debenedi@yale-comix.UUCP (Robert DeBenedictis) (04/03/84)
Hi, I just dropped in on net.med to see what was going on. I don't regularly read this newsgroup -- maybe I should. Anyway, I just finished reading howard's (metheus.226) article on Nitrous Oxide (N2O) and B-12. Amongst the folates and the methionines I missed something crucial -- Is N2O Bad For You? I mean, it's obvious to me that it's not GOOD for you but, given that it's not good, how could one go about minimizing the damage it does? I always thought that the chief danger of N2O was oxygen deprivation (asphyxiation sp?). Now I find out it that results in megaloblastosis. What is THAT? Can someone tell me if N2O ingestion causes early death or brain damage? As I see it those are the two most important things. Let me define N2O ingestion. I don't mean prolonged exposure. I mean occasional exposure (3-5 times a year) lasting maybe a week each time. Within that week there will be maybe 4 days when it is done EXTENSIVELY (i.e., 4 or 5 hours, interrupted only by the revelations that occur as one slowly returns to consciousness). In case anyone out there ever thinks of doing N2O, I have a few words of advice. 1. DON'T DO IT ALONE! For some, nitrous affects time perception and you could easily end up doing it for hours. Also, since it effects your perception of pain you could bump into something, start bleeding, and . . . die. Generally, the more people the better. If you can find a NON-participant observer, do so. Drugs are a pretty dumb thing to do; but if you insist on doing them (as some people will) there's no need to throw all caution to the winds. 2. USE BALLOONS There are several ways of getting nitrous out of a tank and into a body. Balloons are the safest way of doing this. I have seen people do nitrous from garbage bags. Whenever this is done someone always gets the bright idea of sticking the bag on their head. *Someone else* then has to stop what their doing and chastise/babysit the person with the bag on their head so that suffocation does not ensue. A curious alternative to ballons is milkbags. Milkbags are used to serve milk from those institutional style machines that are sometimes called "milk cows." It just so happens that the "spout" on these bags perfectlty fits inside the valve on most tanks of N20. *** NEVER do nitrous directly from a tank. You will freeze your *** lips and burst your lungs. Always use some intermediary *** device (prefererably balloons). Balloons also serve another useful purpose. If one temporarily loses consciousness they usually end up letting go of their balloon. This informs everyone in the room (remember: you're not doing it alone) that someone is maybe getting just a bit *too* wasted. Balloons help to exert a subtle social pressure against overimbibing. One thing, over time some people seem to develop the ability to hold on to their ballons quite well while still being unconscious. Don't worry about these people, they probably got stoned earlier or are tripping so there's no hope for them anyway. 3. MARIJUANA AND NITROUS Marijuana and nitrous mix in a very strange way. Nitrous usually comes on strong and fades real fast. If you're stoned you don't see it coming and it never seems to leave. It seems like some one's always filling up another balloon and that since you feel so good you might as well just keep doing whatever it was that you were doing that put you in such a good mood. 4. HICCUPS If you get the hiccups you're probably doing to much, step out and get some fresh air. 5. NAUSEA Nitrous on a full (or partially full) stomach will probably cause vomiting. 6. SLEEP I have observed that when people really imbibe heavily with nitrous oxide they get very tired (as well as sensitive to drafts). Heavy bouts with nitrous are usually followed by a fairly strong desire to take a nice long nap. 7. NON-DRUG USERS There are some people out there who've got their shit together enough to realize that drugs are not the answer, the question, or even the most comfortable point in between. HOWEVER, even some of these people (roughly a third of them) will become fascinated and absorbed by the facial expressions of those doing nitrous. This combined with the fact that it (seems) to last only 2-3 minutes often convinces non-drug users to give it a whirl. A certain subset of "the non-drug users that try nitrous" find that it makes serious (SERIOUS) inroads into their non-drug ideology. For this certain subset, nitrous is The Beginning Of The End. 8. THE LAW Nitrous Oxide (as far as I know) is available in quantities only by prescription. HOWEVER, small canisters of it are sold through restaurant supply houses for use in whip cream whippers (the gas is propelled under pressure through the cream; I think). Also, I think drag racers use N2O to aid combustion in their engines. None of the above is intended to encourage the use of N2O or any other substances. I'm posting this because experience has shown me that while you cannot convince people to give up drugs (at least I can't) you can persuade them that some modes of ingestion are less harmful than others. If anyone out there has ANY comments on this, I'd like to read them. I am particularly interested in the ways people rationalize away the danger of using illicit (as well as licit) drugs. (EX: "I only use heroin on the weekends. That way I won't become an addict.") Either post them to the net or send them to me. I'm busy graduating right now so you might not get a response for a few months. REMEMBER: self-medication is a tricky and dangerous route you need all the help you can get
seifert@ihuxl.UUCP (D.A. Seifert) (04/06/84)
There are two grades of Nitrous, "medical" and "industrial".
As mentioned in the previous article, yes N2O is used to
get more power out of engines. Industrial grade N2O is used
for this. I will not lecture anyone on the merits of inhaling
medical grade N2O, but
DO NOT INHALE INDUSTRIAL GRADE NITROUS !!!!!
Got that? Good! bye now...
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/_____\ From the official doghouse of the '84 Olympics,
/_______\ Snoopy
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____|___|_____ ihnp4!ihuxl!seifert