what drugs help prevent radiation poisoning?

Answer 1

By and large, there aren't any drugs to prevent radiation poisoning. The key for radiation is shielding and distance - to protect yourself, you either need to be far away from the source OR you need to have something thick between you and the source (e.g. lead).

That being said, potassium iodide does have a role in reducing some of the effects of a specific kind of radiation poisoning but as you'll see below, all the potassium iodide is doing is helping you to excrete some radioactive iodide - thereby putting distance between you and the source.

There is a form of radioactive iodine (I forget the exact isotope) which apparently can be released in some types of radiation accidents. The trouble with this iodine is that the thyroid gland avidly grabs up any iodine that the body happens to absorb. If the iodine that the body is absorbing is from a radiation accident, well, that means that the radioactive iodine will be concentrated in the victim's thyroid gland which will cause radiation poisoning and increase the risk of subsequent cancer.

IF, however, a victim ingests potassium iodide at the first warning of a radiation accident, the thyroid will be stuffed full of regular iodine and won't have any more room (if you will) to take up additional iodine. Thus, any radioactive iodine that the body is exposed to will be excreted, thus putting distance between the victim and the radioactive iodine.

Note, however, that this is only useful for incidents involving radioactive iodine. Potassium iodide won't help for any other radiation sources!

Finally, if radiation sickness DOES set in, victims who survive long enough to reach the hospital often die of bone marrow suppression - the radiation has injured the bone marrow and thus the body can't make any more red blood cells or white blood cells or platelets. In this situation, one might consider trying the various agents that are available for stimulating the production of these cells - erythropoietin and Neupogen. Hard to say if they'd work in this situation or not.

These three drugs are the only ones I can think of that would be of specific use in radiation incidents. The key, however, is shielding, distance, and decontamination (washing the radioactive stuff off so that one can put some distance between oneself and the radiation source).

Answer 2

there are none. Only shielding, preferably lead which has a high density compared to most metals.

Envision radiation as fire. there are no drugs that can prevent burn only shielding. Unfortunately it is alot worse then burns because burns radiate from the source. Radiation can penatrate very deeply all the way through you and cause burns inside of your body. Radiation poisoning is very bad, if it doesn't kill you within weeks your bound to die of cancer within years.