# Just How Much Visine Does It Take To Kill Someone? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 3, 2018, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-much-visine-does-it-take-to-kill-someone/820709 "2018-09-03T20:47:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2018, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-much-visine-does-it-take-to-kill-someone/820709/1 "2018-09-03T20:47:24Z")
Do not need answer fast. Just a weird story I read. I didn’t know you could even kill someone with Visine. And here I’ve been putting that stuff right on my eyeball! :eek: > **[Woman kills husband by putting eye drops in water, police say](https://wgntv.com/news/woman-kills-husband-by-putting-eye-drops-in-water-police-say/)** > > CLOVER, S.C. — Authorities say a South Carolina woman has been charged with murder after killing her husband by putting eye drops into his water for several days. York County deputies said 52-year-… “Authorities say 52-year-old Lana Clayton confessed after an autopsy uncovered a high amount of tetrahydrozoline in her husband’s body. The chemical is found in over-the-counter eye drops such as Visine.” ---
**Author:** ![Oredigger77](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oredigger77/32/3181_2.png) [@Oredigger77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oredigger77)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2018, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-much-visine-does-it-take-to-kill-someone/820709/2 "2018-09-03T21:17:42Z")
From what I can find googling around it looks like the leathal dose of tetrahydrozoline is 345 mg/kg so for a 100 kg man we’re looking at about 34.5 grams and a bottle of visine contains about .05% tetrahydrozoline or .00025 fl oz per bottle. For now I’ll go with 8.33 pounds/gallon since its close enough and we can say there are 0.00738 grams per bottle so it would take 4,675 bottles to kill at 220 pound man. I don’t know if it hangs around in your system for a while or what but it would take almost 13 years at a bottle per day. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2018, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-much-visine-does-it-take-to-kill-someone/820709/3 "2018-09-03T21:55:28Z")
Here’s an FDA warning about the drug and related meds: [FDA Drug Safety Communication: Serious adverse events from accidental ingestion by children of over-the-counter eye drops and nasal sprays | FDA](https://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/ucm325257.htm) Severe reactions, including coma, severe respiratory difficulty and cardiovascular collapse have been seen in small children after ingesting only 1 or 2 ml of the eye drop. It’s a potent vasoconstrictor, and while relatively safe when used topically (i.e. on eyes and in noses), taking it orally can produce a whole lot more problems. It stimulates the same receptors that adrenaline does (alpha 1 receptors) and can do so quite potently. It also interacts with a bunch of other drugs. It’d be especially risky for patients with pre-existing coronary artery disease or pulmonary hypertension and a whole lot of other conditions, and it’d certainly mess with folks who are on anti-arrhythmic and anti-hypertensive or anti-anginal meds. Oh, and seizures. It lowers the threshold for having them, messes with anti-seizure meds, and does pretty much all the bad things that stimulants can do ( psychosis, sudden cardiac death, etc.) Yet it’s still pretty safe in eyes, noses, and other mucous tissue. It’s a dandy treatment for hemorrhoids, but don’t shove it too far up there lest too much be absorbed via the rectal mucosa. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2018, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-much-visine-does-it-take-to-kill-someone/820709/4 "2018-09-03T22:09:39Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > Here’s an FDA warning about the drug and related meds: [FDA Drug Safety Communication: Serious adverse events from accidental ingestion by children of over-the-counter eye drops and nasal sprays | FDA](https://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/ucm325257.htm) > > … Wow. I thought that stuff was pretty much harmless. Thanks for the education. > [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > … It’s a dandy treatment for hemorrhoids, but don’t shove it too far up there lest too much be absorbed via the rectal mucosa. I’ll just be filing this advice away in the old toolbox. For a friend, ya know. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2018, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-much-visine-does-it-take-to-kill-someone/820709/5 "2018-09-03T22:19:16Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > Wow. I thought that stuff was pretty much harmless. Thanks for the education. Agreed. It’s a real eye-opener. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2018, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-much-visine-does-it-take-to-kill-someone/820709/6 "2018-09-03T22:26:12Z")
Oh hell. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2018, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-much-visine-does-it-take-to-kill-someone/820709/7 "2018-09-04T01:34:24Z")
4,675 bottles in a box would probably kill a man if you dropped it on his head. But that’s cheating. ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2018, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-much-visine-does-it-take-to-kill-someone/820709/8 "2018-09-04T01:58:19Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > 4,675 bottles in a box would probably kill a man if you dropped it on his head. But that’s cheating. A bucketful would do if you hold their head down long enough… ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2018, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-much-visine-does-it-take-to-kill-someone/820709/9 "2018-09-04T02:26:58Z")
> [@jasg](#): > > A bucketful would do if you hold their head down long enough… That would work really well on Putin. Know why? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![swampspruce](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampspruce/32/261_2.png) [@swampspruce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampspruce)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2018, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-much-visine-does-it-take-to-kill-someone/820709/10 "2018-09-04T14:25:33Z")
> [@jasg](#): > > A bucketful would do if you hold their head down long enough… Ninja! ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2018, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-much-visine-does-it-take-to-kill-someone/820709/11 "2018-09-04T15:42:53Z")
I watched a documentary which demonstrated how a couple squirts of Visine in a drink will give you terrible diarrhea. Can’t remember the name of the movie but it was co-hosted by Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2018, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-much-visine-does-it-take-to-kill-someone/820709/12 "2018-09-04T20:11:29Z")
Visine. It gets the dead out. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2018, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-much-visine-does-it-take-to-kill-someone/820709/13 "2018-09-04T20:45:50Z")
I’m guessing that she put a lot more than Visine in his coffee, and may possibly have been injecting him with it. If he was diabetic, that could sneakily be done, especially if he uses regular insulin which, like Visine, is clear. There was a true-crime murder story about a man who died because his wife got a paralytic agent and put it in his insulin pump. :eek: It was a tiny amount relative to what’s used in the OR, but it was enough to do the job. And it would be a horrific way to die. ---
**Author:** ![arles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/71c47a/32.png) [@arles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/arles)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2018, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-much-visine-does-it-take-to-kill-someone/820709/14 "2018-09-05T00:48:37Z")
> [@wguy123](#): > > I watched a documentary which demonstrated how a couple squirts of Visine in a drink will give you terrible diarrhea. Can’t remember the name of the movie but it was co-hosted by Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn. I remember many year ago, when Flight Attendants were Stewardesses, a friend who worked for Eastern Airlines said that they would add a few drops of Visine to the coffee of those passengers who were too frisky. Also, according to the BBC, in the current case she is charged with “unlawful malicious tampering of food between the dates of 19 and 21 July”. So either she gave him a large volume or it was just enough to cause interactions. [https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-45411562](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-45411562) Also, from the above article: “Prosecutors say they are now reviewing a 2016 incident, in which she shot her husband in the head with a crossbow as he slept.” ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2018, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-much-visine-does-it-take-to-kill-someone/820709/15 "2018-09-05T15:01:11Z")
> [@arles](#): > > Also, from the above article: “Prosecutors say they are now reviewing a 2016 incident, in which she shot her husband in the head with a crossbow as he slept.” DAMN! That’s a good sign to get out of a relationship. ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2018, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-much-visine-does-it-take-to-kill-someone/820709/16 "2018-09-05T18:18:34Z")
> [@arles](#): > > Also, from the above article: “Prosecutors say they are now reviewing a 2016 incident, in which she shot her husband in the head with a crossbow as he slept.” Eh, she probably just forgot to unload it before cleaning it, and the husband was just unlucky enough to be in the line of fire. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2018, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-much-visine-does-it-take-to-kill-someone/820709/17 "2018-09-05T20:35:53Z")
> [@Folacin](#): > > Eh, she probably just forgot to unload it before cleaning it, and the husband was just unlucky enough to be in the line of fire. Probably right. I don’t think crossbows come with a loaded round indicator like most modern firearms. The only way to truly know is pull the trigger. ---
**Author:** ![Aescwynn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Aescwynn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aescwynn)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2018, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-much-visine-does-it-take-to-kill-someone/820709/18 "2018-09-05T21:02:59Z")
> [@wguy123](#): > > I watched a documentary which demonstrated how a couple squirts of Visine in a drink will give you terrible diarrhea. Can’t remember the name of the movie but it was co-hosted by Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn. Wedding Crashers. Bradley Cooper was the dick that got the dose. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2018, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-much-visine-does-it-take-to-kill-someone/820709/19 "2018-09-05T21:42:38Z")
> [@arles](#): > > \ Also, from the above article: “Prosecutors say they are now reviewing a 2016 incident, in which she shot her husband in the head with a crossbow as he slept.” Maybe his last name is Walker. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2018, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-much-visine-does-it-take-to-kill-someone/820709/20 "2018-09-05T23:02:48Z")
> [@wguy123](#): > > I watched a documentary which demonstrated how a couple squirts of Visine in a drink will give you terrible diarrhea. Can’t remember the name of the movie but it was co-hosted by Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn. Snopes says no. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-much-visine-does-it-take-to-kill-someone/820709.md?page=2)