Plastic bag over head

[purplesky9]

How long does it take to die from suffocation from taping a plastic bag over your head. Is it a realistic method. Would I be able to overcome the panic that sets in when I start to suffocate by using alcohol and benzos?

 

[gottacheckout]

Depends on the size of the bag. SI will usually kick in and you will end up treating the plastic off. Drugs may help but it stool had a poor success rate

 

[wham311]

Could try handcuffs behind back too, but I think this takes a long time and is not fun

 

[locked*n*loaded]

It will trigger the hypercapnic response (like a panic response) because the CO2 you exhale has nowhere to exit, and gets breathed back in. It will cause you to just rip the bag off. You can try it yourself and see what happens.

 

[purplesky9]

That's too bad. I suppose that's gonna happen even if I have a really strong urge to die. What about if I use handcuffs?

 

[locked*n*loaded]

That's too bad. I suppose that's gonna happen even if I have a really strong urge to die. What about if I use handcuffs?

That could work depending on how you secure your hands. It's going to be a horrific way to die, though.

 

[evanescent_eva]

The amount of time it takes to CTB from a plastic bag depends on the size of your lungs and the size of your bag, so it's impossible to predict precisely ahead of time. The cofounder of the Hemlock Society included a chapter on the plastic bag method in his book on CTB methods (link here), and he seemed to think that two hours would be sufficient, provided you chose a bag that was "moderately loose" (probably to avoid SI kicking in due to the smothering that may result from a smaller bag)? Though he recommends using a large rubber band or a ribbon as opposed to tape to seal the bag closed. Per the same source, apparently the feeling of suffocation kicks in "long before the oxygen falls to a level that would induce or enhance a lack of awareness of this discomfort", so fast-acting sleeping meds are probably a must to avoid SI.

Benzos might work, but also (per this source from the sasu suicide resources thread, so it's probably trustworthy) apparently benzos don't shut down your motoric system. This could be a problem, "since the motoric system has to be shut down so that one does not remove the bag from one's head, due to the feeling of suffocation." Apparently several people have described failed attempts using this method "where they woke up some hours later in a different room or outside, later finding the plastic bag torn somewhere and never remembering what had happened to them." The source recommends barbiturates instead for that reason. But then you'd need a bag big enough to allow for at least 1 hour of normal breathing, because that's apparently how long it takes for phenobarbital to shut your brain down, and you don't want to feel suffocation -> panic -> SI -> take off the bag before phen kicks in. Though I suppose you could opt for a smaller bag than that and put it on, idk, half an hour after you take phen?

That's too bad. I suppose that's gonna happen even if I have a really strong urge to die. What about if I use handcuffs?

Handcuffs without barbiturates could lead to the same problem as a plastic bag without barbiturates. If your motoric system isn't turned off, you can potentially just free yourself from the handcuffs, or find a way to tear the bag even with them on.

Anyway, it's not the most common or reliable method, but it could work in principle. Hope you find a way to ease your suffering, whatever that ends up looking like for you.

 

[purplesky9]

Well I don't have access to barbiturates so I guess I cross this one off the list of possible methods

 

[Intoxicated]

That's too bad. I suppose that's gonna happen even if I have a really strong urge to die.

If you're very motivated, it may work.

https://i.sanctioned-suicide.net/images/2025/02/221416_Plastic_bag_suffocation.pdf

What about if I use handcuffs?

If you can obtain handcuffs, then you likely could obtain asphyxiant gases as well. Displacing oxygen from the bag and breathing with oxygen-deficient atmosphere should render unconsciousness quickly.

It's enough to reduce the concentration of O2 to 6% (that is approximately 28% air + 72% simple asphyxiant) or below to induce LOC within a minute. The 3rd stage of general anesthesia (sufficient for surgical operations) is achieved within ~3 minutes (the actual time may be much smaller).

Nitrous oxide is one of the best asphyxiating agents, since it has a light sweet odor, produces anesthesia slightly faster than inert gases (like nitrogen), and may suppress the symptoms of dispnea caused by excess of CO2 according to the studies described in the documents below

https://i.sanctioned-suicide.net/images/2025/02/221151_Death_from_Nitrous_Oxide.pdf

https://i.sanctioned-suicide.net/images/2025/02/221152_nitrous_oxide_reduces_dyspnoea.pdf

It's widely available in online markets as food additive E942 used for making whipped cream. A cheapest package of 10 x 8 g N2O chargers costs nearly $5, and 8 g of liquid N2O expands to ~4 liters of gas at atmospheric pressure. A cheap dispenser (that would be handy for cracking the chargers) costs nearly $15 - $25. This is far less expensive than typical recommended open/ventilated inert gas setups.

Making a well working unventilated setup requires some good dexterity though, since allowing too much air entering the bag could result in some complications.

It was found that anaesthesia can be obtained with mixtures of nitrous oxide and air, provided the latter does not exceed 30 per cent. With 33⅓ per cent Hewitt failed to induce complete unconsciousness. With small percentages of air the symptoms were practically identical with those produced by the pure gas. The greater the proportion of air, the longer was the inhalation period before symptoms of anaesthesia appeared. Thus with 3 per cent and 5 per cent of air the average inhalation period was 69 secs.; with 30 per cent of air it was 148 secs.

 

[outrider567]

Well I don't have access to barbiturates so I guess I cross this one off the list of possible methods

Yep, forget it

 

[purplesky9]

If you're very motivated, it may work.

https://i.sanctioned-suicide.net/images/2025/02/221416_Plastic_bag_suffocation.pdf

If you can obtain handcuffs, then you likely could obtain asphyxiant gases as well. Displacing oxygen from the bag and breathing with oxygen-deficient atmosphere should render unconsciousness quickly.

It's enough to reduce the concentration of O2 to 6% (that is approximately 28% air + 72% simple asphyxiant) or below to induce LOC within a minute. The 3rd stage of general anesthesia (sufficient for surgical operations) is achieved within ~3 minutes (the actual time may be much smaller).

Nitrous oxide is one of the best asphyxiating agents, since it has a light sweet odor, produces anesthesia slightly faster than inert gases (like nitrogen), and may suppress the symptoms of dispnea caused by excess of CO2 according to the studies described in the documents below

https://i.sanctioned-suicide.net/images/2025/02/221151_Death_from_Nitrous_Oxide.pdf

https://i.sanctioned-suicide.net/images/2025/02/221152_nitrous_oxide_reduces_dyspnoea.pdf

It's widely available in online markets as food additive E942 used for making whipped cream. A cheapest package of 10 x 8 g N2O chargers costs nearly $5, and 8 g of liquid N2O expands to ~4 liters of gas at atmospheric pressure. A cheap dispenser (that would be handy for cracking the chargers) costs nearly $15 - $25. This is far less expensive than typical recommended open/ventilated inert gas setups.

Making a well working unventilated setup requires some good dexterity though, since allowing too much air entering the bag could result in some complications.

It was found that anaesthesia can be obtained with mixtures of nitrous oxide and air, provided the latter does not exceed 30 per cent. With 33⅓ per cent Hewitt failed to induce complete unconsciousness. With small percentages of air the symptoms were practically identical with those produced by the pure gas. The greater the proportion of air, the longer was the inhalation period before symptoms of anaesthesia appeared. Thus with 3 per cent and 5 per cent of air the average inhalation period was 69 secs.; with 30 per cent of air it was 148 secs.

How much nitrous oxide would I have to use and how would I ensure required percentage entered the bag.

 

[Intoxicated]

How much nitrous oxide would I have to use

When I experimented with a nearly 60cm x 60cm plastic bag, 5 chargers (8g of N2O each) were enough to inflate it fully. I would take this as the minimum that could be used for reliable asphyxiation. A bigger bag inflated with a larger volume of gas would increase the maximum permissible amount of air that could be mixed with the asphyxiant without severe negative impact.

and how would I ensure required percentage entered the bag.

After you inflate an initially empty bag, the concentration of the asphyxiant will be nearly 100% there. When putting the bag over the head, some amount of ambient air will inevitably enter inside. I think, it should be pretty obvious how this amount can be minimized, if you try to visualize all the steps. This includes maximum exhale beforehand, since residual air in the lungs also contributes to the resulting oxygen concentration.