Discussion Did you ever believe an overdose on over the counter medications eg. Paracetamol would work? Poll

[Forever Sleep]

I've just come from a thread that discussed suicide being portrayed as being easy in the media. Especially via overdose. So, I'm curious whether that portrayal affected the majority of us. Or, whether we once held that belief anyway.

So, regardless of how little time you held the belief, did you ever believe an overdose would work? I suppose, specifically an overdose on over the counter medication.

I've actually known someone who attempted twice with over the counter stuff. I definitely thought it would work though- at one time. I'm just relieved I never put it to the test.

I'm not really sure when I figured out it was an unreliable method. I suppose when I started to research methods more thoroughly. I was definitely looking into inert gas in my early twenties. There again, I probably also found out that slashing wrists was an unreliable method then, too. Which I had also believed would work previously.

So, that's the other questions I suppose. If you did believe these other methods would work- when did you start to change your opinion?

It's not to say they never work of course but- it surely isn't as easy, painless and guaranteed as the media tends to portray.

 

[nintendo64]

I always thought it would probably be pretty difficult to die from an OD on otc stuff. I still tried to OD on benadryl like 8 years ago, just had the worst fever dream trip of my life lol. I also thought it'd be excruciating and drawn out if you do die from something like acetaminophen, since it would take days for the liver or kidney failure to fully set in. Not a lot of people could handle that without giving in and going to the hospital.

 

[madwoman]

My attempt as a teen was thinking a bottle of ibuprofen would work - took over 100 pills and even swallowed the silica thing and was ready to go. And kept around my prescription meds for years thinking that if I wanted to CTB I'd take them all. It wasn't until I found this site in April I think (made an account not too much longer after finding it) and I'm in my 30s. Also thought slashing wrists would too - my method before was both of those combined. Also thought of other things - jumping off a bridge but found of the Sanfran bridge has suicide nets I was so angry about that and the big bridge in my nearby city also has them. I was going to have the inert gas that I learned about from a show be it but now SN is my method. Wish I had N though as that seems the best.

 

[Forever Sleep]

My attempt as a teen was thinking a bottle of ibuprofen would work - took over 100 pills and even swallowed the silica thing and was ready to go. And kept around my prescription meds for years thinking that if I wanted to CTB I'd take them all. It wasn't until I found this site in April I think (made an account not too much longer after finding it) and I'm in my 30s. Also thought slashing wrists would too - my method before was both of those combined. Also thought of other things - jumping off a bridge but found of the Sanfran bridge has suicide nets I was so angry about that and the big bridge in my nearby city also has them. I was going to have the inert gas that I learned about from a show be it but now SN is my method. Wish I had N though as that seems the best.

Did you have any long term side effects afterwards? The person I knew developed a severe intolerance for the medication they attempted with. Understandable really. Likely the body saying- not this shit again.

I kind of wonder there's not a warning on the packet. 'Not reliable for suicide'.

 

[madwoman]

Did you have any long term side effects afterwards? The person I knew developed a severe intolerance for the medication they attempted with. Understandable really. Likely the body saying- not this shit again.

I kind of wonder there's not a warning on the packet. 'Not reliable for suicide'.

Not that I know of. Sometimes I feel bc my stomach often aches if it's bc of that. They said I was lucky I don't take Tylenol/otc one you mentioned bc that could cause liver problems. I still use ibuprofen for aches and cramps

 

[badatparties]

Nope, i kinda just knew it would damage your liver and kill you slowly and painfully. You just hear this type of shit in passing i guess.

 

[fungus]

As an Kid, sure.
I had an breakdown one year ago where I took an overdose on Paracetamol, despite knowing it wouldn't kill me (at least not easy and painless) But I didn't had anything else to hand. It isn't a nice feeling and if you don't get fast to the hospital the damage on your liver will be bad. (I got there before the 4 hours mark, so my liver is fine)
In Media it is portrayed as this easy thing, but getting yourself to swallow that many pills is not and for me the effect after taking them hit harder then expected. And that also makes it hard to get into the hospital before serious damage is done, so I would say that it is kind of dangerous to have it in so many medias portrayed as this reliable method.

 

[Forveleth]

I put Other because I thought yes when I was like 10 and did not really know about various types of medication. Once I got into my teens I learned people OD on heavier stuff.

 

[daruino]

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[Jadotine]

Always thought that OTC drugs would not kill but thought that a good cocktail mix of different OTC and prescription drugs would be enough. And just hoping for a bad interaction or something.

Woke up fine, just tired and very dizzy. Definitely marked it as unreliable for the future lol

 

[weallhaveourghosts]

Before this website I would usually attempt with Tylenol and alcohol. I think one time I was told it is good I got to the hospital when I did cause I could've had damage but that was a long time ago. I've also tried Benadryl both the liquid version and the pills (crushed up) but didnt do it with any alcohol. Obvs nothing happened besides being super tired. I do wish OTC counter was easier to ctb with though. I simply can't do SN cause of the taste despite trying multiple times with it. Surprisingly, I did attempt once drinking visine and for some reason that was easier for me to swallow than SN. I do think had I drank more visine it wouldve been possible for me to ctb at the time. I was throwing up a lot, had blueish skin, was sent home by my boss that day cause they said I was acting strange but to me internally I was fine so idk.

 

[madameviolette]

No. I remember when I was in high school a girl from my class tried to CTB with anti diarrhea pills. Everyone got the news and she got laughed at, even by teachers.

Ever since I never considered meds as a method lol

 

[Lady Laudanum]

It's definitely possible to overdose and die from OTC meds. There are verified cases of it happening to people, but it's not that common. If OTC meds could easily kill people, they would not be OTC anymore. Either that, or we would hear a lot more about people overdosing on them and dying.

 

[inkmage333]

All meds, even OTC ones, are dangerous to some capacity so imo it is possible to overdose and die from them, that said they are OTC for a reason (low risk of overdosing) so while there's a non-zero chance for someone to die from taking too many of them, it really isn't something that...happens?

 

[dead dav]

Yes they can work but paracetamol overdose is a slow painful death prescription drugs should work but I would research it first

 

[TAW122]

I answered "I suspected it would work, but I have my doubts" because prior to discovering SaSu and doing more thorough research and readings on methods, I have heard of stories of people actually dying albeit it was rare and often painfully, not peaceful at all. While technically there are non-zero deaths from OD on OTC medications, the numbers are rather small and those who do end up CTB'ing via OTC medications often end up with a lot of suffering and high unreliability of success, those who survive end up with permanent damage to their organs and make suffering worse.

After I've done my research, I've learned about not just how ineffective some of these "non-methods" (methods that should NOT be attempted or highly avoided due to their unreliability and catastrophic consequences as a result of failure), but also that other viable methods have their flaws too, especially if done incorrectly. I ended up choosing the firearm, initially due to my personal preference at the time (many years ago), but after learning of the efficacy of such method and even in today's modern climate (where SN is now becoming/has become the 'N' of the earlier days, where it is hard to source, get, and what not, depending on one's situation), I've settled with the firearm. Even though media has portrayed the "under the chin technique" which is patently dangerous and risky, I've done enough research and study to know that it is not the way to go, and with the firearm method, I would do the proper technique to ensure success than risk permanent damage and suffering from failure.

 

[littlecutecorpse]

when i was younger, yeah. got influenced from exposure to media that showcased OD's as if it were some 'popular, effective' method, though later on i had my doubts. either way, i attempted by OD'ing on keppra and ibuprofen at 16 (even when i knew it wasn't going to work by then) and all it did was make me very drowsy and slightly nauseous. been opting for FSH since.

 

[iced.fscat]

I mean , it can work but i think it's very unlikely.. and will take a long time and but there could be a lot of factors … i remember when i was 12 i was desperate for an escape so i overdosed on paracetamol. it was quite a lot for 12 year old i took 32pills it was what was avaliable to me and i just ended up with impending liver failure (that i recovered from in the end). it probably could've slowly killed me if I had waited a few more hours for the no return route

 

[windowinstaller]

dph works.

 

[CGN83]

OD on OTC meds is near impossible for people like me. I always vomit after I reach a certain point. Paracetamol is the worst though, that taste you get for hours is awful.

 

[dontletthembribeyou]

I attempted by taking an entire bottle of ibuprofen (or trying to, anyway, I can't imagine I got more than halfway through) when I was 12, after getting my first F. I wasn't stupid, so I wonder if unconsciously I was trying to fail. And I shudder to think of what I've done to my liver; to this day I can hardly touch alcohol or painkillers because I'm so afraid that I've already done irreversible damage

 

[SadbleaTablea]

I am a fully grown adult, but admittedly, it was only last year where I began doubting the method. It started when I was researching more on overdoses at Reddit. Even then, I still believed CTB via OTC overdose was semi-reliable since the information I gathered from Reddit has shown me that death from OTC overdose happens, albeit in a much more painful and slower way than what media depicts. This site, however, has informed me that the method is actually a non-method, and that even with prescribed antidepressants, chances of CTB is extremely low. So, I'm thankful to SaSu for enlightening me, even though it is frustrating that I am one less of a reliable method, I am grateful that I am spared from needless suffering or/and permanent damage.

 

[metothemoon]

Although I know/knew it wouldn't work, I tried several times, in case I got "lucky" once. Once would be enough… Only to end up even more miserable for a couple of days

 

[LittleNelson]

People do occasionally CTB with over the counter medications but it's rare. You'd have a better chance if you mix in some prescription drugs and alcohol. Chef Anne Burrell died from a combo of Adderall, Bendaryl, Zyrtec, and alcohol.