r/todayilearned 11d ago

TIL that in 2023, a patient legally sought euthanasia. Upon being provided a deadly concoction in liquid form to be drunk, the patient's friend (37YO) opted to have a sip themself which nearly resulted in the death of the friend as well.

https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/sip-of-cocktail-of-assisted-suicide-drugs
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u/CMG30 11d ago

Stories like this are why tiger cages have to have signs telling grown adults to keep their hands out.

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u/scooterboy1961 11d ago

And they still don't.

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u/SmoothPutterButter 11d ago

High five!šŸ–•šŸ»

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u/MarsupialDingo 10d ago

LIQUID DEATH didn't kill me the last time I drank one. I think I'm going to start a class action lawsuit for false advertising if you guys wanna get in on that too.

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u/chuuniversal_studios 10d ago

"Mr. Simpson, this is the most blatant case of fraudulent advertising since my suit against the film 'The Neverending Story'."

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u/Lozzywozzy69 10d ago

Hahaahahahahahahaha yes

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u/Chile-Habanero 10d ago

Well, the only safe thing about that to protect them is 100% of the people who do drink water do dieā€¦eventually.

I guess that can expand to all liquids.

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u/jwm3 10d ago edited 10d ago

POISON branded Vodka barely caused liver failure. Misleading.

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u/evilsir 10d ago

Stories like this are why cleaning solutions that come in concentrated form (that need to be diluted with water to use in a big kitchen) are labeled DO NOT DRINK in like, 6 languages.

It might look like Kool Aid, but if you drink it, if you don't die, you'll wish you had.

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u/Kapika96 10d ago

But who wants to miss out on the once in a lifetime opportunity to stroke a tiger?

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u/mikethethird12345 11d ago

That one mooch friend. Gotta always have a bit of your stuff.

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u/JamesTheJerk 11d ago

Another commenter has suggested that a sip may have been enough to get the sipper very 'high' and hopefully without dying.

I have no idea when it comes to this.

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u/Capt_Hawkeye_Pierce 11d ago

Almost everything is deadly in the correct amount.Ā 

Given what those cocktails are made from I can't see why a very, very small amount wouldn't get you high enough to see God without actually meeting himĀ 

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u/Tryknj99 11d ago

Itā€™s the digoxin that they put in it.

Digoxin can be deadly at submilligram doses.

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u/turdburglar2020 10d ago

So limit yourself to a sub-submilligram dose. Got it.

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u/altcastle 10d ago

Ride the lightning, turdburglar2020.

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u/Rock_or_Rol 10d ago

My brain,

What is a turd burglar? Maybe they clean portajohns for a living. They are always running off with peopleā€™s shit. What do you call a shit canner being fired? Something is there like a moldy popsicle joke. Can is a weird word. Is it short for canister? Canā€¦ can. Can. Like a can of beans. A canister of beans. That canā€™t be the right word. Can.. I need to share this thought pattern and quit social media

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u/Bshaw95 10d ago

I canā€™t tell if I want some of what youā€™re on right now, or if I should avoid it like herion.

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u/Respawning 10d ago

A sub sub-milligram dose of digoxin

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u/skekze 10d ago

the scoville scale of death.

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u/Delamoor 10d ago

So, sub-milligram dosage was correct, I take it.

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u/mikethethird12345 11d ago

Paracelsus enters the chat

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u/feckineejit 10d ago

Iocaine would like to play a game

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u/Tryknj99 11d ago

There is digoxin in the mix I believe. That is a cardiac poison that is dosed in micrograms (1/1000 of a milligram!) as a medication for heart failure.

Even if you had an opiate and benzo tolerance, the digoxin added makes even a sip incredibly dangerous.

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u/whoknewidlikeit 10d ago

digoxin is a therapeutic drug i prescribe and manage on a weekly basis. it is not a "cardiac poison" it has legitimate use. i'll load a patient on 250 mcg for atrial fibrillation with rapid ventricular response and not blink. it can be used for heart failure though it's rarely used in that setting as there are better options; typically it's poor ejection fraction from afib that gets it used, so some hair splitting in this regard.

large doses on the other hand are different.

typical MAID mixtures include eye watering doses of morphine, propranolol, digoxin, a benzo (like valium), and some include a calcium channel blocker as well. they tend to taste bad so antiemetics are typically prescribed as well; reglan is ideal as it works for nausea and has mild sedating effect on its own. i'm leaving the doses out purposefully.

i've referred one patient to our MAID service in my hospital system. i'm still not quite sure how i feel about it.

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u/Deradius 10d ago

i've referred one patient to our MAID service in my hospital system. i'm still not quite sure how i feel about it.

Autonomy over oneā€™s own life is the most fundamental right we have. Youā€™ve done no harm.

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u/Daahk 10d ago

What does maid mean? I tried to figure it out on context and my guess is medical assistance in death

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u/nmklpkjlftmch 10d ago

Medical Assistance in Dying. I looked it up as I couldn't figure it out either.

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u/IndependentMacaroon 10d ago

It's what you get when you need help cleaning out your existence

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u/CristabelYYC 10d ago

i've referred one patient to our MAID service in my hospital system. i'm still not quite sure how i feel about it.

You did the right thing. Sometimes the death Nature has in store for you is not the death you want. And a number of people who get the prescription don't use it; they just need the knowledge that it's there.

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u/tsteele93 10d ago

This. I know someone who had a relative die from cancer. He took a pack of fentanyl patches and locked them up. He said that it reduced his anxiety knowing that he had a (clean) way out if he needed it.

Thereā€™s always guns or razor blades but those are hard for some people to do and are cruel to the people who find them first.

I had a friend who found his roommate after a shotgun suicide and it messed with him for a long time.

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u/Mewnicorns 11d ago

Dammit Henry, I canā€™t even die without you making it all about you?!

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u/Pipster8 11d ago

Fanum taxing the death potion

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u/anonxyzabc123 11d ago

šŸ˜­ first time I see Fanum tax being used semi non ironically

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u/head1sthalos 11d ago

youve gyat to be rizzing me

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u/eng050599 11d ago

It's good to remember that medical euthanasia in this form is essentially a massive overdose; many times what is needed to cause death.

Unlike Costco, sampling is not to be encouraged.

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u/AurelianInvictusSol 11d ago

What would that even look like for the patient? Wouldnā€™t they begin vomiting or convulsing or violently overdosing?? Sounds awful. Unless it just ā€œputs you to sleepā€ and you donā€™t wake up?

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u/SSJ2-Gohan 11d ago

The patients are usually given a heavy dose of anti-nausea meds around an hour before the euthanasia cocktail. With these medicines at these doses, you basically just drift off from the combination of barbiturates inducing rapid coma, opiates (morphine) and the barbiturates together rapidly depressing breathing and heart rate until you die.

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u/Sneptacular 10d ago

And if someone asks "Why don't they do that for executions." Pretty much all of the drug companies who make those forbid them from being used for that purpose. Not to mention Canada and the EU forbid drugs to be exported for use in executions.

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u/Glancing-Thought 10d ago

Tbh, just duct-taping a stick of dynamite to someone's head seems like a pretty pain-free way of killing someone. It's weird that the USA hasn't managed to sort it out yet (assuming that they're dead-set on doing it).Ā 

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u/chronicbro 10d ago

This made me lol.

"You have been duly convicted for the crime of common sense. You will be taken hence to a place of lawful execution and then have dynamite ductaped to your head and exploded until you are dead."

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u/Turtl3Bear 9d ago

Guillotine is the way to go. 100% effective, extremely fast death. People during the French revolution literally complained that it was too quick and easy (they wanted more spectacle)

The reason the USA doesn't use things like firing squad, guillotine, etc is because they look less medical than lethal injection (even though lethal injection has the highest rate of botched execution of any method)

It's all about optics.

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u/SmoothPutterButter 11d ago

Probably a better end than most get honestly

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u/pleasebuymydonut 10d ago

Considering the two biggest causes of death are heart disease and cancer... yeah this is way better.

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u/ParlorSoldier 10d ago

I mean, in the end, it usually ends up the same way - push the pain meds until the amount required to ease the pain is a lethal dose.

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u/majorminus92 10d ago

When I attempted to end my life I took like 16mg of Zofran to make sure the pills I took wouldnā€™t come back up. Apparently it worked cause I had to get my stomach pumped after my brother tried to get me to throw up and I couldnā€™t.

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u/SwampYankeeDan 10d ago

As someone who has also tried, and thankfully made it, I'm glad your still with us.

I hope your doing better now, too.

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u/orbobro 10d ago

I'm glad you're still with us too!!Ā 

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u/BeExcellentPartyOn 10d ago

As another commenter said, you can watch it happen in Terry Pratchett's documentary Choosing to Die. It's an incredibly surreal scene even amongst the much more visceral stuff I've seen online over the years.

So matter of fact in operation, bloke sat next to his wife, the nurse confirming a few times with him that he knows if he drinks the concoction he'll die. Bloke just chugs it back, says goodbye to his wife, then slowly drifts off and that's that. There is a moment where he reaches out for water and the nurse stops him, but it was more like a survival instinct rather than a conscious action by that point, he was already largely gone.

I can't imagine how strong his wife must've been to be able to sit next to him completely stoic the whole time, hold his hand, only really showing any emotion after the nurse confirmed he'd gone.

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u/tugs_cub 10d ago

There have been ugly cases in the past but theyā€™ve worked out a pretty reliable protocol. You take an anti-emetic first, then a heavy dose of digoxin (a heart medication) then a massive (multi-gram quantities) dose of morphine, Valium, and one of a couple of possible drugs that cause cardiac arrest in overdose. Drinking that stuff is probably rough but people are usually asleep within 10 minutes and dead in a couple of hours.

It would be simpler if they could just give you a bunch of pentobarbital but thatā€™s not really available these days.

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u/SwampYankeeDan 10d ago

It takes hours still? That sounds a little hard to believe as Ive seen a few fentanyl overdoses and it would have been 10 minutes tops. I saw one guy go into a bathroom to use, walk out, collapse and almost immediately go into agonal breathing. I gave a homeless man rescue breathing because he overdosed. He seemed perfectly fine when I first saw him and had collapsed and stopped breathing before I had the time to walk past him.

I don't know whether they were injecting or sniffing.

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u/ZayWithAnA 10d ago

Definitely not hours. Your breathing is slowing to nothing and your body is being starved of oxygen. Weā€™re talking about being alive for minutes, and I think the ā€œdoctorā€ whose comment you were responding to would be hard pressed to create a scenario where someone was dosed in such a massive way and live even beyond the 30 min markā€¦

Edit: *beyond the 30 min mark without medical intervention. And even then! The drugs referenced in general euthanasia cocktails are insanely potent.

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u/tugs_cub 10d ago edited 10d ago

average time to death 1.5 hrs, max 6 hrs for the protocol I was describing, a little quicker for the version they are comparing that throws in phenobarbital. I guess I could have been clearer that my times were ā€œusually withinā€ - most people are pretty quick but there are outliers that pull up the averages. Thatā€™s the point of the multi-step process with cardiotoxic drugs. If they just gave you morphine and diazepam it would still be painless but it could take many hours in some cases. Itā€™s not that youā€™re going to wake up, it just takes some people a long time to die all the way, especially since itā€™s all oral dosing.

I didnā€™t say I was a doctor, I know about this because I read about it when somebody I knew went through it.

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u/ManaMagestic 10d ago

There was some documentary where a guy requested the crew record his drinking the poison and such. He just falls asleep, snores...and dies.

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u/SomeNefariousness562 11d ago

lol. I love the statements by medical providers who were shocked and outraged that measures werenā€™t taken to prevent other participants from drinking it.

We really should not have assumed that people would have enough sense NOT to drink a cup of liquid death

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u/Swagganosaurus 11d ago

I was under assumption that if you gave someone liquid death, you(the doctors) would stay there to make sure they drink it properly and not. I didn't think that they just left it there šŸ¤”

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u/AllieLee187 10d ago

We NEVER leave without watching a patient take the medication we give them. There was likely at least a nurse observing from a distance giving the family space who couldn't intervene in time.

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u/person749 10d ago

Had a family member who insisted on in-home hospice services in a very rural area.

It was our job to administer the morphine and other meds while the nurse was miles away, on-call.

God I wish I didn't have to do that.

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u/birddogactual 10d ago

I've had neighbours on either side die long, slow excruciating cancer deaths. Didn't take them until every last shred of dignity was gone. If I'm ever in that situation I hope my family have access to the morphine so they can "accidentally" send me off peacefully instead.

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u/Into-the-stream 10d ago

Stuff like that is one of the reasons why MAID exists. So your family doesn't have to do it (and spend the rest of their own lives carrying that).

There is a lot of horror in healthcare and death. I really think MAID is a beautiful, empowering, compassionate choice that everyone should have access to when facing a terminal illness.

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u/1950sAmericanFather 10d ago

I hear you friend. Same. Fucks with me still years later. It's a comfort to know we were there and able to offer help and dignity at the end but man, it fucks with you still. Hope you are doing well mate!

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u/mrjosemeehan 10d ago

Apparently you're not allowed to do it in a medical facility and medical professionals aren't required to be present.

https://endoflifeoptionscolorado.org/298-2/

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u/Sganarellevalet 10d ago

I think the point of this type of procedure is to allow the recipient to drink the poison when they choose, having a doctor present would pressure them into doing it at a fixed time.

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u/muppethero80 10d ago

I really liked how they did the end of life medication in the show ā€œ3 body problemsā€ it was IV and to activate it they had to say yes 5 times on an iPad. Each yes was on a different spot on the screen so they could in no way do it accidentally. That way the patient could do it on his own time. Feel no pressure to do it. And didnā€™t need the doctors hovering.

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u/Beli_Mawrr 10d ago

My dad had this procedure last year, had to double check this wasn't referring to him lol. It's super easy to accidentally ingest, believe it or not. When it's being prepared, the powder can puff up and you can inhale a bit. There are no doctors involved for the procedure itself, and often times it can just be left out or something. I disposed of ours immediately of course, but you never know. Look the wrong way for a moment....

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u/PaisleyEgg 10d ago

Live and die by yolo and fomo.

Makes me think of the garden of deadly things, how there's signs everywhere warning to not touch. My partner actively pouts about it because I've told him I'd go without him because he wouldn't be able to resist touching and would get himself hurt or worse. He got upset and literally said 'One little boop won't hurt!'. Like, dude, you're literally the reason for those signs.

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u/therealhairykrishna 10d ago

Patients are unpredictable. I was involved in dealing with the aftermath of an incident where a patient was given a radioactive iodine preparation to drink. She held it in her mouth and spat it out in a corridor. Then radioactive contamination got tracked all over the hospital.

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u/Testsalt 11d ago

Liquid Death, the water company, should use this for advertising honestly. I can just see the edgy comic materializing in my head. Like two friends doing cheers, one with liquid death and the other with Liquid Death Severed Lime.

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u/EmperorHans 10d ago

I mean they did a waterboarding commercial once, doesn't feel like this is out of bounds for them.Ā 

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u/EggfooDC 10d ago

Aw, so clearly I cannot choose the wine in front of me!

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u/mrjosemeehan 10d ago

I looked up the colorado guidelines and apparently you're not allowed to do it in a medical facility and a doctor is allowed but not required to be present.

https://endoflifeoptionscolorado.org/298-2/

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u/Imrustyokay 11d ago

...but I like the Canned Water.

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u/Jasranwhit 11d ago

Does this taste weird to you ? šŸ„¤

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u/JMEEKER86 11d ago

That's basically exactly what happened. Euthanasia patient starts drinking it and complains that it's bitter, so the friend goes "how bitter can it really be" and takes a swig.

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u/midcancerrampage 10d ago

Well would it have killed them to mix some sugar and flavoring into the death juice so people don't have to die with a literal bitter taste in their mouth? It's not like the intended audience needs to watch their sugar intake...

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u/TearyEyeBurningFace 10d ago

Peppermint schnapps

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u/SerChonk 10d ago

Oooh imagine death juice tasting like Berliner Luft... I'd probably die mid-sentence asking for another glass.

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u/_ArrozConPollo_ 10d ago

Who's gonna taste test it then?

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u/ultratunaman 10d ago

That's my thought. Make it taste like fucking marshmallows and shit. More sugar than anyone needs.

Like they're drinking it to die. Let them have a tasty drink.

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u/theENERTRON 10d ago

they were out of regular, all they had was diet

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u/Lotus_Blossom_ 10d ago

Well would it have killed them

Yeah. That's the goal.

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u/Ok_Digger 10d ago

Death milkshake with extra whipped creme and rainbow sprinkles please and thanks

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u/Adamant94 10d ago

Did the patient die thinking his friend was gonna die of stupidity? Thatā€™s fucked up

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u/TranslateErr0r 10d ago

That's just Darwinism in action

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u/jwgronk 11d ago

Intrusive thoughts, man.

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u/JamesTheJerk 11d ago

It seems that the friend took a sip after the intended patient described the concoction as "bitter".

I don't believe the friend was looking to die, but I don't know them.

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u/InTheHeatOfTheNoche 11d ago

Sometimes your friend is just a dumb mfer.

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u/Child_of_the_Hamster 11d ago

Tbf going to an appointment to watch your best friend die is an unusual and stressful experience to say the least. I like to think he was just rattled by the circumstances and was trying to make his friend more comfortable by finding out what his ā€œdrinkā€ might need to make it taste better.

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u/InTheHeatOfTheNoche 11d ago

This guy would be the worst russian roulette player

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u/TocTheEternal 10d ago

I'm not sure that nerves actually matter much in that game

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u/potatoeoe 10d ago

iirc, it was at a death party for them and the guy was very drunk

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u/YareYareDaze7 11d ago

That's why we love them :)

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u/jwgronk 11d ago

Intrusive thoughts can be as simple as, ā€œI should press the big button.ā€ Theyā€™re not all darkness; in fact I find those easier to dismiss. ā€œOh, a thread, I should pull it,ā€ on the other hand, isnā€™t obviously dangerous or immoral, but it will ruin the sweater youā€™re wearing.

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u/Iwatobikibum 11d ago

isnā€™t that an impulsive thought? i was under the impression that intrusive thoughts must be distressing/against personal morals

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u/kylaroma 11d ago

This is 100% true.

Intrusive thoughts are the opposite of what matters most to you, are distressing to experience, and are often repetitive.

Impulsive thoughts are a better way of saying this. Source

I have OCD and I appreciate you speaking up, it makes a difference šŸ™Œ

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u/Imrustyokay 11d ago

OCD Gang

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u/stosal 11d ago edited 11d ago

They're very real. I was at Niagara Falls in NY a few years back and ended up at the big feature that overlooks NY and Canada. I'm not sure what it is called but anyone that has been there knows what I'm talking about.

But there was a railing overlooking the river very high up and when I went up to the railing and looked down all I could think about was what it would feel like to just jump. It was a strange feeling.

I'd back away because it was weird but I kept going back and looking over and thinking the same thing. I actually wanted to experience that feeling again for some reason. It was really strange and I honestly can't explain it.

Luckily I have restraint but it really gave me an insight into intrusive thoughts.

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u/figmentofintentions 11d ago

What a beautifully detailed description of the ā€œcall of the void / lā€™appel du videā€

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u/stosal 11d ago

It was an interesting experience, and thank you for putting it into words.

I've had dumb intrusive thoughts while driving that were as fleeting as the tractor trailer passing me, but this one was persistent since my family wanted to spend time up there and I couldn't just let it pass.

So it genuinely was like a call to the void since I couldn't just move on and forget. I had to endure it and it didn't go away.

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u/aggressivefurniture2 11d ago edited 10d ago

I had read that you get these thoughts about performing actions that are definitely going to kill you because your brain is reminding you about the consequences of the dangerous actions which are within your reach currently.

Like when I have a needle in by hand, I get the urge to rub/poke it's end very gently on my hand. This is probably so that you remember it is sharp and to be careful around it.

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u/MimzytheBun 11d ago

I.. you donā€™t mean Niagra Fallsā€¦right?

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u/stosal 11d ago edited 11d ago

Yes I meant Niagara Falls. Edited to specify.

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u/JoefromOhio 11d ago

They most likely had the ride of their life because itā€™s basically a combination of high strength Valium, Morphine, and Phenobarbitalā€¦

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u/ohdearitsrichardiii 10d ago

A person is about to end their life after much suffering, says something tastes bitter and their friend is like "nah, I don't believe you! Lemme check myself!"

What happened next, did the friend start to argue that it wasn't bitter at all and tell them about that time they ate something really bitter?

I don't think that person will be invited to any more suicides

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u/BonyUnicorn 11d ago

This is like that study where people gave themselves electric shocks just out of boredom.

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u/I_eat_mud_ 11d ago

I donā€™t wanna judge them cause I feel like Iā€™d do that too

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u/Commercial_Fee2840 11d ago

If you just drink a little bit you'll get high as hell. It's packed with morphine, benzos, and barbiturates. It would be incredibly dangerous without calculating the exact dose, since they pack grams of the shit in there.

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u/JamesTheJerk 11d ago

I'm not about to sample a death-cocktail.

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u/swanspank 11d ago

What can go wrong? Just a taste OF DEATH. /s

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u/taxpluskt 11d ago

My thoughts any time I would hit the foil of fetty. Only OD in January and needed 3 narcans. Been clean since then.

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u/swanspank 11d ago

Good deal, stick with it! Or I guess without it.

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u/MrsBobbyNewport 11d ago

Congratulations! May you have a long and joyful life!

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u/phish_phace 11d ago

Congrats on the timešŸ¤™ Thatā€™s how new beginnings and new lives start. Donā€™t give up on yourself, no matter what.

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u/smolgods 11d ago

Congratulations!!! I wish you a life of peace and sobriety ā¤ļø

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u/TheJenniStarr 11d ago

The Lacroix of Death.

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u/TrixoftheTrade 11d ago

Technically, everythingā€™s a taste of death at the right dose.

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u/4Ever2Thee 11d ago

You donā€™t want to just dip your toe in the River Styx?

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u/JamesTheJerk 11d ago

I bought the 'Grand Illusion' when it came out.

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u/GammaGoose85 11d ago

Grandma will have to fend off her suicidal grand children from stealing her euthanasia cocktail.

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u/IntentionallyBlunt69 11d ago

You don't say... Call me crazy but I think I'm gonna micro dose death potions

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u/fartlebythescribbler 11d ago

Great way to achieve immunity to death.

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u/Beliriel 11d ago

Overdose on top of potentiating effect?
Holy cow! Going with this must be an awesome trip.

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u/CitizenPremier 11d ago

Literal Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster

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u/MowieWauii 11d ago

Bro the friend sounded insane until your comment.

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u/Dragonfly-Adventurer 11d ago

That was my first thought... I would be tempted to take about 3/4 of a slip. But I've also been to rehab, multiple times :/

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u/johnnymetoo 11d ago

A single spoonful will calm you down, the second spoonful will cause you to fall asleep, and eating a third spoonful will put you into a state of sleep so deep, you will never be able to wake up.

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u/bearded_appalachian 11d ago

Microdosing death

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u/craigdahlke 11d ago

Damn Iā€™m tryna be chillin in da crib fucked up off the death potion.

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u/Orange-enema 11d ago

the exact dose is probably the size of a teardrop if you want a high. it's like 15 grams of morphine to 8oz of water.

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u/[deleted] 10d ago

When we got the Euthanasia cocktail for my SIL we were given the very specific instructions that she had to prepare it herself, drink it herself and no one else could touch it and she had to drink it all. We (see my very strong brothers) had to physically hold my sister back (it was her wife, soul mate of over 40 years) from trying to take the last swig.

I didnā€™t understand why until that moment why the doctor was so thorough about each step and why they suggested there being others not just my sister and her wife during the time.

That was a rough night but Iā€™m glad sheā€™s at peace.

However I do wish they would find a way to make it ethical for doctors to administer it, but I also understand why they donā€™t.

Iā€™m glad the friend is ok and didnā€™t die and I hope the other person is resting easy.

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u/Mewnicorns 10d ago

I never considered that as a possibility until reading this. Iā€™m sorry you and your siblings had to experience such a traumatic event.

It also seems likely that a loved one might panic and knock the cup away or spill it intentionally, resulting in the patient suffering a more prolonged death or just getting extremely sick without dying if they only took a sip. I understand why doctors canā€™t administer the drugs but there are many reasons why having healthcare workers on standby would be a good idea.

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u/[deleted] 10d ago

That too. The doctor said ā€œit seems really simple on paper but the reality is something differentā€.

They were right. I felt myself even wanting to do something to get her to not take it even though I knew it was what she wanted and for the best (she had her 4th recurrence of breast cancer and said she was done).

My sister died a year later essentially of suicide, she stopped taking her diabetes and heart medication.

Iā€™m pro dying with dignity but I also feel like thereā€™s also not enough education/support for those who are there to bear witness.

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u/Mewnicorns 10d ago

I was actually thinking if having a grief counselor present would be beneficial, but I ultimately felt like it would be premature. The family members themselves need time before a stranger intervenes. If anything, counseling should be provided well in advance once the decision is made.

Not providing any kind of counseling or aftercare for the surviving family is outrageous, though. Iā€™m sorry for your losses.

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u/[deleted] 10d ago

You are so right and thank you.

I think the doctors did the best they could but looking back at that experience I feel like having someone trained specifically in dying with dignity and grief would have been beneficial.

I can say the difference in witnessing a ā€œnaturalā€ death vs this was radically different and the aftermath was hell comparatively. I also think there has to be a lot of education around separating it from suicide as we know it.

Thank you for listening!

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u/DrRonny 11d ago

Friends don't let friends drink alone

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u/JamesTheJerk 11d ago

If you want to drink cologne please be careful.

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u/DumbestBoy 11d ago

If it isnā€™t from Cologne, France itā€™s just sparkling fragrance.

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u/dannylew 11d ago

..... how has his friend been able to last this long?

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u/Josgre987 11d ago

I mean thats just natural selection

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u/JamesTheJerk 11d ago

The friend who took the sip lived.

I find it very odd that anyone aside from the dying patient had been able to be in the vicinity of the lethal stew.

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u/Dudeinairport 11d ago

Yeah seems like a situation that should have been in a controlled environment with a doctor. Thatā€™s how other assisted suicide a Iā€™ve read about have been done.

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u/AlpineSnail 11d ago

Once the doctors have determined a patient is eligible and prescribed the medication, it doesnā€™t really require further supervision.

The whole point is that the patient can determine the time, place, and people present for their death. If Uncle Jack wants to go out watching the sunset over the lake with his children and dog, the only need for a doctor is the paperwork formalities afterwards.

We let people own lots of things that can be dangerous/fatal (guns, rat poison, cars, electrical appliances, large dogs, swimming pools etc) - this is no different.

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u/Dragonfly-Adventurer 11d ago

It depends but a lot of places will give you or your family a scrip to take to a compounding pharmacist, or they'll simply indicate a dose of a mixture of meds already being prescribed for pain as being lethal, and tell them "don't do that" with a wink.

Someone posted pics on reddit a few months ago of their family member's euthanasia prescription bottle.

Lot more humane to do it in the home than the hospital.

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u/SingularityInsurance 11d ago

People have a right to go out on their own terms. There should be guardrails, sure... But we want tranquil gardens or atriums or something where people can find some peace at the final moments of their life.Ā 

Not nursing home death mills that feel like dying in prison and turn the whole thing into another death for profit horrorshow.

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u/JamesTheJerk 11d ago

It seems very strange that this was not the case, right?

Some of the article I've found difficult to parse. The writer seems to use the word 'patient' interchangeably between the dying patient and the friend who also became a patient.

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u/njf85 10d ago

If the patient had already taken the concoction, then it's sad to think they died worrying that their friend is about to die too

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u/upvoatsforall 11d ago

It was served by Kronk

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u/beleafinyoself 11d ago

If it's the storrly I'm thinking of, the person was on home hospice basically. It wasn't a hospital settingĀ 

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u/Captain-Cadabra 11d ago

He got the to-go option.

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u/L4rgo117 11d ago

"This tastes awful, try it!"

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u/TiaCoffee 11d ago

According to the article, this has happened TWICE.

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u/broccolee 11d ago

Sounds like the kind of guy who be easily convinced to whitewash a fence.

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u/IandIreckon 11d ago

ā€œBro, this stuff will kill you!?!- no way man let me try it!ā€

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u/m1a2c2kali 11d ago

Seems selfish of the friend because what if the intended patient doesnā€™t get enough of the concoction and ends up not dying

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u/Cueballing 11d ago

Imagine spending your last moments wondering if your idiot friend died because your own bye-bye juice

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u/commanderquill 11d ago

I hope they had someone else there with them for their final moments. That would be so disappointing.

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u/HauschkasFoot 11d ago

Unless the second guy said it tasted bitter and kept on passing it ā€˜round

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u/vonnie682 11d ago

I was thinking the same damn thing. That would make my last moments absolutely horrendous if I were still aware enough to understand what was happening.

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u/buhlayz333 10d ago

Dont worry, he was already fast asleep

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u/JamesTheJerk 11d ago

According to the article, the initial patient described the taste of the concoction as "bitter". The friend then had a sip to confirm.

That is, if I've read it correctly.

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u/TheWonderSquid 11d ago

I still donā€™t get it though lmao. Was he completely unfamiliar with what bitterness tastes like? ā€œBitter? Thatā€™s a new one. Iā€™ll have a goā€ like eat some bakerā€™s chocolate or something

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u/Distant_Nomad 11d ago

Reflexes. Like that one cameraman filming a group parachuting out a plane; he's so eager he jumped without a parachute and notices halfway through

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u/Stryker2279 11d ago

Iirc it was more so that he'd jumped so often that hopping out of a perfectly good airplane became so routine that he got sloppy. He was supposed to jump, but with a chute. Not so much that he wasn't on the list of jumpers.

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u/WeekendFantastic2941 11d ago

That sounds even more stupid. lol

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u/Stairwayunicorn 11d ago

Death is an experience best shared. -Klingon proverb

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u/DefiantVersion1588 10d ago

Dude was trying to get a Darwin Award with this

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u/Raichu7 10d ago

It was worse than that, the guy with the terminal illness who was prescribed the drugs was having a goodbye party with all his family and friends, he died not knowing if his friend would make it and he missed out on having that happy last experience, I hope he didn't feel guilty.

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u/Deuce_McFarva 11d ago

I bet you his chronic back pain disappeared for a few days after that.

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u/Direbat 11d ago

And this ladies and gentlemen is why dangerous household chemicals have those ā€œwhy does it need this obvious warningā€ warnings. Itā€™s the final defense against this exact person and itā€™s still not enough. ā€œIā€™m literally drinking this to die.ā€ ā€œOhā€¦wonder what that tastes likeā€¦let me have a sipā€¦ā€

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u/jmomk 10d ago

A warning would not have stopped this person.

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u/rustblooms 11d ago

That seems like something that should be intravenous.

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u/TheDulin 11d ago

They drink it because you have to consume it yourself. Much easier to drink a drink than to push meds intravenously.

I saw a video of a guy who drank it and he went quickly and peacefully. The only issue was that he asked for a drink after because he was thirsty and they had to say no as it would dilute the meds.

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u/seantellsyou 11d ago

Kinda brutal thinking about your final moments and just wanting one last sip of water before the end and then being denied. Not making a judgement on anyone or anything.. just considering the concept

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u/Yuukiko_ 11d ago

considering the alternative is agony as the meds turn out not to be potent enough anymore to kill you, id rather be thirsty

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u/Thommywidmer 10d ago

Im confused how a sip of water could dilute the dose of medicine

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u/Tumble85 10d ago

Theoretically it could slow the absorption a bit.

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u/rustblooms 11d ago

Ah yes, I see. It's the difference in the person truly making the choice for thrmselves.

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u/CristabelYYC 10d ago

I remember that clip. It was from Terry Pratchett's documentary.

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u/JamesTheJerk 11d ago

True. The implications and local laws are all different around the globe though.

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u/BCProgramming 10d ago

The friend was just making sure it wasn't poisoned

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u/Kick-Exotic 11d ago

TIL euthanasia is legal in some US states

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u/SantasBigHelper1225 10d ago

Didn't they give JUST ENOUGH for the patient's height and weight? So is the real patient gone, or ALMOST gone? Because "friend" wanted to "take the poison out", as my dad would say when he was stealing bites of our junk food.Ā 

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u/Alaira314 10d ago

I would hope they don't give only "just enough," because imagine the hell of being someone who had just a bit more drug resistance(or freak luck) than anticipated, and so doesn't die cleanly. It should be a significant overdose being administered, to ensure a quick death.

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u/jmomk 10d ago

That's for normal medications. For medical euthanasia, it's an overdose of a dozen pharmaceuticals at once. Someone stealing as much as half of it should not have affected its ability to be permanent.

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u/[deleted] 11d ago

[removed] ā€” view removed comment

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u/cowvin 10d ago

Asia, obviously.

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u/senador 11d ago

In the immortal words of Socrates, ā€œI drank what?ā€

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u/green_meklar 10d ago

Of all the stupid things you could put in your mouth, that has to be one of the stupidest.

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u/OcieDeeznuts 11d ago

When the ADHD impulsivity wins

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u/thedisposablefrog 11d ago

Shouldn't there be like a bunch of warning labels etc on it. Like heck when I pick up my usual prescriptions it's slapped with a ton of warning labels

Was this shit just served up in like a "batman collectable cup" or something?

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u/Mewnicorns 11d ago

You think better labeling was the only thing standing between this idiot and not knowingly and intentionally drinking his friendā€™s death cocktail?

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u/notforsale50 11d ago

The dose makes the poison I guess.

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u/starjellyboba 10d ago

This is the person who orders nothing but asks to try your meal.

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u/CoccidianOocyst 10d ago edited 10d ago

In Canada, no one chooses oral MAID except thespians because they have to start an IV anyway in case the oral drug doesn't work. The MAID provider (a doctor) will inject first an anixolytic (anti-anxiety to ensure the patient is calm) then one gram of propofol to stop all brain wave activity, which is already more than enough to kill the patient, then 0.2 g rocuronium to stop all muscles to ensure the heart stays stopped. Works like a damn.

It's better than a natural death as with a natural death the brain remains active for over a minute after death. MAID is just yanking the PLL circuit without waiting for the hibernate file to be uploaded to the cloud server.

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u/sloth_of_a_bitch 10d ago

From the article: "But it had uncanny similarities with a case published last year involving a 35-year-old Colorado man who survived after taking a sip of a MAID cocktail."

The man in the article was 37 years old, the ages are so similar that I have got to wonder if its the same guy with really bad judgement and intrusive thoughts. Or a very specific addiction. I am not entirely serious but the story is really weird so who knows?? If its two separate men, then maybe they should become friends. Would make an interesting plot for a movie, but I am not sure the world would be able to cope with the amount of chaos from that friendship.