# Do they still make suicide pills? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 28, 2006, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-still-make-suicide-pills/341962 "2006-01-28T06:40:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2006, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-still-make-suicide-pills/341962/1 "2006-01-28T06:40:05Z")
Does the government still issue suicide pills to military pilots/spys/astronauts etc? If so who makes them? And does the FDA have to approve them? ---
**Author:** ![Daylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/45deac/32.png) [@Daylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daylon)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2006, 8:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-still-make-suicide-pills/341962/2 "2006-01-28T08:40:49Z")
I would say ‘probably’ to a few highly trained people doing really dangerous stuff. And since it’s the government the FDA wouldn’t be involved. I’m sure they have stuff that can kill you quick they can hide in a false tooth, or a small ring. There’s stuff out there that you can rub on bare skin that hits the system in seconds. Some of that mixed with a poison would do ya in pretty quick. D. > [@alphaboi867](#): > > Does the government still issue suicide pills to military pilots/spys/astronauts etc? If so who makes them? And does the FDA have to approve them? ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2006, 9:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-still-make-suicide-pills/341962/3 "2006-01-28T09:05:41Z")
Well, according to Jim Lovell, the Apollo astronauts _weren’t_ issued suicide pills—though he commented that, if worst came to worst, there was always the option of just opening a hatch. (I kinda doubt that one was in the manual, though.) ---
**Author:** ![Ty\_Cobb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ee59a6/32.png) [@Ty\_Cobb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ty_Cobb)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2006, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-still-make-suicide-pills/341962/4 "2006-01-28T21:57:32Z")
Russia has lots of those sorts of poisons, like the one used in that Ukranean election that almost killed the winner and left him scarred in the face. ---
**Author:** ![CynicalGabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@CynicalGabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CynicalGabe)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2006, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-still-make-suicide-pills/341962/5 "2006-01-28T22:30:30Z")
Why would the FDA have to approve a suicide pill? To make sure it’s safe? ---
**Author:** ![CynicalGabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@CynicalGabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CynicalGabe)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2006, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-still-make-suicide-pills/341962/6 "2006-01-28T22:31:37Z")
> [@Ty Cobb](#): > > Russia has lots of those sorts of poisons, like the one used in that Ukranean election that almost killed the winner and left him scarred in the face. That was dioxin. That was actually the first time it had ever been used for such a purpose, which is why they didn’t know how much to give him to kill him. Hardly an effective method of suicide. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2006, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-still-make-suicide-pills/341962/7 "2006-01-28T23:14:38Z")
> [@CynicalGabe](#): > > Why would the FDA have to approve a suicide pill? To make sure it’s safe? Yes, and the injectable kinds come with little alcohol swabs. ---
**Author:** ![CynicalGabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@CynicalGabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CynicalGabe)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2006, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-still-make-suicide-pills/341962/8 "2006-01-28T23:38:22Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > Yes, and the injectable kinds come with little alcohol swabs. Well, you wouldn’t want to die _and_ be sick. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2006, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-still-make-suicide-pills/341962/9 "2006-01-28T23:42:55Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > Yes, and the injectable kinds come with little alcohol swabs. As well as the 1-800 number for poison control. The alcohol swabs actually help make the injection more effective, or [so Cecil says.](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_056.html) ---
**Author:** ![Crandolph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7cd45c/32.png) [@Crandolph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crandolph)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2006, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-still-make-suicide-pills/341962/10 "2006-01-29T15:19:03Z")
> [@Ty Cobb](#): > > like the one used in that Ukranean election that almost killed the winner and left him scarred in the face. Was this proven to have been the case? I seem to also remember the theory that it could have been a skin condition linked to a (IIRC) liver condition, in turn linked to drinking. Anyone know if this was finally settled? It strikes me as odd that someone who would go through the trouble of trying to poison a major political figure in a country would use an ineffective poison when there’s so much fatal stuff out there. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2006, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-still-make-suicide-pills/341962/11 "2006-01-29T15:29:21Z")
If some Lobbyists have their way with Congress, all the HMOs will be offering them next year, in lieu of geriatrics. :mad: The above is Satire. Bitter, saturnine Satire. But I wouldn’t put it past them.