Polite Dissent

A common scenario in literature, television and movies is the use of a drug to quickly knock a character unconscious so that they can be captured or kidnapped. Usually, these mysterious drugs remain unnamed, but here are two recent (and generally well-done) comic book examples:

Case Study #1: The Programme #2
Max is kidnapped after being sedated by a “standard issue Diazepam-based cocktail.” Diazepam is better known by its brand name Valium, a drug with a wide variety of uses including muscle relaxation, anxiolysis (combating anxiety), and treating vertigo. Its most common side effect is sedation – and sometimes it is prescribed for just that purpose. Of note, Valium and related drugs (such as Klonopin, Xanax, Ativan, Halcion, Librium, and Restoril) can be addictive. These drugs can be given intravenously, intramuscularly, or orally and have a rapid onset of action.

You may recall that this is same drug Dr. Mid-Nite used to combat the dizziness induced by Count Vertigo back in JSA #17. I had concerns about Mid-Nite’s choice of medications due to the risk of sedation. It’s true that Valium is one of the strongest anti-vertigo drugs, but its always used as a second-line agent because of sedation — the same sedation used here to knock out Max (though I’m sure he was given a much higher dose than Dr. Mid-Nite used).

Case Study #2: Black Canary #2 and #3
Merlyn, disguised as Green Arrow, knocks out Sin with a gas. He later reveals that his drug of choice was Halothane.

Halothane is an inhaled anesthetic used for surgery that was developed in the 1950s as a better alternative to ether and chloroform. It was a tremendous improvement and provided rapid general anesthesia. Its use has been supplanted in the last decade by newer, slightly safer drugs — it still has some uses in veterinary medicine.

Two nit-picks here: first, Halothane is colorless, not purple. Second, Halothane is rapidly metabolized by the body and needs to be constantly administered to maintain anesthesia. For Sin to remain sedated, Merlyn would need to keep exposing her to the gas.