Wraith enzyme withdrawal is the effect caused by the sudden lack of the Wraith enzyme within a human body.
Symptoms[]
In the early stages, enzyme withdrawal causes fatigue in the subject. As it progresses, the subject suffers from sweating, convulsions, increased blood pressure, and delirium. The severity of the symptoms is proportionate to the level and time of exposure. Regulated doses over a few weeks will only cause fatigue during withdrawal, while higher levels will induce the full range of symptoms. Withdrawal can potentially be fatal if the subject has been dependent on the enzyme for too long or has received an extremely large dose over a short period. Slowly weaning the subject off the enzyme through progressively lower doses will help ease the symptoms.
People who suffered from withdrawal[]
- Aiden Ford: Ford aborted the treatment procedure and went back to the enzyme before fleeing Atlantis for good. He later went into withdrawal on a Hive Ship, and was taken by the Wraith for cocooning to sustain his life. He somehow got free, obtained more of the enzyme, and freed his team. Following his escape from the hive ship during the Battle of Edowin, Ford crashed on Edowin and went into withdrawal again when he ran out of enzyme. However, he was found by the Travelers and one of their doctors was secretly a Wraith worshipper and thus knew how to treat the enzyme withdrawal. Ford described the withdrawal he went through as bad, but he survived thanks to the Traveler doctor. However, going through withdrawal left Ford in bad shape and it took him a year before he was anything near normal again. (SGA: "The Siege, Part 3", "The Hive", "The Third Path")
- Kanayo: One of Ford's recruits, he went into withdrawal on a hive ship and died from it. (SGA: "The Hive")
- Ronon Dex and Teyla Emmagan: They had been given regulated doses of the enzyme over a few weeks. They went into withdrawal on a Hive Ship. Their symptoms were minimal due to their short exposure time, only suffering from fatigue and they recovered on their own with no medical help. (SGA: "The Hive")
- Meredith Rodney McKay: Though his doses were regulated, similar to Teyla and Ronon, he took a massive dose to escape his captors and return to Atlantis. According to Beckett, the dose he took was nearly as big as the one Ford initially got from the Wraith that fed on him. Without more enzyme to wean him off it slowly, his symptoms were much more severe. He only survived due to his own stubbornness and the efforts of Dr. Carson Beckett to help him through the withdrawal. (SGA: "The Hive")
- Tyre: Through receiving the Gift of Life repeatedly over a prolonged period, he received large doses of the enzyme. He suffered from severe withdrawal when deprived of the Gift by his Wraith masters as punishment for his failure to complete his duties. He went through withdrawal for several days, but was strong enough to survive the process which broke the brainwashing upon him. (SGA: "Broken Ties")
- Ronon Dex: He was given the Gift of Life as Tyre was to condition him into becoming a Wraith worshipper. He went through withdrawal again after being rescued, and though it was extremely painful, he survived the process, eventually returning to normal. (SGA: "Broken Ties")
- Varelon: A Genii spy hidden amongst the Wraith for four years as a Wraith worshipper. Went into withdrawal soon after abandoning his post to warn Ladon Radim of Queen Death's intended attack on Atlantis. Queen Alabaster gave him enough of the Gift of Life to relieve his symptoms in exchange for being allowed to read his mind and determine if he spoke the truth. (SGA: "Inheritors")
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