Zombie drug?

Having spent several days on legal speedballs while hospitalized earlier this month, I’m relieved to be nearly drug-free again. I popped my last steroid pill this morning and am gradually phasing out the Tylenol. My sights are set on getting back as soon as possible to being nothing more than a garden-variety caffeine junkie.

There is a major exception to my drug-free ambitions, however. Because of residual pressure on my inner ear from the brain surgery, I'm continuously dizzy and deaf on my right side. To function at all with this disorienting sensation, I wear what’s called a scopolamine patch behind my left ear. I’m grateful for what seems to be the effectiveness of this drug since without it I’d have a hard time even thinking straight. Blurry vision is a side-effect, but that's a trade-off I'm willing to accept.

Much to my surprise, scopolamine also has a reputation as a dangerous street drug. I will take on faith the “zombie drug” effect it has on some people can be avoided in my case. Here’s what was written about scopolamine in one story I came across:

“This stuff is as close to pure evil as it gets, a tiny amount of the powder administered to the victim causes one of two effects, a) death, or b) complete loss of free will. Criminals are usually hoping for the latter, as it enables them to tell victims to empty their bank accounts, give away their car, perform sex acts, basically whatever the criminal dictates.”

That sounds a lot like urban myth to me. Do I really need to worry about my patches falling into the wrong hands? I figure all the healthcare professionals with whom I've interacted this month are draining my bank account fast enough without a criminal element aggravating the situation.