Strychninum stry.

Alkaloid of Nux Vomica (STRYCHNINUM)

Its primary function is to stimulate the motor centers and the reflex action of the spinal cord. Homeopathic to spasms of muscles, cramps from an undue reflex excitability of the cord, spasms of the bladder, etc. Strychnin stimulates the central nervous system, mental activities, special senses rendered more acute. Respiration increased. All reflexes are made more active. Stiffness in muscles and face and neck. Opisthotonos. Tetanic convulsions with opisthotonos. The muscles relax between paroxysms; worse slightest touch, sound, odor. Influences more directly the spinal cord and is less appropriate in visceral derangements than Nux. Tetanus. Explosive nervousness. The pains and sensations come suddenly and return at intervals.

Restless. Over-irritability. Full and bursting headache, with heat in eyes. Vertigo, with roaring in ears. Jerking of head forwards. Scalp sore. Itching of scalp and nape.

Hot, painful, protruding, staring. Pupils dilated. Sparks before eyes. Spasmodic contraction of ocular muscles; twitching and trembling of lids.

Hearing very acute; burning, itching, and roaring in ears.

Pale, anxious, livid. Jaws stiffened; lower jaw spasmodically closed.

Dry, contracted; feeling of a lump. Deglutition impossible. Burning along and spasms of œsophagus. Violent itching in roof of mouth.

Constant retching. Violent vomiting. Nausea of pregnancy.

Sharp pain in abdominal muscles, griping pain in bowels.

Feces discharged involuntarily during spasms. Very obstinate constipation.

Desire for coitus (Canth; Camph; Fl ac; Lach; Phos; Plat). Any touch on body excites a voluptuous sensation.

Spasm of muscles about larynx. Excessive dyspnœa. Sharp, contractive pains in muscles of chest. Persistent cough, recurring after influenza.

Rigitidy of cervical muscles. Sharp pain in nape and down spine. Back stiff; violent jerks in spinal column. Icy sensation down spine.

Limbs stiff. Rheumatism with stiff joints. Violent jerking, twitching, and trembling. Tetanic convulsions and opisthotonos; spasms provoked by slightest touch and attempt to move. Shocks in the muscles. Cramp-like pains.

Cold chills down spine. Perspiration in a stream down head and chest. Lower extremities cold.

Itching of whole body, especially nose. Icy sensation down the spine.

Worse, morning; touch; noise; motion; after meals. Better, lying on back.

Compare: Eucalyptus (neutralizes ill effects of Strychnin). Strych ars (Paresis in the aged, relaxed musculature. Prostration. Psoriasis; chronic diarrhœa with paralytic symptoms; compensatory hypertrophy of heart with beginning fatty degeneration; marked dyspnœa when lying down; œdema of lower extremities, urine scanty, high specific gravity, heavily loaded with glucose. Diabetes. 6x trit). Strych et Ferr cit (chlorotic and paralytic conditions; dyspepsia, with vomiting of ingesta; 2x and 3x trit); Strychnin nit (2x and 3x. Said to remove craving for alcohol. Use for two weeks); Strychnin sulph (Gastric atony); Strych valerin (exhaustion of brain-power; women of high nervous erethism; 2x trit). Compare: Cicuta; Arnica (tetanus).

Third to thirtieth potency. For non-homeopathic use, to produce its direct physiological effects in paralysis the dose will range from one-fiftieth to one-twentieth of a grain, repeated three times a day. Under twelve years of age, one-fiftieth to one two-hundredth of a grain. Strych, hypodermically, is capable of arresting progressive muscular atrophy, and is a certain stimulant to the respiratory centers, and is useful in embarrassed breathing, in the course of pneumonia especially. Is an antidote to Chloral, used in asphyxia from gas and chloroform and early stages of Opium poisoning. Dose, one one-hundredth to one-sixtieth grain every three hours.

STRYCHNINUM. Strychnia. Strychnine. An alkaloid obtained from several species of Strychnos. C 21 H 22 N 2 O 2 . Trituration. Solution. [The Liquor Strychniæ of B. P. is a solution of the alkaloid in a very weak solution of hydrochloric acid and alcohol, the proportions being: Strychnia gr. iv., diluted hydrochloric acid min. vi., rectified spirit two drachms, distilled water six drachms]

STRYCHNINUM NITRICUM. Nitrate of Strychnine. C 21 H 22 N 2 O 2 HNO 3 . Solution. Trituration.

STRYCHNINUM PHOSPHORICUM. Acid Phosphate of Strychnine. C 21 H 22 N 2 O 2 H 3 PO 4 2 H 2 O. Solution. Trituration.

STRYCHNINUM SULPHURICUM. Normal Sulphate of Strychnine. (C 21 H 22 N 2 O 2 ) 2 H 2 SO 4 7 H 2 O. Solution. Trituration.

STRYCH. VALERIANIC. Valerianate of Strychnine. C 21 H 22 N 2 O 2 C 5 H 10 O 2 . Solution. Trituration.

Amaurosis. Aorta, pain in. Aphonia. Asthma. Athetosis . Bladder, paralysis of; pains in. Breasts, pains in. Cough, explosive. Cramps Diaphragm, spasms of. Emphysema. Enuresis. Exophthalmos. Eyes, optic nerve, sclerosis of (n). Headache. Hemiplegia. Influenza. Joints, stiffness of. Laryngeal crises of locomotor ataxy. Locomotor ataxy. Malar bones, pains in. Neurasthenia (p). Night-blindness. Paraplegia. Proctalgia. Rheumatism. Scrotum, abscess of. Spinal irritation (p). Tetanus.

Poisonings innumerable with Strychnine are on record, the symptoms being convulsions of a tetanic nature, in the fatal cases ending in asphyxia. The spasms are intermittent, and the least touch or movement is sufficient to induce an attack. Lying on the back is the only tolerable position. Here is a case: "Lying on her back, body rigid, jaws set, arms and hands flexed, the thumbs nearly touching across the chest, and the whole muscular system convulsed, with short, jerky spasms, which would continue for about a minute and then remit, the muscles remaining contracted and as hard as wood during the intervals between the paroxysms." The convulsions generally take the form of opisthotonos; cries, terror, hippocratic countenance, and frothing at the mouth are common occurrences. The Liquor strychniæ is responsible for many of the poisonings, the powdered crystals, either pure or mixed in pills or rat-poison, for others. Strychnia itself is very sparingly soluble in cold water (1 in 5760). I have not attempted to distinguish between the different salts of Strych . An extensive proving of the Liquor Strych . was made under the supervision of Henry Robinson on two provers, a man and a woman ( M. H. R ., xii. 252). The man took 900 drops in twenty-three days; the woman 445 drops in fifty-three days. These have furnished the most distinctive symptoms. Extreme nervous excitability; visions of an ugly face; fits of laughing, with light, swimming sensation in the head and giddiness; involuntary, idiotic-like chuckle; confusion of ideas, stupor and weariness — were some of the mental symptoms. The drowsiness was a well-marked feature and characterised some of the headaches. The headaches were frontal largely, or momentary dartings like electric shocks. A lady to whom I gave Strych. ph . 3x in five-drop doses twenty minutes before meals felt at once constriction of the throat, and after each meal violent headache in forehead over the eyes. The choking sensations were a constant feature in provings and poisonings. A patient now under my care suffering from locomotor ataxy has had among other manifestations alarming laryngeal crises with choking attacks. For these Felix Semon had given him subcutaneous injections of Strychnine , which was exquisitely homœopathic to the case, and gave marked relief. The direct "tonic" action of Strych . was shown in one of Robinson's provers, who had "unusually good appetite, she enjoys her food amazingly." Gamper, of St. Petersburg ( C. D. P .), experimented with Strych. nit . on healthy young hospital assistants and found that it increased the amount of gastric juice secreted, the general acidity, and the quantity of free acid in the secretion. It hastened the absorption from the stomach, and strengthened the mechanical movements. The effects continued some time after the administration was stopped. The action of Strych . on the rectum and genito-urinary organs was as pronounced as that of Ign . and Nux ; the male prover had his left testicle and cord swollen, and an abscess of the scrotum developed and discharged. Meyhoffer ( C. D. P .) experimented with Strych . on himself and two other persons, one of whom was a woman of lymphatic temperament. "It always brought on electric shocks, occurring whenever the prover was touched or whenever any one lightly shook the bed on which he or she was lying. This happened to all, only the woman (lymphatic and feeble) needed a stronger dose." This prover also had this curious symptom: Any touch on any part of the body = a voluptuous sensation. Hale mentions the following uses of Strych . and its salts as observed by him and others: ( 1 ) In the tetanic spasms of cerebro-spinal meningitis. Strych . 6. ( 2 ) Amaurosis from atony of retina. ( 3 ) Diplopia, and night-blindness. Facial neuralgia and neuralgic headache, Strych. sul .; (and in one case when all other Strych . preparations had failed, Strych. val . cured). ( 4 ) Spasm of œsophagus in an hysterical woman, Strych . ( 5 ) Brain exhaustion of women in whom high nervous erethism exists. Strych. val . 2x. ( 6 ) Chorea, when the convulsions do not cease during sleep. Strych . 12, or 30. — A suggestion of Cooper that many cases of persistent cough recurring after influenza are met by Strych . I have found to be correct. The influenza cough has in it a strong spasmodic and asthmatic element, whether dry or not, and this seems to give one point of correspondence. C. W. Lawson (quoted H. W ., xxxiv. 134) relates the case of a medical man who took continuously for two years Liq. Strych. Hydrochlor ., 5 to 10 minims, thrice daily, with a little Sal volatile . He was at first benefited, but afterwards experienced a desire to take abnormally deep inspirations, "and he felt that to do so would overcome the inhibitory power over the lung, probably the action of the diaphragm." One morning, after a dose of Strych ., he was taking such an inspiration, and from that moment experienced the sensations complained of: inability to take a deep breath; fixation of chest walls compelling him to stoop; weakness on exertion, great confusion of thought and memory; occasional clay-coloured fæces, usually greater in amount than ordinary. After six months the apex beat descended to the 6th interspace, and headache and drowsiness became marked. He travelled for six months without benefit. All attempts to act on the heart with drugs increased the headache. Lawson then found the heart dilated, wide subcostal angle, chest emphysematous, moving en masse . After a year of treatment Hyoscyamus tincture, min. xx. at bedtime, was ordered and proved strikingly beneficial, drowsiness ceased entirely and improvement in all other respects followed. — Peculiar Sensations of Strych . are: Feeling as if head and face were enlarged. [Hence Nux and Strych . are remedies for the after-affects of debauches.] As if an iron cap were on head. Paralysed feeling in left half of head and face. Scalp sore, as if hair had been pulled. As if nerves suddenly pulled out of teeth. As of a lump in throat. As if water dripped off right elbow; at intervals; and off right shoulder. As if chopped in half at waist, at night. The pains and sensations of Strych . come suddenly and return at intervals . Sudden palpitation. Darting, pinching lancinating, fulgurating, electric pains. "Gurgling noise in rectum with electric darts" is a symptom of one prover. Many pains centre about the lips and eyes. Pains and chills occur in the occiput and nape and run down whole length of spine. There is much itching of the whole body and "violent itching in roof of mouth," which should prove a useful symptom. Jerkings, twitchings, and shocks in all parts run throughout the pathogenesis. The sensitiveness is shown in the increased activity of the spinal senses; the dread of touch; shrinking from draughts of air; and in Meyhoffer's prover touch anywhere excited a voluptuous sensation. Stiffness is a leading note of Strych ., and Cooper gives "rheumatism with stiff joints" as an indication. The symptoms are < in morning. < By touch; noise; motion; exertion; walking. < After meals. > Lying on back.

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