Belladonna Overdose Makes 3 Students Ill

Three students who overdosed on a hallucinogenic drug at John C. Fremont High School in Los Angeles were treated at a nearby hospital and released Wednesday night, authorities said.

The female students, one 18, the others 17, drank a concoction prepared by boiling a belladonna flower and became ill. Their names were withheld by authorities.

Belladonna extract can be found in prescription medicine used to treat bronchitis and stomach disorders. When taken in excess, it can cause heart palpitations, fatigue and hallucinations, said a doctor at Martin Luther King, Jr./Drew Medical Center, where the three were treated.

“It wasn’t really very much fun,” said one of the students as she left the hospital. She said they had heard from friends that the drug would cause them to hallucinate. “You feel tired; everything gets really heavy. . . . We didn’t think it was going to be that bad.”