Inhalants

What are inhalants?

Inhalants are breathable chemical vapors that produce psychoactive (mind-altering) effects. They fall into three general categories: solvents, gases, and nitrites. Almost all abused inhalants produce effects similar to anesthetics/alcohol, which act to slow down the body's functions. Nitrites, however, act to increase heart rate and produce a sensation of heat and excitement.

What solvents are used as inhalants?

Solvents used as inhalants include industrial or household solvents (paint thinners, degreasers, and gasoline) and art or office supply solvents (glues, correction fluids, and felt-tip marker fluid).

What gases are used as inhalants?

Gases used as inhalants include those used in household or commercial products, such as butane lighters and propane tanks, whipping cream aerosols or dispensers (whippets), and refrigerant gases; household aerosol propellants and associated solvents, such as spray paints, hair or deodorant sprays, or fabric protector sprays; and medical anesthetic gases, such as ether, chloroform, halothane, or nitrous oxide.

What nitrites are used as inhalants?

In addition to nitrous oxide, aliphatic nitrites (e.g., cyclohexyl nitrite, amyl nitrite, and butyl nitrite) are used as inhalants.

How are inhalants used?

Inhalants can be breathed in through the nose or mouth in a variety of ways: sniffing or snorting fumes from containers; spraying aerosols directly into the nose or mouth; bagging (sniffing or inhaling fumes from substances sprayed or deposited inside paper or plastic bag); huffing from an inhalant-soaked rag stuffed in the mouth; and inhaling from balloons filled with nitrous oxide.

How do inhalants work?

Initially, users may feel slightly stimulated from the use of inhalants. With successive inhalations, they may feel less inhibited and less in control. Finally, a user can lose consciousness. Alcohol-like effects may include slurred speech, an inability to coordinate movements, hallucinations, and delusions. If sufficient amounts are inhaled, nearly all inhalants produce anesthesia, a loss of sensation, and unconsciousness. Unlike most other inhalants that act on the central nervous system, nitrites act primarily to dilate blood vessels and relax muscles. While other inhalants are used to alter mood, nitrites are used primarily as sexual enhancers.

What are the side effects of inhalant use?

Sniffing highly concentrated amounts of the chemicals in solvents or aerosols can directly induce heart failure and death. High concentrations of inhalants can also cause death by displacing oxygen in the lungs and then the central nervous system so that breathing ceases. Depending on the substance, other effects may include (hearing loss, peripheral neuropathies or limb spasms, central nervous system or brain damage, bone marrow damage, liver and kidney damage, and blood oxygen depletion.

What are some common street names for inhalants?

Most inhalants are referred to by brand names or the actual nature of the substance. Whipped cream dispensers are sometimes referred to as "whippets", "poppers", or "snappers". Nitrous oxide is sometimes referred to as simply "nitrous" or "laughing gas".