Tag Archives: Inhalants

Straight, No Chaser: Inhalants – Effects and Actions to Take

Toxicology/Drugs, , , , , , ,

inhalantkids1

Straight, No Chaser previously reviewed various forms of inhalants used to get intoxicated. Many kids think inhalants are a harmless, cheap, and quick way to “get high.” Because many inhalants can be found around the house, you and your family may not even think they are harmful. But the chemicals in the inhalant vapors can change the way the brain works and cause additional bodily harm. In some cases, the harmful effects of inhalants can be irreversible. This post discusses the various effects these entities have on the human body.

 inhalant sniffing

Initial Effects
The initial effects of inhalants mainly involve the brain, and that’s a big part of why they’re used. Inhalants rapidly pass from the lungs into the bloodstream, and effects on the brain are produced within minutes. It’s easy to consider inhalant use in someone who appears to be intoxicated with alcohol but doesn’t have the smell or any evidence of alcohol around. Clinical effects include slurred speech, euphoria, dizziness and lack of coordination.
As promptly as the effects occur, they dissipate. The intoxication typically only lasts a few minutes. This explains the habit of intoxicant users to take several back-to-back doses. This action produces a loss of both inhibition and control. Long term use can cause muscle spasms and tremors or even permanent difficulty with basic actions like walking, bending, and talking, due to damage by these chemicals on structures that promote communication to and from the brain. The net effect is a syndrome with an appearance similar to that caused by multiple sclerosis.
An additional effect of intoxicants is a diminished flow of oxygen to the brain. The symptoms produced by this are dependent on the area of the brain affected and can range from memory loss to reduced problem-solving skills to disruptions of movement.

 inhalant sniffing heart

Effects of Long-Term Use
You should also know that continual abuse of inhalants can cause serious damage to the heart and liver, and it can produce muscle weakness and nerve malfunction. Certain inhalants can also render the bone marrow unable to produce blood cells, which can appear your immune system and having sufficient blood to carry oxygen and nutrients around the body. Frequent long-term use of certain inhalants can cause a permanent change or malfunction of peripheral nerves, called polyneuropathy. 
Addictive Tendencies
Some people, particularly those who abuse inhalants a lot and for a long time, report a strong need to continue using inhalants. Compulsive use and a mild withdrawal syndrome can occur.

 inhalant before and after

How Can I Tell if Someone Is Abusing Inhalants?
Sometimes you can’t tell. Other times you might see small signs that tell you a person is abusing inhalants, including the following:

  • chemical odors on their breath or clothing
  • paint or other stains on their face, hands, or clothing
  • nausea or loss of appetite
  • weight loss
  • muscle weakness
  • disorientation
  • inattentiveness, uncoordinated movement, irritability, and depression

What Should I Do if I Know Someone Is Abusing Inhalants?

  • You first step is to secure your home. Given that so many items can be used to produce inhalant intoxication, you should revisit the household items you leave easily accessible. Review this Straight, No Chaser post for a list of commonly used inhalants.
  • In the midst of an acute intoxication, seek medical attention immediately. Intoxicants have multiple chemicals in them, and although symptoms may not be predictable, intoxications are predictably dangerous under certain conditions. In real-time, there’s not much to be gain by your intervening at home. Get help.
  • When someone has a drug problem, it’s not always easy to know what to do. If someone you know is abusing inhalants, encourage him or her to talk to a parent, school guidance counselor, or other trusted adult. There are also anonymous resources, such as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-TALK) and the Treatment Referral Helpline (1-800-662-HELP). These resources offer a wide range of relevant services beyond what is implied in the name.

Feel free to ask any questions you may have on this topic.
Order your copy of Dr. Sterling’s new book Behind The Curtain: A Peek at Life from within the ER at jeffreysterlingbooks.com, iTunes, Amazon, Barnes and Nobles and wherever books are sold.
Thanks for liking and following Straight, No Chaser! This public service provides a sample of what http://www.SterlingMedicalAdvice.com (SMA) and 844-SMA-TALK offers. Please share our page with your friends on WordPress, like us on Facebook @ SterlingMedicalAdvice.com and follow us on Twitter at @asksterlingmd.
Copyright © 2016 · Sterling Initiatives, LLC · Powered by WordPress

Straight, No Chaser: When Your Kids Huff and Puff – Learn about Inhalants

Toxicology/Drugs, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Inhalants340

Over the course of several posts, we’ve described how difficult it is for you to keep abreast of the activities of teens. In this and a subsequent Straight, No Chaser post, we will review what are often among the first drugs abused by adolescents. You should be especially concerned that inhalants are abused more by younger adolescents than older ones.
What is an inhalant?
Inhalants are chemicals that people inhale on purpose to get “high.” These vapors produce mind-altering effects that users believe are pleasurable. Although they may seem harmless, they can be quite dangerous.

 inhalants huffing-paint-huff-spray

Are there slang names I should recognize?
Common street slang for inhalants include the following:

  • “Bold” – nitrites
  • “Laughing gas” – nitrous oxide
  • “Poppers” – amyl nitrite and butyl nitrite
  • “Rush” – nitrites
  • “Snappers” – amyl nitrite
  • “Whippets” – fluorinated hydrocarbons (named because they are found in whipped cream dispensers)

What age groups are most likely to use inhalants?
National survey data suggest that inhalant abuse is most common among 7th-9th graders. Nearly 66 percent of 8th graders don’t think trying inhalants once or twice is risky, and 41 percent don’t consider the regular use of inhalants to be harmful. Clearly, parents need to be educated and start discussing inhalant use with their children.

 Inhalants_Video

How do users get inhalants?
The danger here is inhalants are very common in the home. Access explains why these are used by the very young. Here are some examples of inhalants:

  • Cleaning fluids
  • Gasoline
  • Glue
  • Markers
  • Paints

How Are Inhalants Used?
Inhalant abuse occurs through breathing in chemical vapors through their nose or mouth. Here are some examples and terms with which you should be familiar.

  • Bagging: sniffing or inhaling fumes from substances sprayed or placed into a plastic or paper bag
  • Huffing: inhaling from a rag soaked within an inhalant and stuffed in the mouth
  • Inhaling: breathing in fumes from balloons filled with nitrous oxide
  • Sniffing or snorting: additional forms of taking in fumes from containers
  • Spraying: taking aerosols directly into the nose or mouth

Inhalant effects

Where is the danger in inhalant use?
The intoxication of huffing and other inhalant use only last a few minutes. It is common for abusers to cycle rounds of inhaling for hours to sustain the high. This introduces a potentially large enough amount of chemical into the bloodstream to produce devastating damage, particular in developing children.
The next post on inhalant use will discuss specific effects and actions to take in the face of inhalant abuse. I will end this post by providing a more comprehensive list of household inhalers you should move to secure.

inhalant huffing accident

Here are various categories of inhalants.

Aerosols are sprays that contain propellants and solvents.

  • Spray paint, hair spray, deodorant spray, vegetable oil sprays, and fabric protector spray

Gases may be in household or commercial products or used as medical anesthetics (“numbing medicine”).

  • Butane lighters, propane tanks, whipped cream dispensers, and refrigerant gases
  • Anesthesia, including ether, chloroform, halothane, and nitrous oxide

Nitrites are a class of inhalants used primarily as sexual enhancers.

  • Organic nitrites include amyl, butyl, and cyclohexyl nitrites and other related compounds. You will recognize products likely to contain nitrites as “video head cleaners,” “room odorizers,” “leather cleaners,” or “liquid aromas.”

Volatile Solvents are liquids that vaporize at room temperature.

  • Industrial and household products, such as paint thinner, nail polish remover, degreaser, dry-cleaning fluid, gasoline, and contact cement
  • Art or office supplies, such as correction fluid, felt-tip marker fluid, and electronic contact cleaner

Feel free to ask any questions you may have on this topic.
Order your copy of Dr. Sterling’s new book Behind The Curtain: A Peek at Life from within the ER at jeffreysterlingbooks.com, iTunes, Amazon, Barnes and Nobles and wherever books are sold.
Thanks for liking and following Straight, No Chaser! This public service provides a sample of what http://www.SterlingMedicalAdvice.com (SMA) and 844-SMA-TALK offers. Please share our page with your friends on WordPress, like us on Facebook @ SterlingMedicalAdvice.com and follow us on Twitter at @asksterlingmd.
Copyright © 2016 · Sterling Initiatives, LLC · Powered by WordPress

Straight, No Chaser: Inhalants – Effects and Actions to Take

Toxicology/Drugs, , , , , ,

inhalantkids1

Straight, No Chaser previously reviewed various forms of inhalants used to get intoxicated. Many kids think inhalants are a harmless, cheap, and quick way to “get high.” Because many inhalants can be found around the house, you and your family may not even think they are harmful. But the chemicals in the inhalant vapors can change the way the brain works and cause additional bodily harm. In some cases, the harmful effects of inhalants can be irreversible. This post discusses the various effects these entities have on the human body.

 inhalant sniffing

Initial Effects
The initial effects of inhalants mainly involve the brain, and that’s a big part of why they’re used. Inhalants rapidly pass from the lungs into the bloodstream, and effects on the brain are produced within minutes. It’s easy to consider inhalant use in someone who appears to be intoxicated with alcohol but doesn’t have the smell or any evidence of alcohol around. Clinical effects include slurred speech, euphoria, dizziness and lack of coordination.
As promptly as the effects occur, they dissipate. The intoxication typically only lasts a few minutes. This explains the habit of intoxicant users to take several back-to-back doses. This action produces a loss of both inhibition and control. Long term use can cause muscle spasms and tremors or even permanent difficulty with basic actions like walking, bending, and talking, due to damage by these chemicals on structures that promote communication to and from the brain. The net effect is a syndrome with an appearance similar to that caused by multiple sclerosis.
An additional effect of intoxicants is a diminished flow of oxygen to the brain. The symptoms produced by this are dependent on the area of the brain affected and can range from memory loss to reduced problem-solving skills to disruptions of movement.

 inhalant sniffing heart

Effects of Long-Term Use
You should also know that continual abuse of inhalants can cause serious damage to the heart and liver, and it can produce muscle weakness and nerve malfunction. Certain inhalants can also render the bone marrow unable to produce blood cells, which can appear your immune system and having sufficient blood to carry oxygen and nutrients around the body. Frequent long-term use of certain inhalants can cause a permanent change or malfunction of peripheral nerves, called polyneuropathy. 
Addictive Tendencies
Some people, particularly those who abuse inhalants a lot and for a long time, report a strong need to continue using inhalants. Compulsive use and a mild withdrawal syndrome can occur.

 inhalant before and after

How Can I Tell if Someone Is Abusing Inhalants?
Sometimes you can’t tell. Other times you might see small signs that tell you a person is abusing inhalants, including the following:

  • chemical odors on their breath or clothing
  • paint or other stains on their face, hands, or clothing
  • nausea or loss of appetite
  • weight loss
  • muscle weakness
  • disorientation
  • inattentiveness, uncoordinated movement, irritability, and depression

What Should I Do if I Know Someone Is Abusing Inhalants?

  • You first step is to secure your home. Given that so many items can be used to produce inhalant intoxication, you should revisit the household items you leave easily accessible. Review this Straight, No Chaser post for a list of commonly used inhalants.
  • In the midst of an acute intoxication, seek medical attention immediately. Intoxicants have multiple chemicals in them, and although symptoms may not be predictable, intoxications are predictably dangerous under certain conditions. In real-time, there’s not much to be gain by your intervening at home. Get help.
  • When someone has a drug problem, it’s not always easy to know what to do. If someone you know is abusing inhalants, encourage him or her to talk to a parent, school guidance counselor, or other trusted adult. There are also anonymous resources, such as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-TALK) and the Treatment Referral Helpline (1-800-662-HELP). These resources offer a wide range of relevant services beyond what is implied in the name.

Thanks for liking and following Straight, No Chaser! This public service provides a sample of what  844-SMA-TALK and http://www.SterlingMedicalAdvice.com(SMA) offers. Please share our page with your friends on WordPress, Facebook @ SterlingMedicalAdvice.com and Twitter at @asksterlingmd.

Copyright © 2014 · Sterling Initiatives, LLC · Powered by WordPress

Straight, No Chaser: When Your Kids Huff and Puff – Learn about Inhalants

Toxicology/Drugs, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Inhalants340

Over the course of several posts, we’ve described how difficult it is for you to keep abreast of the activities of teens. In this and a subsequent Straight, No Chaser post, we will review what are often among the first drugs abused by adolescents. You should be especially concerned that inhalants are abused more by younger adolescents than older ones.
What is an inhalant?
Inhalants are chemicals that people inhale on purpose to get “high.” These vapors produce mind-altering effects that users believe are pleasurable. Although they may seem harmless, they can be quite dangerous.

 inhalants huffing-paint-huff-spray

Are there slang names I should recognize?
Common street slang for inhalants include the following:

  • “Bold” – nitrites
  • “Laughing gas” – nitrous oxide
  • “Poppers” – amyl nitrite and butyl nitrite
  • “Rush” – nitrites
  • “Snappers” – amyl nitrite
  • “Whippets” – fluorinated hydrocarbons (named because they are found in whipped cream dispensers)

What age groups are most likely to use inhalants?
National survey data suggest that inhalant abuse is most common among 7th-9th graders. Nearly 66 percent of 8th graders don’t think trying inhalants once or twice is risky, and 41 percent don’t consider the regular use of inhalants to be harmful. Clearly, parents need to be educated and start discussing inhalant use with their children.

 Inhalants_Video

How do users get inhalants?
The danger here is inhalants are very common in the home. Access explains why these are used by the very young. Here are some examples of inhalants:

  • Cleaning fluids
  • Gasoline
  • Glue
  • Markers
  • Paints

How Are Inhalants Used?
Inhalant abuse occurs through breathing in chemical vapors through their nose or mouth. Here are some examples and terms with which you should be familiar.

  • Bagging: sniffing or inhaling fumes from substances sprayed or placed into a plastic or paper bag
  • Huffing: inhaling from a rag soaked within an inhalant and stuffed in the mouth
  • Inhaling: breathing in fumes from balloons filled with nitrous oxide
  • Sniffing or snorting: additional forms of taking in fumes from containers
  • Spraying: taking aerosols directly into the nose or mouth

Inhalant effects

Where is the danger in inhalant use?
The intoxication of huffing and other inhalant use only last a few minutes. It is common for abusers to cycle rounds of inhaling for hours to sustain the high. This introduces a potentially large enough amount of chemical into the bloodstream to produce devastating damage, particular in developing children.
The next post on inhalant use will discuss specific effects and actions to take in the face of inhalant abuse. I will end this post by providing a more comprehensive list of household inhalers you should move to secure.

inhalant huffing accident

Here are various categories of inhalants.

Aerosols are sprays that contain propellants and solvents.

  • Spray paint, hair spray, deodorant spray, vegetable oil sprays, and fabric protector spray

Gases may be in household or commercial products or used as medical anesthetics (“numbing medicine”).

  • Butane lighters, propane tanks, whipped cream dispensers, and refrigerant gases
  • Anesthesia, including ether, chloroform, halothane, and nitrous oxide

Nitrites are a class of inhalants used primarily as sexual enhancers.

  • Organic nitrites include amyl, butyl, and cyclohexyl nitrites and other related compounds. You will recognize products likely to contain nitrites as “video head cleaners,” “room odorizers,” “leather cleaners,” or “liquid aromas.”

Volatile Solvents are liquids that vaporize at room temperature.

  • Industrial and household products, such as paint thinner, nail polish remover, degreaser, dry-cleaning fluid, gasoline, and contact cement
  • Art or office supplies, such as correction fluid, felt-tip marker fluid, and electronic contact cleaner

Thanks for liking and following Straight, No Chaser! This public service provides a sample of what 844-SMA-TALK and http://www.SterlingMedicalAdvice.com (SMA) offers. Please share our page with your friends on WordPress. We are also on Facebook at SterlingMedicalAdvice.com and Twitter at @asksterlingmd.

Copyright © 2014 · Sterling Initiatives, LLC · Powered by WordPress