throat. Sensation as though a sharp brush drawn through oesophagus to stomach. Sensation of dysphagia.
Stomach
Loss of appetite. Great aversion to tobacco and tobacco-smoking (one prover, a smoker was unable to smoke more than a few whiffs, the other, a non-smoker, could not approach, any one who was smoking). Eructation with some vomiting which better. Hiccough. Disagreeable sensation extending from stomach upwards and downwards. Persistent sensation of emptiness and faintness in stomach and intestines.
Abdomen
Abdomen distended. Disagreeable sensation through whole intestinal canal.
Stool & Anus
Excessive desire for stool, better by emission of flatus and urine. Stool retarded.
Urinary Organs
Urgent desire, urine copious, increased.
Respiratory Organs
Respiration very rapid, difficult.
Chest
Oppression: compelling deep breathing: sensation of foreign body behind sternum.
Heart
Pulse increased infrequency in direct proportion to dose. Pulse and respiration very irregular, sometimes becoming very rapid, sometimes sinking. Constant sinking of pulse.
Upper Limbs
Formication, beginning in tips of fingers, extending to wrists and afterwards to elbows.
Lower Limbs
Weakness of lower limbs, esp., going up stairs,.
Generalities
Peculiar clonic spasms that gradually increased for forty minutes, extremities began to tremble, the trembling extended at last over whole body, which became violently shaken, respiratory muscles most affected, breathing difficult and impeded, every respiratory effort consisting of a series of short jerks in quick succession, expiration accomplished in same manner as inspiration. Excitement. Uneasiness. So weak could scarcely hold up head. Paroxysms of faintness beginning with a vanishing of senses and ending with loss of consciousness.
Skin
Skin dry.
Sleep
Sleepy. Restless night, sleepless, hot and excited.
Fever
Extremities icy cold. Coldness beginning in tips of fingers and toes and extending to trunk. Shaking chill. Sensation of warmth commencing in stomach, rapidly extending over chest and to head, and like a streaming into tips of fingers and toes, not followed by sweat. Cold sweat.