# Dexter's Sedative
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dexters-sedative/476196
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [December 8, 2008, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dexters-sedative/476196 "2008-12-08T02:08:02Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@thwartme](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thwartme)
#### Post date: [December 8, 2008, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dexters-sedative/476196/1 "2008-12-08T02:08:02Z")
Hey,
Anyone know what sedative Dexter (you know, the ‘good guy’ serial killer) supposedly uses? Is there a real sedative that works that fast? It seems like he injects people and they instantly fall unconscious… I figure if something like that really existed, we might hear of a lot more very unpleasant crimes being committed.
Thanks,
thwartme
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### Author:  [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)
#### Post date: [December 8, 2008, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dexters-sedative/476196/2 "2008-12-08T03:06:37Z")
Dexter’s Wiki page says it’s etorphine hydrochloride or M99. Wiki says it’s an opioid that can knock out elephants, and it’s only approved for veterinary use.
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### Author:  [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)
#### Post date: [December 8, 2008, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dexters-sedative/476196/3 "2008-12-08T03:17:20Z")
There are lots of fast-acting sedatives- they are just difficult to obtain.
I knew an MD once who would inject himself with pentothal in order to fall asleep. But he had to time it right, because he’d shoot up in the garage then walk/run to bed. At least a few times, he’d miss the dose and pass out half in and half out of the garage.
**QtM** knew him, I think. maybe he’ll verify or correct the pentothal ID…
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### Author:  [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)
#### Post date: [December 8, 2008, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dexters-sedative/476196/4 "2008-12-08T03:24:03Z")
Still, on _Dexter_ they always shows the victim getting stuck and losing consciousness pretty much immediately, without even being able to get a word in edge-wise. I think even the fastest sedatives still take more time than that – if only to make it to your heart and up to your brain.
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### Author:  [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)
#### Post date: [December 8, 2008, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dexters-sedative/476196/5 "2008-12-08T03:30:19Z")
**friedo** , that fits with the effects of M99:
“M99 (etorphine hydrochloride) was synthesised by Bentley & Hardy (1963) and is chemically related to morphine. When given subcutaneously, M99 is 1,000 to 80,000 times more potent than morphine as an analgesic. Its use for immobilising game animals results largely from its ability to cause catatonia at very low dose levels (for example, the total dose for a rhino may be as low as 5 mg).”
I wonder if Dex gives his victims something else to wake them up after he’s taken them to the kill room.
Oh, and one website says that anyone using the drug is required to have an antidote ready to go, in case someone is accidentally scratched by the needle or if it gets on their skin. It sounds like very fast-acting powerful stuff.
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### Author:  [@thwartme](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thwartme)
#### Post date: [December 8, 2008, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dexters-sedative/476196/6 "2008-12-08T03:31:30Z")
> [@friedo](#):
>
> Still, on _Dexter_ they always shows the victim getting stuck and losing consciousness pretty much immediately, without even being able to get a word in edge-wise. I think even the fastest sedatives still take more time than that – if only to make it to your heart and up to your brain.
Yeah, that’s sort of why I was asking. I feel the writers/directors are taking a little artistic license with how fast the sedative works, I was just wondering _how much_ artistic license.
But, wow. Elephant tranquilizers. Yeah, that’d probably work. You know, I actually know a couple people who work at a zoo … I’ll try to remember not to annoy them…
thwartme
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### Author:  [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)
#### Post date: [December 8, 2008, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dexters-sedative/476196/7 "2008-12-08T03:46:46Z")
> [@AuntiePam](#):
>
> **friedo** , that fits with the effects of M99:
The effects, sure, but what about the timing? How quickly does the rhino go down after getting stuck with 5mg?
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### Author:  [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)
#### Post date: [December 8, 2008, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dexters-sedative/476196/8 "2008-12-08T04:43:52Z")
It seems like they always try to set the scene up so that it looks like he’s injecting directly into a carotid artery.
Looking at [this](http://www.gwdocs.com/greystone/images/ei_2397.gif), it’s a target rich environment. (Why are there decent no anatomical drawings of this that aren’t side views :mad:.)
CMC +fnord!
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### Author:  [@Wallenstein](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallenstein)
#### Post date: [December 8, 2008, 10:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dexters-sedative/476196/9 "2008-12-08T10:09:27Z")
Have a look online for a video of Nadezhda Tylik… she was the mother of one of the victims of the Russian submarine (_Kursk_) which sank with all hands.
She was arguing with local officials, and film cameras showed a Russian doctor (or FSB Agent…) injecting her with a sedative. It instantly made her unable to speak, and then made her collapse.
> **[Kursk submarine disaster](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nadezhda_Tylik)**
>
> The nuclear-powered Project 949A Antey (Oscar II class) submarine K-141 Kursk sank in an accident on 12 August 2000 in the Barents Sea. It was taking part in the first major Russian naval exercise in more than 10 years. All 118 personnel on board were killed. The crews of nearby ships felt an initial explosion and a second, much larger explosion, but the Russian Navy did not realise that an accident had occurred and did not initiate a search for the vessel for over six hours. The submarine's e...
It’s quite a chilling video if you can find it.
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### Author:  [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)
#### Post date: [December 8, 2008, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dexters-sedative/476196/10 "2008-12-08T12:33:51Z")
> [@friedo](#):
>
> The effects, sure, but what about the timing? How quickly does the rhino go down after getting stuck with 5mg?
Not sure about a rhino, but a human will go down as soon as it hits the bloodstream.
There was an episode in the first season explaining that Dexter forged credentials as a dentist (I think? Maybe a vet?) in order to get the sedative.
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### Author:  [@Geobabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geobabe)
#### Post date: [December 8, 2008, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dexters-sedative/476196/11 "2008-12-08T15:05:09Z")
> [@EJsGirl](#):
>
> There are lots of fast-acting sedatives- they are just difficult to obtain.
>
> I knew an MD once who would inject himself with pentothal in order to fall asleep. But he had to time it right, because he’d shoot up in the garage then walk/run to bed. At least a few times, he’d miss the dose and pass out half in and half out of the garage.
>
> **QtM** knew him, I think. maybe he’ll verify or correct the pentothal ID…
Do you mean “Doctor, Alcoholic, Addict” from the Big Book, or did you know someone else in real life who did this?
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### Author:  [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)
#### Post date: [December 8, 2008, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dexters-sedative/476196/12 "2008-12-08T18:51:05Z")
I knew Paul, the guy who wrote that, casually.
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### Author:  [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)
#### Post date: [December 8, 2008, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dexters-sedative/476196/13 "2008-12-08T18:58:11Z")
I have a buddy who works for a hospital and according to him, they _do_ have drugs which they can inject into you and put you out in a couple of seconds. These tend to get used in the ER, when you’ve got patients who’re less than cooperative for a variety of reasons.
The pharma companies and the doctors tend to be _very_ quiet about discussing these things.
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### Author:  [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)
#### Post date: [December 8, 2008, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dexters-sedative/476196/14 "2008-12-08T19:48:44Z")
> [@neutron\_star](#):
>
> There was an episode in the first season explaining that Dexter forged credentials as a dentist (I think? Maybe a vet?) in order to get the sedative.
I just watched that episode. I was amused (but a bit disappointed) that his alias was “Patrick Bateman, M.D.” Bateman is the serial killer in _American Psycho_.
I like to think that Dexter is smart enough that he wouldn’t use a fictional serial killer to cover his tracks, but I guess the writers couldn’t help making a little homage.
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### Author:  [@Geobabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geobabe)
#### Post date: [December 8, 2008, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dexters-sedative/476196/15 "2008-12-08T20:40:52Z")
> [@EJsGirl](#):
>
> I knew Paul, the guy who wrote that, casually.
🆒
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### Author:  [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)
#### Post date: [December 8, 2008, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dexters-sedative/476196/16 "2008-12-08T20:44:28Z")
Yeah, he and Max were pretty fucking 🆒.
😃
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### Author:  [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)
#### Post date: [December 9, 2008, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dexters-sedative/476196/17 "2008-12-09T16:20:19Z")
> [@AuntiePam](#):
>
> I wonder if Dex gives his victims something else to wake them up after he’s taken them to the kill room.
Missed this the first time I read this thread, but he could do that and have it still be realistic.
[Naloxone (brand name: Narcan)](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naloxone) is an opiod receptor competetive antagonist that is strong enough to bring someone from the most blissful heroin high of their life (or an overdose) to screaming in agony from opiate withdrawal (if used on an addict) in the space of two minutes.
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### Author:  [@diggleblop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/diggleblop)
#### Post date: [December 9, 2008, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dexters-sedative/476196/18 "2008-12-09T16:54:12Z")
> [@friedo](#):
>
> Still, on _Dexter_ they always shows the victim getting stuck and losing consciousness pretty much immediately, without even being able to get a word in edge-wise. I think even the fastest sedatives still take more time than that – if only to make it to your heart and up to your brain.
For real, I mean the damn heart hasn’t even had time to beat once. But hey, it’s TV and that’s how it goes in Hollywoodland…
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### Author:  [@Shadows503](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shadows503)
#### Post date: [May 3, 2011, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dexters-sedative/476196/19 "2011-05-03T18:42:40Z")
Dexter must use an extremely powerful sedative called Etorphine to knock out his victims in such seconds of time… He also uses a chemical to counter that… its a chemical that is capable of reversing the effects of the etorphine… this reversal substance is in a very tiny sachel and sniffed or placed at the nose of the unconscious victim and when inhaled it reverses the effects almost instantly… Dexter also uses it in an attempt to stay awake in the first episode in season 4 when he kidnaps a dude and takes him to an abandoned boxing gym…
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### Author:  [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)
#### Post date: [May 3, 2011, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dexters-sedative/476196/20 "2011-05-03T19:22:07Z")
> [@Shadows503](#):
>
> Dexter must use an extremely powerful sedative called Etorphine to knock out his victims in such seconds of time.. He also uses a chemical to counter that.. its a chemical that is capable of reversing the effects of the etorphine.. this reversal substance is in a very tiny sachel and sniffed or placed at the nose of the unconscious victim and when inhaled it reverses the effects almost instantly.. Dexter also uses it in an attempt to stay awake in the first episode in season 4 when he kidnaps a dude and takes him to an abandoned boxing gym..
The second post mentioned Etorphin and the second to last post gave a name of a drug used to bring people to consciousness.
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