LD50s

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Psychoactive LD50s
LD50 - The dose that has been determined to be lethal to 50% of the test population.

LD50s for Various Substances
(with ratios regarding relative safety/toxicity)

Substance LD50 route animal Typical
Human Dose
Alcohol (Ethyl) 10.6 g/kg o young rats
7.06 g/kg o old rats
AMT 38 mg/kg3 ip mouse
22 mg/kg3 o rat
Caffeine 127 mg/Kg o mice (male) 100-200mg o
192 mg/Kg o rat
260 mg/Kg ip rat
105 mg/Kg iv rat
137 mg/Kg o mice (female)
230 mg/Kg o hamster(male)
249 mg/Kg o hamster(female)
355 mg/Kg o rat(male)
247 mg/Kg o rat(female)
246 mg/Kg o rabbit(male)
227 mg/Kg o rabbit(female)
140 mg/Kg o dog
Cocaine 95.1 mg/kg4 ip mouse
DET 28 mg/kg iv mouse 60 mg im/po
DIPT 26 mg/kg iv mouse 30 mg o
DMT 110 mg/kg im mouse 60 mg im
5-MeO-DMT 115 mg/kg ip mouse 6 mg p
DPT 20 mg/kg iv mouse 60 mg po
Sodium-GHB 2,000 mg/kg ip male rats
1,650 mg/kg ip female rats
Ibogaine 82 mg/kg2 ip guinea pig
145 mg/kg2 ip rat
Ketamine 77 mg/kg iv mouse
400 mg / kg ip mouse
LSD 46 mg/Kg iv mice 0.25 mg o
16.5 mg/Kg iv rats
.3 mg/Kg iv rabbits
MDA 92 mg/kg5 ip mouse
MDMA 350 mg/kg5 oral rats
106 mg/kg5 ip mouse
Mescaline 370 mg/kg o rats
Nicotine 230 mg/Kg o mice
50 mg/Kg o rats
9.5 mg/Kg ip mice .7mg(smoked)
.3 mg/Kg iv mice
Psilocybin 285 mg/Kg iv mice 12-20 mg o
280 mg/Kg iv rats
12.5 mg/Kg iv rabbit
THC 1270 mg/Kg o rats(male) 20mg o
730 mg/Kg o rats(female) 20mg o
105.7 mg/Kg iv rats 5mg(smoked)
42 mg/Kg (inhalation) rats 5mg(smoked)
Aspirin 1100 mg/Kg o mice 325mg o
1500 mg/Kg o rats
Acetaminophen 338 mg/Kg o mice 500mg o
500 mg/Kg ip mice
Vitamin A 2570 mg/Kg o mice 10-20mg o
1510 mg/Kg ip mice
Strychnine .96 mg/Kg iv rats

Succinyl Choline .45 mg/Kg iv
VX (nerve gas) .0154 mg/Kg iv rabbits 0 mg

Abbreviations:

iv = intravenous (injected into vein)
ip = intraperitoneal (injected into body cavity)
im = intramuscular (injected into muscles)
o=oral (swallowed or eaten)
p=parenteral (not by mouth / usually means 'inhaled' or 'snorted')
mg/Kg = milligrams of drug per Kilogram of body weight
mg = milligrams of drug


Example acute oral LD50s (rat): Example LD50 (mg/kg) Citric acid (solid) 3,000 10% Citric acid Soln. 30,000 Acetone 5,800 Benzoic acid 1,700 Caffeine 192


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NOTES:
The "LD50" is the dose of a substance that will kill a selected species of experimental animal 50% of the time.
All LD50's are normalized to milligrams/Kilogram of animal's body weight.

"Typical Human Dose" info is taken from various sources, including "Burger's Medicinal Chemistry", "Journal of Psychedelic Drugs", "The Merck Manual", "NIOSH Registry of Toxic Effects of Chemical Substances", cigarette packages, No-Doz bottles, etc.

One might well argue that it is of questionable utility to compare toxic responses between various species using different routes of administration. Needless to say, many rodents have died for our sins.

It was later pointed out that what is called above a "safety ratio" is roughly equivalent to the pharmacological measure known as the "Therapeutic Index". The therapeutic index is a measure of the toxicity of a drug relative to it's usual therapeutic dose.

The NIOSH Registry of Toxic Effects of Chemical Substances also lists most published LD50 measurements, but does so uncritically. It's quite useful as a point of reference.




REFERENCES:
Unless otherwise marked, all LD50 data were found in the "The Merck Index, 11th edition".


Goutarel R, Gollnhofer O, Sillans R. "Pharmacodynamics and Therapeutic Applications of Iboga and Ibogaine." Psychedelic Monographs and Essays #6. Ed. Thomas Little. Pompano Beach: PM & E Publishing Group, 1993. 70-111.


Toxicol. Appl. Pharmacol. 4, 547 (1962)


Bedford JA, Turner CE, Elsohly HN. "Comparative lethality of coca and cocaine." Pharmacol Biochem Behav 1982 Nov; 17(5):1087-8


U.S. Dept of Justice - DEA. MDMA Scheduling Hearings with Francis L. Young, Administrative Law Judge.


This good info comes from Erowid.