Nitrous Oxide 327
depressant action. The substance has been used to help persons breakpen-
tazocineaddiction. Researchers report success in using the gas to easealcohol,
nicotine, and opioid withdrawal and to reduce craving for alcohol, tobacco,
andmarijuana among addicts. The latter three substances are so different
from one another that nitrous oxide’s ability to reduce craving for all of them
is remarkable. Some medical practitioners claim that a single dose of the gas
actually eliminates craving for those substances, but that claim sounds much
like those made for other “miracle cure” addiction treatments over the years
but that turned out to be overly optimistic.
In former times, nitrous oxide was used to fight ear afflictions. For many
years the substance was believed to make hearing more acute, but tests of
hearing ability while using the compound show no improvement—and vol-
unteers in those tests even felt they had lesser ability to detect soft sounds.
Nitrous oxide can increase pressure in the middle ear, and a case report tells
of treatable hearing loss caused by the drug. Hearing defect has been reported
from recreational use as well.
Typical nitrous oxide actions are tingling, numbness, dreaminess, euphoria,
dysphoria (the opposite of euphoria), altered sensory perceptions, changed
awareness of the body, and different experience of time flow. Although ni-
trous oxide is not classified as a hallucinogen, some descriptions of experiences
are indistinguishable from hallucinations, particularly if a user is talented at
creating internal imagery. Some persons claim to achieve mystical insight
while under the drug’s influence. Intoxication from a dose lasts only a few
minutes.
Drawbacks.The substance disrupts learning ability. That action has been
exploited medically to promote amnesia of unpleasant procedures. In a typical
experiment volunteers who inhaled a low dose of the drug showed worsened
reaction time, worsened ability to do arithmetic, and general sedation accom-
panied by nervous system depression (as opposed to stimulation). Interference
with driving ability has been noted one-half hour after a dose. In another
experiment volunteers felt stimulated; in still another experiment some indi-
viduals were sedated, and others became stimulated. One group became
weary, uneasy, and confused. Short-term exposure can cause dizziness, nau-
sea, vomiting, and breathing difficulty. Some recreational users quickly inhale
as much nitrous oxide as possible and hold their breath. This technique causes
a sudden change of pressure inside the lungs and can rupture small interior
structures needed for breathing. Blood pressure can go up or down, depend-
ing on dosage. Users can lose consciousness, which may be hazardous in a
recreational context due to falls or inability to shut off the gas source. The
substance deactivates vitamin B 12 , an effect that can cause numbness and dif-
ficulty in moving arms and legs. Other results can be impotence and invol-
untary discharge of urine and feces. Nitrous oxide interferes with blood
clotting, and long-term exposure has caused blood abnormalities. Persons with
chronic industrial exposure have more kidney and liver disease than usual.
Nitrous oxide can become very cold when released as a gas from a pressurized
container, cold enough to cause frostbite upon meeting skin or throat.
Breathing nitrous oxide without an adequate supply of oxygen can be fatal; a
little in a closed space or a lot from a face mask can suffocate a user. Although