POISONOUS AND HALLUCINOGENIC MUSHROOMS
by Michael W. Beug Email: beugm@evergreen.edu
The Evergreen State College, Olympia WA
Slide 31.
Amanita muscaria var. muscaria, the toadstool
if there ever was one, is a different type of fungal intoxicant producing
Class F poisoning (Poisindex II). The onset of symptoms occurs 30
minutes to 2 hours after eating the mushrooms and is due to the toxins
muscimol and ibotenic acid which are found in both Amanita muscaria
and Amanita pantherina. A small amount of muscarine is present
in these mushrooms as well. The symptoms are drowsiness, confusion,
euphoria, staggering, muscular spasms, repetitive actions, dilation of
pupils, dizziness, visual disturbances, dullness of colors, impression
of heaviness but unusual strength, fragmentation of time, conviction of
dying, deep coma-like sleep, with some patients reporting hallucinations
upon wakening. Some people become violent. Complete recovery comes in 6-24
hours. In addition to large numbers of human ingestions, intentional and
accidental, there are large numbers of ingestions by animals, especially
dogs but sometimes cats as well. The symptoms in dogs and cats are similar
to those in humans. Though there are reported cases of fatalities to cats,
good supportive care is almost invariably successful and recovery is normally
rapid even though for a few hours it can look like the animal cannot possibly
survive.
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