184 lines
9.1 KiB
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184 lines
9.1 KiB
Plaintext
Newsgroups: alt.drugs
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From: jerry@teetot.acusd.edu (Jerry Stratton)
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Subject: Re: Nitrous oxide (be patient)
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Message-ID: <1994Jan12.010623.13434@teetot.acusd.edu>
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Date: Wed, 12 Jan 94 01:06:23 GMT
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[quoted article deleted -cak]
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Blow me. Yes, nitrous does 'kill brain cells' although that's a pretty
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general statement. Both life and alcohol also kill brain cells. If
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you're truly interested in the medical aspects of recreational drugs,
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written for laymen, get the following two books, both, as far as I know,
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still in print (unlike the wonderful _Licit & Illicit Drugs_, which I
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tend to buy whenever I see it, just so I can give it to friends :*)
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FROM CHOCOLATE TO MORPHINE: Andrew Weil & Winifred Rosen. Make sure you
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get the 1993 edition. It's the one with the horrible sub-title
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"Everything You Need To Know About Mind-Altering Drugs". The sub-title's
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wrong, but it's still a good reference.
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A PRIMER OF DRUG ACTION: Robert M. Julien. I believe it's in the fifth
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edition right now, but I don't know.
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Here's the kind of stuff you can expect to find in these books:
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Robert M. Julien:
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"Occasionally, certain anesthetic agents become misused drugs. Nitrous
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oxide is an example. A gas of low anesthetic potency, it is incapable of
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inducing deep levels of anesthesia if an adequate oxygen concentration
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is maintained. Nitrous oxide induces a state of behavioral
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disinhibition, analgesia, and euphoria. One of the problems occasionally
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encountered when nitrous oxide is used for recreational purposes is
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that, unless the compound is administered with at least 20 percent
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oxygen, hypoxia (decreased oxygen content of the blood) can be induced.
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But in order to achieve high enough concentrations of nitrous oxide to
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get a good behavioral effect, concentrations of 50 percent or greater
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must be inhaled. If such concentrations are mixed with room air, inhaled
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oxygen concentartions drop to low levels and the hypoxia may result in
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irreversible brain damage."
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(In other words, don't use it in your vw bus :*)
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Weil & Rosen:
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"Physicians and dentists have long considered nitrous oxide to be a safe
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pharmacological agent. Nevertheless, there is some evidence that
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excessive or prolonged use of it can damage the bone marrow and nervous
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system by interfering with the action of vitamin B-12. Moreover its use
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in nonmedical settings presents several hazards that users should keep
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in mind. Breathing it directly from pressurized tanks is dangerous for
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two reasons. First, gas flowing from such tanks is very cold -- cold
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enough to cuase frostbite of noses, lips and (most serious) vocal cords.
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Being anesthetized, a user may be unaware of such injuries until too
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late. Second, because nitrous oxide does not support life, it should be
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mixed with oxygen if it is to be breathed for more than a few minutes.
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At private parties, oxygen tanks are rarely supplied, and people have
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died of asphyxiation by breathing straight nitrous oxide through face
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masks. One way to avoid these dangers is to fill balloons from tanks and
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breathe from the balloons.
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'Further, nitrous oxide rapidly leads to complete loss of motor control,
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and anyone who breathes it while standing will soon reel about and fall
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down. Therefore, it is unwise to try the gas unless one is in a
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comfortable sitting or lying position. Serious injuries have resulted
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from people inhaling laughing gas while standing in front of open
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windows, when driving cars (like your dad, HST), or when operating
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machinery. Others have been badly hurt by accidentally pulling heavy
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tanks of nitrous oxide over onto themselves (it's mine! all mine! you
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can't have any!) while intoxicated.
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'People who breathe nitrous oxide for more than a few minutes at a time
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may experience nausea, especially if they have just eaten. They may also
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feel hung over for some time after. Addiction to nitrous oxide is a real
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possibility. Addicts may suffer serious mood and personality changes in
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addition to the bone marrow and nervous system damage already
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mentioned."
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Plus, it's lots of fun. (My opinion, again.)
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Jerry Stratton
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jerry@teetot.acusd.edu (Finger/Reply for PGP Public Key)
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------
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"Well, if you can't believe what you read in a comic book, what
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*can* you believe?!"
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--Bullwinkle J. Moose
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=============================================================================
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From: chris@hacktic.nl (chris)
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Newsgroups: alt.drugs
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Subject: Nitrous Oxide Dangers
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Date: 12 Jan 1994 21:52:13 +0100
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Message-ID: <2h1nubINNk66@xs4all.hacktic.nl>
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NITROUS DOES IT KILL BRAIN CELLS?
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In an earlier post I mentioned some scientific reports on the possible
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dangers of prolonged exposure to nitrous oxide.
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This elicited some reactions that focus around the definition of "prolonged
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exposure". How much nitrous taken in how much time will rot your nerves?
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To get an idea i will transcribe two case reports from a more recent
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nitrous horror story. At the same time it will give you an idea what
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"neuropathy" and "myeloneuropathy" looks like and what signs to watch out
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for when you are a nitrous regular.
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From: Stacey et.al (1992) " Methionine in the treatment of nitrous oxide
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induced neuropathy and myeloneuropathy" Journal of Neurology 239:401-403.
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Case 1 (quote)
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This 36-year old electrical engineer came to the emergency room complaining
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that he was unable to walk. Symptoms had begun 4 days earlier with "pins
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and neeedles" in both feet that gradually worsened and ascended to involve
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the knees and the fingertips. With worsening of the paresthesias (-no sense
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of touch or pain-) he noted difficulty in maintaining proper control of the
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movements of his arms and hands and trouble in walking. He also reported
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the sensation of electric shocks through his back and legs upon flexion of
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the neck. He denied bladder or bowel impairment but he had been unable to
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have an erection for the past week. His past medical history was unremarka-
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ble except for occasional abuse of alcohol in the past. However he denied
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any drinking of alcohol for the past 8 months.
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For recreational purposes he had inhaled two to three boxes of nitrous
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oxide, each box containing 24 cartridges, practically every day for the
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past six months.
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When first seen his general physical examination was completely unremarka-
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ble. The neurological examination showed hyperesthesia and hyperalgesia in
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the lower extremities up to the knees. He had severe bilateral sensory
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dystaxia and could only stand with support.
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(-More Neurological and Blood statistic Stuff Deleted- ed.).
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Intramuscular B12 injections were started and during the following days his
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hematological status inproved, (-apart from neurological symptoms, the
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functional B12 deficiency caused by N2O also produces megaloblastic
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anemia,- ed.) although his neurological condition continued to deteriora-
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te. The paresthesias ascended to the nipples and he developed fecal and
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urinary incontinence. (- stuff deleted-)
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Four weeks later he began to improve and four months after the onset of the
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symptoms, and his last use of nitrous oxide he could walk with some
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hesitation and had completely regained bowel and bladder control and sexual
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function (-stuff deleted-).
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Case 2
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This 32 year old woman was admitted tho the neurology service for inability
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to walk and paresthesias in her limbs and trunk. Her symptoms began 3 weeks
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prior to admission with a "tingling" sensation in the soles of her feet,
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trunk and hands. Her gait bexcame progressively less steady and the day
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prior to admission she had an episode of urinary incontinence.
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Her past medical history was significant for bulimia and occasional
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intranasal use of cocaine. for the previous 3 months she had inhaled
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nitrous oxide for recreational purposes, up to 200 cartriges a day, three
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to four times a week.
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(-stuff deleted, similar neurological signs as above, some antisocial
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behavior).
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(end quote)
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What this shows is that these people really did a lot of nitrous, say 300-
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400 cartridges a week, for a few months in a row to develop these really
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nasty symptoms. But it also shows that people who do such things do exist
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( can you believe it?)
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For the really health conscious among you (a contradiction in terms?) if
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you "must" do nitrous for a longer period be sure to take high doses of
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folic acid (is also depleted from your body as a result of functional B12
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deficiency ) and vitamin B12. (No injury NOT guaranteed, but it might help)
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Also, but less well known, the state of B12 deficiency caused by
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regular use of nitrous oxide produces hyperhomocysteinemia, an accumulation
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in the blood of the amino acid homocysteine.
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Hyperhomocysteinemia is a risk factor for vascular disease of all sorts.
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Furthermore, hyperhomocysteinemia, B12 deficiency and folic acid deficiency
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early in pregnancy all increase the risk of getting a child with a neural
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tube defect (spina bifida and anencephaly, childeren with no brains or open
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spinal cord). If you are a woman, planning to get pregnant or just "at risk
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of getting pregnant", nitrous is a bad idea.
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If youre interested in this literature contact me.
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More literature on neurological aspects of nitrous use:
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Pulsson (1979) "Recreational" misuse of nitrous oxide,
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J. Am Dent. Soc. 98:410-411
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Sahenk et al.(1978) "Polyneuropathy from inhalation of N2O cartridges
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through a whipped cream dispenser" Neurology 28:485-487.
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Chris ( chris@hacktic.nl )
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