nitrous oxide

Introduction

a commonly used anesthetic, inhaled analgesic agent
also readily available to the public as used to inflate balloons and in whipping cream and thus is subject to chronic abuse
commonly abused in the form of nangs which are small canisters of nitrous oxide designed to make cream fluffy and long-lasting
- inhaled on its own it can give the recreational user an incredibly short 20second but intense high
- there is no “comedown”, as there is with most party drugs and user is usually back to normal self within minutes
- along with MDMA, they are the drug of choice for schoolies week, due to the fact that they’re not only cheap, but available at every corner store
- long-term use has been associated with functional vitamin B12 deficiency resulting in peripheral neuropathy, spinal degeneration and potentially CNS effects such as paranoia, delusions, hallucinations and behavioural changes ¹⁾

nitrous oxide gas is very cold (-40C degrees) and can cause frostbite to the nose, lips and throat (including vocal cords)
faulty gas dispensers can cause harm as they may explode
nausea, vomiting
dizziness
euphoria
CNS depression
syncope
seizures

¹⁾