Inhalants: what are the effects?
Inhalants are rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream from the lungs, so small amounts can affect you quite quickly (3–5 minutes). The effects are usually over within an hour of inhaling.
Immediate effects
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Fewer inhibitions.
Feeling less inhibited, laughing, becoming excited and generally feeling intoxicated are effects felt within 3 to 5 minutes of using inhalants. A sustained ‘high’ can be achieved by repeated use.
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Excitement.
The person's mood can vary from mild excitement to euphoria. Sometimes they may become agitated and uneasy.
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Confusion and disorientation.
Inhalants can also cause hallucinations and delusions.
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Drowsiness.
The initial excitement is often followed by drowsiness.
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'Flu-like symptoms.
Inhalants may cause sneezing, coughing, glazed eyes or a runny nose, like having a cold or the 'flu.
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Nausea.
Inhalants can make people feel sick and have diarrhoea.
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Unpleasant breath.
After using inhalants people often have the smell of the product on their breath.
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Nosebleeds and sores.
Inhalants may also cause nosebleeds, bloodshot eyes, and sores around the mouth and nose.
These effects are usually over within an hour of inhaling. Hangovers and headaches may occur after the immediate effects have passed. Sometimes these last for several days.
Overdose
Large amounts of inhalants can increase the chances of feeling disoriented, experiencing visual distortions and can further decrease co-ordination. Very high doses can cause black-out, convulsions or coma.
Short-term use
With short-term use, most products rarely cause damage to the body. However, some glue sniffers have been admitted to hospital unable to control their movements or speak properly, and sometimes have convulsions. Most of these symptoms clear within a few hours. Some people may experience problems with their breathing passages, but this improves over time.
Long-term effects
People who use inhalants heavily and frequently may experience the following effects.
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Health problems.
Pale appearance, tremors, weight loss, tiredness, excessive thirst, loss of sense of smell and hearing, anaemia due to affected blood production, irregular heartbeat and damage to heart muscle, liver and kidney damage.
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Illogical thinking.
Memory impairment, reduced ability to think clearly.
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Irritability.
Users may feel irritable, hostile, depressed or persecuted.
Most long-term effects are not permanent and can be reversed if use is stopped. However, inhalation of cleaning products, correction fluid and aerosol sprays can cause permanent damage. The lead in petrol, and some of the chemicals in other inhalants, may build up in the body. This irritates the lining of the stomach and intestines, and can cause damage to the brain, nervous system, kidneys and liver. Prolonged and heavy use may even cause stupor or coma, problems with breathing, irregular heartbeat and sometimes seizures. Using inhalants (chroming, in particular), can cause blood vessels in the eyes to burst, making them completely red and eventually leading to blindness.
Other risks
A small number of people have died from using inhalants.
The main danger comes from accidents when ‘high’, such as suffocation caused by using plastic bags to inhale, choking on vomit when unconscious, and behaving recklessly.
Inhalants are highly flammable, so there is also the risk of severe burns if the inhalants ignite or explode.
‘Sudden sniffing death’ has followed the use of aerosol sprays, cleaning and correction fluids, and model aeroplane cement. It is believed that chemicals in these products can cause heart failure, particularly if the user is stressed or does heavy exercise after inhaling. This is very rare.
For more information, please click on the Australian Drug Foundation's DrugInfo Clearinghouse web site link below.
Last Reviewed: 20 September 2006
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