History Main / MagicAntidote

** In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIX'', a "soft" (whatever that is) can instantly cure a character that has been [[TakenForGranite turned to stone]], except if you've been turned to stone by a forest, in which case you need to spend a quarter of a disc searching for a 'supersoft'.

* Averted in the ''[[{{Belgariad}} Malloreon]]'' – it takes Zakath several days to recover from [[PerfectPoison thalot poisoning]].

* Averted hard in the Hunger Games trilogy. Snow had to drink poison to kill a potential rival. While he was quickly able to get the antidote, he still has permanent mouth sores that cause him to constantly smell like blood. He has to wear genetically-modified roses to cover it up.

* In ''Franchise/HarryPotter'', bezoars are special magical stones found in the stomachs of goats that can neutralize almost any poison if swallowed quickly enough. When Harry was asked by his Potions Instructor Horace Slughorn to identify an antidote for a certain poison, Harry was at a loss until he looked at his hand-me-down Potions textbook which was full of hand-written tips from its previous owner the Half-blood Prince [[spoiler:aka Severus Snape]]. The Prince wrote "Just shove a bezoar down its throat". Slughorn was amused when Harry showed him a bezoar instead of naming the specific antidote for the poison. [[spoiler:Harry later uses that same bezoar to save Ron's life after Ron drinks some poisoned nectar.]]

May also be an ImprobableAntidote. Compare to {{Panacea}}, InstantSedation. See also CPRCleanPrettyReliable.

In Fiction land, antidotes, vaccines and {{Healing Herb}}s work almost instantly. The fever goes down, color returns, heartbeat and "life signs" stabilize, the characters open their eyes, etc. Furthermore, to build dramatic tension, the poisoned character is usually given a very precise [[ExactTimeToFailure deadline to take the antidote]], and only manages to get the antidote right before death.

* Played ludicrously straight in the ''VideoGame/SengokuBasara'' anime: [[{{Badass}} Kojuro]] is facing the resident MagnificentBastard Matsunaga Hisahide and gets poisoned twice (first with a low level poison, then with a poison that makes the former deadly), and is seriously weakened. Then [[{{Ninja}} Sasuke]] passes by and gives him the antidote in form of a gas. Two deep breaths later Kojuro (who was enfeebled just a while ago) proceeds to [[CurbStompBattle send Matsunaga flying in a single]] SwordBeam.

* The experimental serum in ''Manga/SchoolLive'' acts as this, though there are enough implications that it has to be given within a very short time frame from the point the victim was infected, or else it won't make any difference. However, once it ''does'' get applied, the recovery time takes about as long as a good night's rest.

* Averted in ''DragonBallZ'', where Goku takes the antidote to his disease almost immediately after exhibiting symptoms and still spends several episodes in bed.
* In ''{{Naruto}}'', Sakura creates an antidote to Sasori's poison that can be used both to cure someone after they've been poisoned and, if taken in advance, instantly neutralize as soon as it enters the body. However, it doesn't repair damage already done by the poison.

* ''ScrappedPrincess'' has Pacifica being poisoned, and her companions having to seek a cure. They first have to seek a doctor to tell them about the cure, most of the deadline is used up, yet this is only episode 5 so [[spoiler:Raquel is able to return from the ancient ruins with the herbs that can cure her.]]

* Zigzagged in ''{{Manga/Bloody Monday}}''. A certain virus takes 2 to 3 hours from infection to show symptoms, but once there are symptoms the infected person is a goner. There's an antiviral that supposedly stops the infection, but it [[SubvertedTrope doesn't work in all cases]]. However, Anko gets infected and she gets the antiviral only five minutes before the 3-hour mark and she turns out to be okay, but [[spoiler:this doesn't mean anything because Anko was the leader of the terrorists and she had been vaccinated against it all along.]]

* Zoom in the ''HotWheelsBattleForce5'' episode "Man Down" fits this trope to a "T".
* Averted in ''KorgothOfBarbaria'', where Korgoth is poisoned and must take the antidote for several seasons for it to work, and it apparently tastes awful.

* Possibly [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] in a FindTheCure episode of ''GeneratorRex''. The individuals affected by the poison are shown on IV drips after the cure is found, implied to have been there overnight, and it's never said quite how long they had to find it.

In Fiction land, antidotes, vaccines and {{Healing Herb}}s work almost instantly. The fever goes down, color returns, heartbeat and "life signs" stabilize, the characters open their eyes, etc. Furthermore, to build dramatic tension, the poisoned character is usually given a very precise... um... [[ExactTimeToFailure deadline to take the antidote]], and only manages to get the antidote right before death.

This isn't how it works in RealLife, as the damage the poison does still needs to be healed. It has [[NoOntologicalInertia ontological inertia]]... The time it take for poisons to kill tends to be quite variable, and usually, the time at which the body has sustained so much damage that death is inevitable, even with an antidote, comes much earlier than death itself.

* The ''StarWarsExpandedUniverse'' expands on the properties of bacta, which, while not an antidote, is a heal-all, cure-all – it's said that if there's any life in someone, bacta will help. Naturally, this makes it very valuable. There are still things it can't fix, usually for plot-related reasons, and it doesn't heal things instantly. It can't fix missing limbs or organs, for example, so prosthetics crop up a lot. [[XWingSeries Ton Phanan]] is ''allergic'' to bacta, and so he keeps needing [[EmergencyTransformation prosthetic replacements]] for more and more of his body.

* ''RanmaOneHalf''

Compare to {{Panacea}}, InstantSedation. See also CPRCleanPrettyReliable.

* ''Disney/TheEmperorsNewGroove'': Except for the potion that turns Kuzco into a llama at the beginning of the film, all of Yzma's transformation potions work immediately.

** He also received an injection developed by [[FunWithAcronyms SHIELD]] specifically for his case, which temporarily reverses the toxic effects.

* In ''TheDracoTrilogy'', Draco is about three seconds from death when his saviour runs into the room, tips some antidote down his throat, and promptly collapses into a coma herself. When she wakes up a few hours later, he's fine.

* The experimental serum in Manga/GakkouGurashi acts as this, though there are enough implications that it has to be given within a very short time frame from the point the victim was infected, or else it won't make any difference. However, once it ''does'' get applied, the recovery time takes about as long as a good night's rest.

* In the 2000s ''Series/{{Battlestar Galactica|Reimagined}}'', receiving an infusion of blood from a half-Cylon fetus spontaneously caused President Roslin's cancer to go in remission, at a point where she was ''hours'' away from death. [[spoiler:Though the cancer does come back a year and a half later.]]

* The Martian curative arts in Creator/EdgarRiceBurroughs's ''JohnCarterOfMars''.

Also, shows are a [[YouKeepUsingThatWord tad liberal with the word "vaccine"]]. A vaccine is a means of teaching your immune system how to attack a particular disease-causing agent. They contain pieces of the bacteria or viruses or an inactivated version of it, and so are unable to cause the disease; but since they "look" the same to the immune system, it learns what they are like, and prepares the tools to fight them. If the real thing ever comes along, the response will be fast and strong and squelch the disease before it ever gets started. Vaccines only work against something caused by a pathogen, like a virus, and won't work against diseases which are due to genetic defects, bad diet, and so on. Most of the time, it's a preventative measure, but there are a few vaccines that can be taken after infection (since the diseases in question stay dormant long enough for the body to develop a defense).

Antidotes are even worse. Fictional antidotes are benevolent drugs that exactly reverse the effects of a poison. They may even visibly reverse their ravages, such as TaintedVeins. In RealLife there are only two drugs that reverse each other's effects -- and they are both deadly poisons. Antidotes are various drugs that help counteract some effects of a poison.

Sometimes, writers will try to excuse this by suggesting that the recently-cured hero's drive and inner strength is enough to restore them temporarily, but, we are assured, they're going to have to spend some time in the hospital right after the end credits roll. The very real prospect of liver or other internal organ damage is rarely even hinted at.

* ''ScrappedPrincess'' has Pacifica being poisoned, and her companions having to seek a cure. They first have to seek a doctor to tell them about the cure, most of the deadline is used up, yet this is only episode 5 so [[spoiler: Raquel is able to return from the ancient ruins with the herbs that can cure her]].
* Played ludicrously straight in the ''VideoGame/SengokuBasara'' anime: [[BadAss Kojuro]] is facing the resident MagnificentBastard Matsunaga Hisahide and gets poisoned twice (first with a low level poison, then with a poison that makes the former deadly), and is seriously weakened. Then [[{{Ninja}} Sasuke]] passes by and gives him the antidote in form of a gas. Two deep breaths later Kojuro (who was enfeebled just a while ago) proceeds to [[CurbStompBattle send Matsunaga flying in a single]] SwordBeam.
* Zigzagged in ''{{Manga/Bloody Monday}}''. A certain virus takes 2 to 3 hours from infection to show symptoms, but once there are symptons the infected person is a goner. There's an antiviral that supposedly stops the infection, but it [[SubvertedTrope doesn't work in all cases.]] However, Anko gets infected and she gets the antiviral only five minutes before the 3-hour mark and she turns out to be okay, but [[spoiler:this doesn't mean anything because Anko was the leader of the terrorists and she had been vaccinated against it all along.]]

** These are commonly used in the trekverse, and are often handwaved as temporarily strengthening the cellular membranes limiting radiation's ability to penetrate and damage them (think internal radiation shielding). An acute overdose or prolonged exposure is still a bad thing, but then they'll just pull out one of their other hyposprays that will instantly reverse the damage the radiation has done.[[note]]Let us not forget it's 300 years in the future, and 1 Voyager episode implies medical technology is evolving as fast as computing power did in the 80's - 00's[[/note]]
* ''Film/IronMan 2''. [[spoiler:Tony Stark is dying of palladium poisoning from the Arc Reactor that powers his heart.]] Yet when he [[spoiler:invents a new Arc Reactor that doesn't use palladium, and plugs it into his chest]], the visible symptoms recede immediately.

* ''Film/BatmanBegins''. The antidote to the fear poison took mere seconds to not only undo its effects, but also conferred resistance for days. This might be a bit justified, as some drugs which counteract psychoactive substances have a very quick onset.

* The ''StarWarsExpandedUniverse'' expands on the properties of bacta, which while not an antidote is a heal-all, cure-all -- it's said that if there's any life in someone, bacta will help. Naturally, this makes it very valuable. There are still things it can't fix, usually for plot-related reasons, and it doesn't heal things instantly. It can't fix missing limbs or organs, for example, so prosthetics crop up a lot. [[XWingSeries Ton Phanan]] is ''allergic'' to bacta, and so he keeps needing [[EmergencyTransformation prosthetic replacements]] for more and more of his body.
** Prior to bacta, everyone used kolto, a substance collected only on one planet - the [[SingleBiomePlanet water world]] of Manaan. That is why Manaan was able to remain neutral during the [[VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic Jedi Civil War]] - both sides needed kolto to heal its wounded troops, although both sides also knew that their neutrality was shaky at best. Realizing this, the Selkath (Manaan natives) officials were secretly working with the Republic on increasing their supply. Eventually, bacta replaced kolto entirely.
** In ''Literature/GalaxyOfFear: City of the Dead'', [[MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate Doctor Evazam]] developed a formula to [[NightOfTheLivingMooks raise the dead]], including [[ProfessorGuineaPig himself]]. DV-9 worked out a counterformula to use on these zombies - any zombie to be touched by even a drop of it instantly reverted into a non-animated corpse.
*** ''The Planet Plague'' has a cure for TheVirus if it hasn't spread too far, and while it's not instant - the sufferer has to sleep some and sweat it out - it doesn't take long at all. Earlier in the book Zak's bad case of the flu would have taken days to clear up with bedrest and other medications, but just hours if those are supplemented with a bacta tank.

* Averted in the ''[[{{Belgariad}} Malloreon]]'' -- it takes Zakath several days to recover from [[PerfectPoison thalot poisoning]].

* A spoonfull of an orally-taken cure for the Sickenesse in ''Literature/SeptimusHeap'' takes only a minute to awake a person suffering from it.

* Subverted in ''Literature/MistbornTheOriginalTrilogy'', where Straff's former mistress has a cure-all potion she uses to save him from the frequent poisoning attempts by his son Zane. [[spoiler: Except that Zane never poisoned him at all. The "cure" she mixes contains the drug she's secretly addicted him too, and he mistakes the feelings of withdrawal for poisoning.]]

** Averted during the Kobol arc, one of Tyrol's men is wounded and his lungs are slowly filling with fluid. They used the last of the medication to treat this in one of their medkits, and they left the other medkit by the Raptor crash site in their haste to evacuate the area. Tyrol, Cally and a RedShirt [[FindTheCure have to go back for the medkit]] before the wounded man dies. [[spoiler: After losing the RedShirt they finally get back to the wounded man with the medkit - except now it's too late. Even though the man is still alive and concious, there's nothing they can do with any of the material in either of their medkits now, except to grant the wounded man a peaceful death]]

* Subverted in ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons''. Curing poison or a disease will stop things getting worse, but damaged attributes need to be restored separately. Natural healing is fairly slow and can be accelerated with expert care and bed rest -- and some particularly nasty kinds of damage (generally from supernatural sources) can never be naturally healed, requiring magical intervention to repair.
** Depends on the edition, however. In older ones, poison tended to [[OneHitKill outright kill]] fairly quickly -- sometimes even downright instantly -- rather than merely deal hit point or ability damage, and so antidotes, including literally magical ones like the ''Neutralize Poison'' spell, might have to actually be applied within a short period during which the victim was already technically ''dead'' (just of course [[OnlyMostlyDead not]] ''[[OnlyMostlyDead too]]'' [[OnlyMostlyDead dead yet]]) in order to revive them. After which they might or might not be any worse for the wear.

* In [[Webcomic/{{Sonichu}} Sonichu]], in a time-travel plotline, Chris-chan donates his 'straight blood' so that scientists can make a [[CureYourGays vaccine for homosexuality]].

* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naloxone Naloxone, a/k/a Narcan]] is a more or less instant antidote for opioid overdose; given intravenously, it takes effect in less than a minute and completely reverses the effects of heroin, morphine, codeine, fentanyl, and all the derivatives thereof. However, it does nothing against anything else the patient might have dosed themselves with (benzodiazepines, such as Valium, and barbiturates, such as Seconal, are commonly cross-abused with opioids, and Narcan will not treat an overdose of these), and it tends to wear off before the drugs do (necessitating a re-dose or even an intravenous drip of the stuff while you wait for the drugs to clear out). Other possible drawbacks include nausea, diarrhea, hypotension (low blood pressure), and the patient instantly going from [[OnlyMostlyDead unconscious and apneic]] to wide awake, stone cold sober, and [[UnstoppableRage very much aware that the emergency services staff just ruined their very expensive hit.]]

* TPA, a powerful decoagulant, can (in fortunate cases) reverse many of the effects of a stroke remarkably quickly, by breaking up the clot in the brain. However, in order to have this effect, it has to be given within 3 or 4 hours of the stroke. Also, it is risky and not appropriate for everyone, and some strokes are caused by bleeding not clotting, in which case TPA would be fatal.