Inhalants

1. Inhalants

2. What is an Inhalant? • Inhalants- central nervous system depressants characterized by a high vapor (gas) pressure and a significant solubility (dissolve) at room temperature • Abused when people deliberately inhale a large amount of the substance • Solvents (liquids) are inhaled by putting the substance in a closed container or soaking it into cloth and inhaling through it • Compressed gases are sometimes released into balloons and inhaled directly from the balloon (helium) • Releasing these substances into the mouth may freeze the larynx causing laryngospasm and death by asphyxiation • The effects and duration depends on how fast it goes to the blood and brain • Other ways they are administered: bagging, sniffing, snorting huffing

3. History • Solvents (chloroform and diethyl ether) and gases( nitrous oxide)- first used for medical purposes • The effects were noticed among many people causing it to be used as a recreational drug as well as for medical purposes • Sir Humphrey Davy (British chemist and physician) made nitrous oxide popular in the 18th and 19th century by holding parties so people would come to get high • He noticed the effects and decided that it could be used for operations • Inhalants (nitrous oxide, diethyl ether and cyclopropane) became anesthetics • Most Common Inhalant used: Nitrous oxide during dental work

4. Types of Inhalants and Their Nicknames • Inhalants in General- Air Blast, Bullet, Bullet Bolt, Climax, Discorama, Hardware, Heart-on, Hiagra in a Bottle, Highball, Hippie Crack, Honey Oil, Huff, Kick, Locker Room, Medusa, Moon Gas, Poor Man’s Pot, Quicksilver, Rush, Satan's Secret, Sniff, Spray, Texas Shoe Shine, Thrust, Toilet Water and Whiteout • Amyl Nitrite- Aimies, Ames, Amys, Boppers, Pearls, Poppers, • Isobutyl Nitrite- Aroma of Men, Bolt, Bullet, Climax, Hardware, Locker Room, Poppers, Quicksilver, Rush, Rush Snappers, Snappers, Thrust • Other Inhalants: Whipped Cream, Air Fresheners, Spray Cleaners, Pam, Lighter Fluid, Gasoline, Asthma Inhaler, White Out, Hair Spray, Helium, Chloroform, Starter Fluid, Spray Cleaner, Spray Deodorant

5. Categories • Aerosols- a liquid substance sealed in a metal container; examples: hair spray, vegetable oil, spray deodorant • Gases- butane lighters, propane tanks and nitrous oxide (used in whip cream dispensers) • Medical Anesthetics- usually gases that have a purpose but if used in excess can become harmful • Nitrites- used in medicine to dilate blood vessels; also used to increase sexual pleasure

6. Effects of an Overdose and Recovery Treatment • Chronic Inhalant Users: Hard to treat because they might have personal and social problems which led to them using in the first place • Recovery takes a long time because it involves support from family, learning how to cope with the substances being all around them, and increasing self-esteem • Inhalation Intoxication- treated in hospitals when a person begins to suffer psychological ( hallucinations or delusions) or medical effects (difficulty breathing, headache, nausea, vomiting) • Overdose (sudden sniffing syndrome) causes rapid and irregular heartbeat or severe difficulty breathing, heart failure and death, permanent damaged to the heart, brain, lungs, kidneys, and muscles (loss of muscles) • Causes: disorientation, nausea, diarrhea and nose bleeds, hallucinations drowsiness, coma, and an increase in adrenaline

7. Effects and Withdrawal Symptoms • Suffocation- from inhaling fumes when head is covered in a plastic bag • Convulsions or Seizures- caused by abnormal electrical discharges from the brain • Coma- Brain shuts down and most vital functions • Choking- occurs after inhaling leading to vomiting • Short Term: heart rate increases, difficulty breathing, dizziness, headaches • Long Term: damage to brain, nerve cells, heart, lungs, liver and kidney • Physical effects: Spots and sores around the mouth, red runny eyes and nose • Other effects: nausea, loss of appetite, and slurred speech • Nervousness (Tremors) • Lack of Appetite • Depression • Anxiety • Dizziness • Nausea

8. Medical Uses • Inhalants with accepted medical uses include: nitrous oxide and amyl nitrite • Nitrous Oxide- anesthetic used by dentists to minimize pain during a normal procedure • Nitrous Oxide- also used in operating rooms to prepare patients for surgery by making them numb • Amyl nitrite- clear yellowish liquid prescribed by physicians to relieve severe chest pains in people with heart disease • Amyl Nitrite also helps relax muscles around blood vessels of heart making blood flow easier.

9. Criminal Charges • Differs from state to state. For example, there is no particular punishment for using inhalants in New York State because the substances used to get high are legal. • Violators in some states need to pay a fine of no more than $200 or imprisonment for 6 months and the abusers need to get treatment at a rehab center. • United States and Canadian cities placed restrictions on sale of sale particularly for products widely associated with sniffing. • In New York State anyone under the age of 18 cannot purchase certain substances that can be used as an inhalant such as spray paint. • These consequences do not apply to medical uses unless the doctors abuse it.

10. How much did you learn? • Why are people more likely to use inhalants than other drugs? • What are the categories of inhalants? • What happens to muscles after someone becomes an inhalant addict? • Who was the man who first popularized inhalants? • Where do you find the most usage of medical anesthetics? • Name the drug dentists use on patients to numb them. • List any three inhalants found at home. • What is one slang word used for inhalants? • What is one short term affect of inhalants? • What is one long term affect of inhalants? • What is the most common inhalant used? • What is the name given to overdosing? (Hint: Blank Blank Syndrome) • Name one way to use inhalants. • Are there criminal charges for using inhalants in New York? • What kind of depressants are inhalants?

11. Rachelle Mendez Diem Phuong-Pham Jennifer Rodriguez Crystal Villanueva