3

I'm writing a story about someone who's poisoned with a drug which makes him not be able to sleep for several days. In order to make my story as realistic as possible I need to know a couple of things:

1) Does this type of drug actually exist? I think that amphetamines or modafinil can keep you awake but,

2) Can these drugs keep the effect for a long time (days)? I mean, the organism would start at a certain point and try to sleep, right?

3) If there's such a drug then after a long period of sleep deprivation the person would start to have certain symptoms. Could be hallucinations one of these symptoms?

4) And now even more complicated: is there any possibility that if the person dies could be no trace of the drug in an autopsy's toxicological analysis?

1 Answer 1

1

The most popular drug that can keep people awake for long time is caffeine. Most caffeine pills contain a 200mg dose, about the same as the average 12-ounce cup of coffee.

1
  • 3
    Welcome to Health.SE. Since health is an important topic, the site has a strict policy that all answers should be backed up with reliable references in order to provide the community with the means to assess the merit of the answer, regardless of the reader's background. See this list of reliable sources. If you still have trouble with this, feel free to visit the help center.
    – Narusan
    Mar 30, 2017 at 5:05

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.