Slow acting poison?

Celia Cyanide

Joker Groupie
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Oct 1, 2005
Messages
15,479
Reaction score
2,295
Location
probably watching DARK KNIGHT
Okay...I am writing a script, and I need a poison.

This guy is going to do something that he is really nervous and excited about. It is dangerous, to some extent. There is someone he trusts, who pretends to be on his side, but actually wants him to die.

She gives him something to "calm his nerves" but actually turns out to be poison. Not necessarily strong enough to kill him right away.

I'm thinking she could give it to him and say that it is prescription pain killers of some kind? But what could it actually be? He probably does not do a lot of drugs, so it's okay if it were pretty obvious that it is not what she says it is.

I'm looking for something that could kill him, but would more likely make him really sick.
 

Lyra Jean

Two years old now.
Super Member
Registered
Joined
May 10, 2005
Messages
5,329
Reaction score
794
Location
Boca Raton - Mouth of the Rat
Website
beyondtourism.wordpress.com
There is Atophan. I have the "Book of Poisons" by Serita Stevens, RN, BSN, MA, LNC and Anne Bannon.

ATOPHAN

Scientific Name: Phenylquinoline carbonic acid.

Other: Cinchophen, Atochinol, Composite preparations in which atophan is hidden and which are particularly dangerous are Uro-Zero, Arkanol, and Gorum.

Toxicity: 6

Form: Oral

Effects and Symptoms: The drug promotes uric acid excretion in the body and does general liver damage. The victim's urine has a very yellow color. Symptoms are vomiting, jaundice, and poor clotting time, as well as hemorrhages throughout the body. Deaths are usually from acute liver atrophy.

Reaction Time: Several days.

Antidotes and Treatments: Medication must be discontinued immediately. No other treatment is known.

It is widely used to treat rheumatic disease and podagra (gout).

Case History: The father of a twenty-six-year-old man in India noticed that the whites of his son's eyes were somewhat yellow. It was learned that the boy had been taking eight atophan tablets a day for the relief of rheumatism, which had followed an attack of tonsillitis three months before.

I hope that helps.
 

RJK

Sheriff Bullwinkle the Poet says:
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Nov 6, 2007
Messages
3,415
Reaction score
440
Location
Lewiston, NY
I was going to say Twinkies, but they probably take longer than you want.
 

katiemac

Five by Five
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 11, 2005
Messages
11,521
Reaction score
1,661
Location
Yesterday
I'd look into some recreational drugs, like ecstasy, that in either high doses can be fatal or in combination with something else, like over-the-counter sleeping pills, already in his system.

It's more likely to look like an accident.

[Disclaimer: I don't know if the aforementioned combination is problematic. Probably can't be good, at any rate.]
 

PeterL

Sockpuppet
Banned
Joined
Aug 17, 2009
Messages
1,129
Reaction score
91
How slow acting? Heavy metals are cumulative poisons that can act over decades. If you want something will take a week, then it would also involve multiple doses. You might look into binary poisons. Each of two chemicals is harmless by itself, but taking one after the other will do harm.
 

Kathie Freeman

That Crazy Cat Lady
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 17, 2005
Messages
394
Reaction score
83
Location
Fallbrook, CA
Website
catbook.biz
Arsenic is the classic slow-acting poison. In small doses it causes headaches, confusion and drowsiness, later come diarrhea, vomiting, blood in the urine, cramping muscles, hair loss, stomach pain, and convulsions. Ultimately death is from liver or kidney failure. That's how the British killed Napoleon. It shows up in your hair and fingernails, even years after death.
 

tirial

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 23, 2010
Messages
159
Reaction score
13
Would any of the plant extracts qualify? In solution they could be added to pain pills or put in capsule cases.

Extract of deadly nightshade? The symptoms of deadly nightshade include rash, fever, and hallucinations, and if enough is consumed, coma and death. A limited dose may be survivable. Onset of symptoms is variable, but usually between one to 24 hours.

Hemlock is another possibility.
 

Fenika

Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jun 3, 2007
Messages
24,311
Reaction score
5,109
Location
-
Rat poison like warfarin. A few days later, take the victim for a hike in the woods along a very thorny trail and watch them bleed out slowwwwwwwwly.
 

Said The Sun

foremost, for prose
Super Member
Registered
Joined
May 21, 2010
Messages
289
Reaction score
41
Location
in the stilly night
This reminded me of the mice poison we used in the office last winter. It made them so thirsty they drank until their bellies burst. There are some sadistically creative fuggers out there. I know this might not apply to this particular subject but what a way to go.
 

amlptj

Speling & grammer murderer, Sorrie!
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jul 20, 2009
Messages
10,424
Reaction score
689
Location
Philadelphia PA
a small amount of arsenic... arsenic poisoning is horrible! OR Cyanide... although that would probably kill him
 

android415

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jun 18, 2010
Messages
327
Reaction score
9
What about antifreeze? I know that's a little different, but I remember for a while there, it tasted exactly like gatorade, which made it easy to slip to someone.

I believe the antifreeze makers actually changed this, so it's more bitter. But it would be nothing for your character to add a little sugar. Given in the right doses, it will kill very, very slowly, and will probably be mistaken for a strange illness.

After a few hours, the person would start vomiting heavily.

(I feel very morbid discussing this, but I heard about it on a TruTV crime show)
 

happywritermom

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Oct 22, 2008
Messages
1,042
Reaction score
135
I haven't googled to see exactly what it does, but what about good old-fashioned Hemlock?
 

PeterL

Sockpuppet
Banned
Joined
Aug 17, 2009
Messages
1,129
Reaction score
91
Hemlock isn't a very good poison. Since it's from aplant the concentration is uncertain. If the concentration is high enough, then it kills fairly quickly.

I wonder if anyone has use Giant Hogweed as a weapon of murder.
 

Fenika

Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jun 3, 2007
Messages
24,311
Reaction score
5,109
Location
-
Antifreeze is still very sweet and unsuspecting pets drink it up quite readily. Then they die a nasty death, unless it's caught and treated early or they somehow managed to have less than the very small lethal dose, which is still not so hot.
 

K.Bristow

Somewhere between sanity & jumping
Registered
Joined
Oct 12, 2009
Messages
36
Reaction score
2
Location
Connecticut
Try white oleander - the leaves specifically. Depending on the amount administered (usually as a tea or in liquid form)

Nerium oleander is an evergreen shrub or small tree in the dogbane family Apocynaceae. It is the only species currently classified in the genus Nerium. It is most commonly known as Oleander but has many other names. Oleander is one of the most poisonous of commonly grown garden plants, and can be very toxic if ingested in sufficient quantity.
Reactions to this plant are as follows: Ingestion can cause both gastrointestinal and cardiac effects. The gastrointestinal effects can consist of nausea and vomiting, excess salivation, abdominal pain, diarrhea that may or may not contain blood. Cardiac reactions consist of irregular heart rate, sometimes characterized by a racing heart at first that then slows to below normal further along in the reaction. The heart may also beat erratically with no sign of a specific rhythm. Extremities may become pale and cold due to poor or irregular circulation. Reactions to poisonings from this plant can also affect the central nervous system. These symptoms can include drowsiness, tremors or shaking of the muscles, seizures, collapse, and even coma that can lead to death.

Basically, it mocks a heart attack and until the movie came out in 2002 rarely was death by oleander poisoning a consideration in adults. Most deaths were considered heart attacks. Its not pleasent at all.

hope that helps a bit. Oh, oleander is a subtropical plant that grows well in in dry places like california. Beautiful flowers also.
Karen