While the above quote is quite correct: don't take it out of context when it comes to Fentanyl (this in reference to anyone that happens to come across the above i.e. not questioning the member who posted at all).
I spent months researching this shit last year and it only occurred to me, after keenly watching this thread since its inception and seeing the above quote, that the LD50 of Fentanyl is NEVER given in mg/kg
in humans.
The LD50 of Fentanyl
in humans is either reported as being unknown (or untested) or generally accepted to be
2mg total per human. And because it's never otherwise stated one has to assume that said LD50 of 2mg
in humans is applicable to IV administration.
Take a look at any website or publication or study you like (doesn't matter whether it's a harm reduction website or some research paper or anything else of that nature) and see if I'm wrong.
Also note that the above all refers to Fentanyl itself and NOT to its more potent analogs.
The below taken directly (unedited) from
Wikipedia. But the same information is regurgitated wherever you look.
"The intravenous dose causing 50% of opioid-naive experimental subjects to die (LD50) is "3 mg/kg in rats, 1 mg/kg in cats, 14 mg/kg in dogs, and 0.03 mg/kg in monkeys."[69] The LD50 in mice has been given as 6.9 mg/kg by intravenous administration, 17.5 mg/kg intraperitoneally, 27.8 mg/kg by oral administration.[70] The LD50 in humans is unknown,[71][72] but a lethal dose for the average person is estimated to be 2 mg.[55][verification needed]"
Why bother to mention any of this?
Because it occurred to me that somebody may overlook the above little nuggets of information as they pertain to Fentanyl, score 1 000mg (1g) of Fentanyl, divide by their body weight, and arrive at an LD50 that's far higher (deeming any result slightly below such mathematical calculation as being safe).
As an example: let's assume that "the average person" refers to your average American white male where it is purported to be that, currently, said average American white male weighs 90kg. The LD50 of Fentanyl in said average person is therefore 0.022mg/kg
NOT 2mg/kg. Ironically and in my very rough calculations and assumptions very close to monkeys (apparently).
While the above may seem very obvious to some: easy mistake to make, to the untrained or unwary eye, because of the way the LD50 of Fentanyl
in humans is reported or published.
For the sake of interest here's a decent explanation of the meaning of LD ("Lethal Dose") and LC ("Lethal Concentration") and different methods of expressing toxicity:
What does LD50 mean? LD stands for "Lethal Dose".
www.ccohs.ca
What's interesting to note though is the mathematical gymnastics and assumptions made when attempting to estimate the equivalent LD50 values in other animals vs. humans.
Why chiming in on this particular thread and topic? Mainly because I feel like a right royal cunt for never having noticed this before. Not to mention an experiment that's either gone totally sideways or these values, as they pertain to Fentanyl, are hyped to the nth degree (take this latter part with a pinch of salt, for now, and trust the science as presented though).
If you're really into this shit:
en.wikipedia.org
And if you want to do your head in then check out the mental and mathematical gymnastics in this PDF:
A quantitative structure – toxicity relationship of drugs on rat
