Hi, So I want a character to be taking painkillers, but I’m not sure which were available/ used in the 1930s? I also want them to accidentally overdose, but what would be the effects of this? I’ve read up on drug overdoses on the NHS website, but until I decide on a drug available in the 1930s I’m unsure of the effects. I’ve read that people can lose consciousness, but can this be just for a short while, before they wake up, or is loss of consciousness so serious (fatal??) is it best to avoid writing that? For example, is someone losing consciousness for a short while and then waking up, too dramatic and unrealistic?
If it's the 30's chances are that it would be some kind of opiate, probably either morphine or heroin. Very easy to OD on, especially if someone's inexperienced in it's use, even more so back in then because it was less well understood and QC wasn't exactly peak.
Would cocaine have been prescribed as a painkiller? I know it was used in products like Coke and Pepsi (hence the 'pep' it provided), but not sure if it was illegal by the 30's or if it was ever used as a painkiller. I guess it would kill pain.
It's mainly a topical anesthetic. That's why when you use it your face goes numb and you start swallowing way too often. But overdosing on cocaine is less overdosing in the traditional sense and more about having enough in your system for it to reach toxic levels, though too much could certainly give someone a heart attack or stroke before it reaches those levels.
What did dentists use as painkillers? Ether? Chloroform? Alcohol? Laughing gas? Some of this had to be around back then. Whether it was easy to access and use is another story. Try googling things like, damn, what is it called when they put you under for surgery? Ananthasis? I know I've mis-spelt it, spell check is no help. Any dentists, nurses, or doctors in here that can assist? Scott