# You take a poison's median lethal dose **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 21, 2014, 9:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-take-a-poisons-median-lethal-dose/699073 "2014-09-21T09:08:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-take-a-poisons-median-lethal-dose/699073/21 "2014-09-22T00:26:19Z")
{_Flips coin_}…Tails! Looks like I died. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![stui\_magpie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stui_magpie/32/11010_2.png) [@stui\_magpie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stui_magpie)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-take-a-poisons-median-lethal-dose/699073/22 "2014-09-22T00:27:37Z")
I’m a bit bigger than average and I’ve always had a pretty high tolerance to drugs, so I’ll make the assumption I’m going to be good. ---
**Author:** ![Hector\_St\_Clare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5ac83/32.png) [@Hector\_St\_Clare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hector_St_Clare)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-take-a-poisons-median-lethal-dose/699073/23 "2014-09-22T01:07:58Z")
N.B. to all the people who’ve been saying “I’m a big/small person, so…”. LD50 is given in terms of grams per kilogram, so your bodymass shouldn’t matter. (Your body composition on the other hand might). ---
**Author:** ![MrKnowItAll](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrknowitall/32/87_2.png) [@MrKnowItAll](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrKnowItAll)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-take-a-poisons-median-lethal-dose/699073/24 "2014-09-22T02:13:35Z")
Six months ago, I’d say I’d probably survive. But since then I’ve lost almost 70 lbs from dieting. I suspect my resistance is not that great, even for a person of my current weight. I’d be making out my will. Oh yeah, and ordering a pizza. ---
**Author:** ![thirdname](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@thirdname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdname)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-take-a-poisons-median-lethal-dose/699073/25 "2014-09-22T04:41:32Z")
Oh no, not I. I will survive. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-take-a-poisons-median-lethal-dose/699073/26 "2014-09-22T08:23:40Z")
What the OP doesn’t know is, I spent the last few years building up an immunity to iocane powder ---
**Author:** ![Anaglyph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Anaglyph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaglyph)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 9:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-take-a-poisons-median-lethal-dose/699073/27 "2014-09-22T09:40:28Z")
For most poisons, a dose that kills 50% of the exposed will leave the other 50% pretty sick. They survive, but for many of them it will be touch-and-go for quite a while, and depending of the nature of the poison, permanent damage can occur. So the 50% that don’t die certainly won’t be fine. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-take-a-poisons-median-lethal-dose/699073/28 "2014-09-22T10:51:45Z")
> [@thirdname](#): > > Oh no, not I. I will survive. Well, you’ve got all your life to live You’ve got all your love to give. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-take-a-poisons-median-lethal-dose/699073/29 "2014-09-22T11:54:25Z")
> [@MrKnowItAll](#): > > Oh yeah, and ordering a pizza. Fuck yeah. ---
**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 22, 2014, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-take-a-poisons-median-lethal-dose/699073/30 "2014-09-22T12:04:00Z")
> [@thirdname](#): > > Oh no, not I. I will survive. > [@kayaker](#): > > Well, you’ve got all your life to live > You’ve got all your love to give. Watch out for falling [disco balls.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5M7f5RVXJdE) ---
**Author:** ![MrsTime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@MrsTime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrsTime)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-take-a-poisons-median-lethal-dose/699073/31 "2014-09-22T16:09:23Z")
Since I am already old I probably will die. ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-take-a-poisons-median-lethal-dose/699073/32 "2014-09-22T17:56:52Z")
“Just fine” might be pushing it, since many poisons can have seriously unpleasant side effects even if you live. Still, I’m a pretty healthy guy and I’m neither very young nor very old. I think I’d stand a decent chance. I’m a little confused by some responses, though. A lot of people are pointing to their higher body weight as protection, but LD50 is defined as an amount of poison per unit of body weight. So if you weigh twice as much, you’d be taking twice as much poison. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-take-a-poisons-median-lethal-dose/699073/33 "2014-09-22T18:00:16Z")
If you don’t die, isn’t it a given that your internal organs will be pretty badly permanently damaged? I’m not sure how quality of life factors into this (or if it does). ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-take-a-poisons-median-lethal-dose/699073/34 "2014-09-22T19:34:28Z")
Hope for the best, plan for the worst. I would make arrangements for a porn buddy to visit my place in case I croak. But I don’t actually throw anything away yet. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-take-a-poisons-median-lethal-dose/699073.md?page=1)