However, in order for the process with cardiotoxic drugs to be ‘peaceful’, the person needs to have lost consciousness before their heart stops. This can be achieved by the co-administration of strong sedatives to induce sleep before the heart is effected.
The use of drugs to stop the heart is often referred to as creating a ‘cardiac switch’. An example of such a ‘switch’ is the use of digoxin and amitriptyline in the current ‘4-Drug’ protocol as used in some US states where assisted dying is legal (see the Chapter on the ‘Lethal Drug Mixtures’).
In the case of the D-DMA mixture, the ‘switch’ is created when the drugs, digoxin and amitriptyline, are taken together with strong sedative drugs (eg. morphine and diazepam aka Valium). The combined effect of the morphine and diazepam ensures that one is unconscious before the cardiac switch is activated.
Summary of Peaceful Pill eHandbook Methods
The following Table summarises the 15-plus methods described in The Peaceful Pill eHandbook. The Table lists the type of hypoxia each strategy employs. The ‘Comments’ column explains the mechanism and lists the varying RPA test scores for each method.
Note: the RPA rating is also affected by Availability. The Availability factor can lead to an otherwise high-rating method (for reliability and peacefulness) being downgraded. The hypoxic Nembutal death, with a final rating of only 76, is an example of this.
