Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Case Reports
. 2013 Jul;3(3):214-6.
doi: 10.4103/2229-5151.119202.

Repeated snake bite for recreation: Mechanisms and implications

Affiliations
Case Reports

Repeated snake bite for recreation: Mechanisms and implications

Subramanian Senthilkumaran et al. Int J Crit Illn Inj Sci. 2013 Jul.

Abstract

Snake venom use for recreational purposes has been documented earlier. Willfully subjecting oneself to repeated lethal snake bite as a source of getting relieved of stress and recreation observed in two healthy software engineers, without any underlying psychiatric ailments or comorbidities along with probable mechanisms, are reported. Emergency physicians and practitioners have to be aware of novel methods of exposure to snake venom so as to recognize such cases and treat them accordingly.

Keywords: Behavior; mental relaxation; nonpsychiatric status; recreational purpose; snake venom; software engineer; willful snake bite.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: None declared.

References

    1. Xiong Y, Wang W, Pu X, J S. Using snake venom to substitute for addictive drugs. Toxicon. 1992;30:567–8.
    1. Pradhan PV, Shah LP, Ghodke PR, Nayak PR. Snake venom habituation in heroin (brown sugar) addiction: (Report of two cases) J Postgrad Med. 1990;36:233–4. - PubMed
    1. Katshu MZ, Dubey I, Khess CR, Sarkhel S. Snake bite as a novel form of substance abuse: Personality profiles and cultural perspectives. Subst Abus. 2011;32:43–6. - PubMed
    1. Wiener S. Active immunization of man against the venom of the australian tiger snake (Notechis Scutatus) Am J Trop Med Hyg. 1960;9:284–92. - PubMed
    1. Flood GD. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press; 1996. An Introduction to Hinduism.

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources