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xanthraxoid t1_iyddcmb wrote

Reply to comment by obiwanjacobyx7x in ELI5: Why are pills those specific shapes and sizes? I've noticed ibuprofen is always smaller and tastes sweeter than paracetamol. Codeine is tiny and amoxiclav pills are huge. Is this to make it harder to confuse them, or is it because of the way the active ingredient is released in the stomach? by mwclarkson

There are quite a few random things that get special additives to make them really bitter (e.g. Denatonium, a.k.a. "Bitrex")

It's put on button batteries (which are Bad News to swallow), used for special nail varnish to discourage nail biting, added to various toxic substances that people might otherwise be tempted to consume (such as "denatured alcohol" and antifreeze which is naturally quite sweet) and so on.

I'm not sure if this is what's used to discourage snorting of crushed pills (our noses don't "taste") and it's difficult to imagine something that would irritate your nose without also irritating any other mucous membrane (such as your entire digestive system from lips to lips)

I did a quick google and everything I found seemed to be focussed on making pills physically resistant to crushing, so maybe they haven't found anything that fits the bill here. I wonder if there's something they could use that would be inactivated by stomach acid quickly enough to not irritate your stomach, but you would definitely not want in your nose.

Of course, if you're addicted to something, then it would take some pretty persuasive deterrent to stop you getting your fix - smelling like shit probably wouldn't do it :-/

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obiwanjacobyx7x t1_iydi4og wrote

You always end up tasting anything you snort, it drips from your sinuses down your throat, and inevitably that bitter taste is part of the ritual of drug use in itself.

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