I Pose a Question

[Mal Nova]

Perhaps some sort of experimental drug(Made up by a lab) that comes in the form of a mouth piece or what not, in which Alex has to bite down to release the substance. It can scare him because it has, many potential side effects, even some that are unexplored. So when he uses it he knows he has a potential for something going wrong. If you ever decide to make the substance to become less unstable, you can.