Tetrodotoxin is not a drug, but rather, a potent neurotoxin. Informally referred to as "tetrodox" it is often abbreviated TTX. Tetrodotoxin blocks action potentials in neuronal cells by binding to sodium (Na+) channels found in the membrane. This toxin is the product of certain bacteria, and found in pufferfish, porcupinefish, and oceanfish (There is a popular Simpsons episode that revolves around Homer lamenting his impending death after consuming Sushi that was laced with a certain toxin, which may be tangentially related to TTX).
The flux of Na+ and K+ is necessary for action potential propagation. Ingestion of the poison leads to paralysis (of the muscle - the cardiac muscle contains only "slow sodium channels,"). Death usually is a result of respiratory failure.
There is some interesting speculation that TTX is implicated in modern-day zombieism. A famous ethnologist suggested that Haitian voodoo practioners took TTX at near-lethal doses to create people who were "conscious" of their own death.
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