Inhalants

Lots of Different Types Are solvents and substances found in common household products Glues Hair Spray Lighter fluid Paint products Others Is very popular among youth

Routes Are sniffed directly Huffed from a rag soaked in the substance and held to the face Can be placed in a bag Lots of substance substitution

Effects Rapid absorption Blood levels peak rapidly Rapid entry into the brain Effects resemble alcohol intoxication Stimulation Loss of inhibition Depression Loss of time and space

Side Effects Headache Nausea/vomiting Slurred speech Loss of motor coordination Wheezing Glue sniffer’s rash around the nose Can induce heart failure and death Hearing loss Liver and kidney damage Others

Death Results from suffocation Especially with plastic bags over the head Displaces oxygen in lungs and CNS

Categories Solvents Gases Nitrites

Solvents Paint thinners Degreasers Dry cleaning fluids Gas Glue Art and office supplies Felt tip markers

Gases Butane lighters Propane tanks Whipping cream aerosols Household aerosols Hair and deodorant sprays Medical gasses –ether, nitrous oxide

Nitrites Used to dilate blood vessels and relax muscles Used as sexual enhancers Cyclohexyl nitrite – in room deodorizers Amyl Nitrate (poppers, snappers) Used for heart pain Butyl Nitrate (Poppers) are illegal

Medical Consequences Rapid tolerance (Dopamine neurons) Demyelination Can cause rapid or irregular heart rhythms within minutes Can result in death even in health persons - sudden sniffing death Usually from butane, propane, aerosols Asphyxiation Suffocation Choking on vomit Accidents

Toxicity Are highly toxic Brain and SC Lungs Liver Kidneys May be permanent