Inhalants Fact Sheet 

Inhalants are chemicals which have an enormous number of industrial, commercial, and household uses. When abused as a mood-altering drug, they are inhaled for their depressant effect. "Sniffing" or "huffing" substances to get "high" usually consists of inhaling the drug through a saturated cloth or in a bag that covers the nose and mouth. Almost one in ten junior school students try sniffing; most will experiment but a few may become heavy, frequent abusers.

There are three groups of inhalants:

1. solvents and aerosols - compounds of petroleum & natural gas

2. alkyl nitrites - amyl and butyl nitrite

3. nitrous oxide - laughing gas

The most commonly abused inhalants are the solvents and aerosols.

• excitement, euphoria

• lessening of inhibitions

• restlessnessloss of coordination, muscle relaxation

• confusion, disorientation, hallucinations

Depending on the drug used, effects can last minutes to an hour.

• strong odour of chemical used
• slow mental, physical response to conversation
• scrambled words, disconnected sentences
• sudden change in behaviour, lifestyle including wide mood swings
• empty butane, aerosol, or glue cans where person has been
• loss of appetite
• sensitivity to light

Inhaled vapours from solvents and aerosol propellants enter the bloodstream directly from the lungs and are then rapidly distributed to the brain and liver - those organs with the largest blood supply. Most inhalants are fat-soluble and are absorbed quickly into the central nervous system. While some are broken down and leave the body thorough the kidneys, many are eliminated unchanged from the body through the lungs.

Harmful involvement can result in:

• brain and nerve damage

• lung, kidney and liver damage

• muscle weaknessheart and blood problems

• stomach problemsseizures

• sudden sniffing death (heart failure from irregular heart beat)

• depression
• psychosis, especially if predisposed
• organic brain syndrome, either transient or permanent (shown in coarse tremor, staggering gait, speech problems and disorder of thought)
• fetal damage, infant abnormalities
• tolerance and dependence

These can include:

• chills

• hallucinations

• headache

• abdominal pains

• "shakes"

• irritability

• agitation

Drug Dependency Services, Central Region, 1999