What are Poppers? Dangers of Stimulants

What Are Poppers?

Poppers, also known on the street as snappers, are drugs that are inhaled for their stimulating and sexual effects. Its chemical name is amyl nitrite and is a liquid with a fruity odor and yellowish appearance. They belong to a class of drugs called inhalants because individuals consume them by breathing them in.

Poppers differ from other drugs in a unique way. Most are illegal to consume as recreational drugs in the United States but can still be legally purchased.

This legal gray area means that they’re readily sold in adult stores, online and in novelty bookstores in the form of room deodorizers, liquid incense or aroma, air fresheners, video head cleaners, nail polish removers and leather cleaners. Their bottles may resemble energy shots and come in 10 to 40 mL sizes.

Despite the innocent nature of incense or air fresheners, they can have a massive potential for abuse when used as poppers. Inhaling poppers causes the body to absorb the nitrites rapidly. You could experience a range of effects in about 30 seconds. You might feel a rush or sexual enhancement or you might experience severe respiratory depression, coma, seizures and even death.

How do Poppers Work?

Amyl nitrates originally had a medical use including for the treatment of angina. Poppers are vasodilators which means they widen blood vessels to reduce blood and pulmonary pressure. This is the mechanism that alleviates angina symptoms.

Poppers became a part of the clinical management of this heart condition in 1867 until better therapeutics like nitroglycerin replaced them in clinical practice. The only current medical use for poppers is to treat cyanide poisoning.

This chemical with valid medical properties became a recreational drug in the 1960s and 1970s. Amyl nitrite consumption surged during this time mainly in two specific settings that persist today: the clubbing scene and the gay community.

The popularity of poppers in raves, clubs and music festivals is due to its fast acting effects. The typical way to consume poppers is to place the bottle next to one nostril and inhale. This produces an almost instant expansion of blood vessels that generates a head rush and a warm sensation that’s followed by euphoria. This experience is extremely short but intense.

Poppers are immensely popular among men in the gay community. Amyl nitrite has a powerful capacity to relax smooth muscle tissue. This makes it easier to facilitate anal sex and enhances the pleasure felt during intercourse.

Poppers in the disco scene and the gay community are frequently combined with drugs like cannabis and meth as well as erectile dysfunction medications. The combined use of poppers and other drugs increases the risk of harmful side effects.

Risk and Side Effects of Poppers

The health risks of poppers became public in the late 1980s and early 1990s and the U.S. government took legal action to ban them. Various regulations made the most common types of poppers illegal. Manufacturers circumvented these laws by marketing chemical variants of those substances.

In 2021 the FDA warned consumers about the dangers of poppers due to the increase in side effects that led to serious health consequences and even many deaths. Clinical hospitalization among those who use poppers doubled in the U.S. from 2013 to 2022

Poppers’ wide availability is a consequence of their legal nature in many countries. This facilitates black market distribution in the U.S. Drug dealers also often disguise poppers as innocuous, everyday products adults can buy without hassle for cleaning their shoes or aromatizing their surroundings.

They may be used as recreational drugs on dance floors or as sexual enhancement tools but poppers are not harmless substances anyone can have fun with. Here are their main risks and side effects.

• Neurological Effects: Poppers can be toxic to the nervous system. They can disrupt memory function and learning capacities while affecting movement coordination and increasing the risk of ataxia or the lack of muscle control.
• Dangerous Low Blood Pressure and Tachychardia: The vasodilating properties of poppers can cause low blood pressure episodes and elevated heart rate.
• Respiratory Complications: The most common way of ingestion is nasal inhalation which may increase therisk of sinusitis and breathing difficulties.
• Autonomic Effects: Poppers may cause headaches and lightheadedness and elevate the risk of syncope or fainting.
• Dermatological risks: Amyl nitrites may cause contact dermatitis when they touch the skin and increase the risk of developing crusty lesions.
• Sexual Dysfunction: Poppers can interfere with the capacity to maintain an erection due to the short half life effect of its capability to dilate blood vessels.
• Vision problems: Visual complications and even cases of vision loss have been associated with popper consumption.
• Blood disorders: There’s an abundance of evidence that poppers can augment the risk of developing methemoglobinemia which affects the body’s capacity to circulate oxygen.
• Immunological consequences: Poppers can affect how the body combats viral infections.
• Elevated Virus Related Cancer Risks: Studies point to frequent long term popper use as a significant risk for developing malignancies such as Hodgkin lymphoma caused by Epstein Barr virus, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, human papillomavirus-related anal and oropharyngeal cancer and human herpesvirus-8 Kaposi sarcoma.
• Sexual Assault risks: Poppers are primarily used in settings where alcohol and other drugs are abused. Consuming poppers elevates the risk of losing consciousness and can potentially lead to sexual assault.
• Fire hazard: Poppers can cause explosions and elevate the hazard of accidents and burnings because they’re highly flammable.
• Death: There are reported cases of death after inhaling or orally ingesting poppers.

Are Poppers Addictive?

Poppers are not addictive in the same way that other illicit drugs can be. They don’t hijack an individual’s mental and physical capacities. Yet research indicates that poppers may raise dopamine levels and affect the central nervous system. This creates a real risk of dependence.

Individuals struggling with inhalant dependence mention potent cravings for them and have difficulties stopping their consumption. Stimulants like poppers might have a lesser risk of addiction than alcohol or heroin but they have a high abuse potential and risk of dependence. Regular use of poppers can lead to psychological dependence. This is where individuals may feel compelled to use them to enhance or sustain certain experiences and social situations.

Men in the gay community who use poppers to augment pleasure and facilitate intimate encounters have reported feeling dependent on poppers to enjoy sexual relationships or even to have the capacity to perform. This suggests the risk of popper abuse is real.

Popper usage in the gay community is higher than in other demographic groups. Researchers have pointed out that 36.5% of gay men have consumed poppers during their lives.

Is it Possible to Overdose on Poppers?

Poppers aren’t addictive in the traditional sense but you can still overdose and experience severe health effects that can disrupt your well-being up to and including death.

Tthe FDA has recently encountered more and more reports of severe reactions to popper use and increased deaths associated with it than in previous years. This is forcing the agency to raise alerts to dissuade their consumption.

The symptoms of poppers overdose include:

• Nausea
• Headache
• Vomiting
• Shortness of breath
• Low blood pressure (hypotension)
• Hypoventilation (shallow breathing)
• Elevated body temperature
• Flushing of the face
• Dizziness
• Fainting

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms after inhaling or ingesting poppers then you should seek medical help. These symptoms could put you at risk of blood disorders and brain damage and may be life threatening.

Mixing alcohol with poppers may augment the risk of having dangerously low blood pressure levels that could collapse a person’s cardiovascular system.

Where Can I Find Information About Poppers Treatment?

If you’re looking for information about poppers treatment then you’re in the right place. There are many government and local agencies that you can contact for immediate assistance.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration offers a National Helpline at 1.800.662.HELP that you can call any time to access mental health and substance use treatment resources.

Rehab.com is the leading resource hub for finding rehabilitation centers in the U.S. You can access comprehensive help about every aspect of addiction and substances like poppers and match with centers that adjust to your beliefs, circumstances and insurance to choose the one that works best for you or a loved one.

The FDA also offers assistance with poppers.You can report adverse health events and report unlawful online sales of the substance.

Poison control is also a valuable aid in case of inhaling or ingesting poppers. You can call 1.800.222.1222 in an emergency.

If you or someone you love is having a mental health or substance use crisis then you can text or call the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline to access support by crisis counselors trained in managing emotionally distressing situations.

Your doctor or trusted healthcare professional can also address your questions about popper abuse and point you in the right direction to access the help you need.

Narcotics Anonymous provides valuable information about local support groups and treatment options for substance use. You can call them at 800.683.0146 to get help now.

What Are the Treatment Options for Addiction to Poppers?

Help is available if you or someone you love struggles with poppers. Effective treatment alternatives can be adapted to your personal preferences and life circumstances. The following are some recovery options.

Detox

Detox is usually the first step on the journey to a life without a popper. Specialized facilities offer inpatient and outpatient programs to rid your body of these substances. Clinical professionals will keep the withdrawal process safe and comfortable for you.

Inpatient Treatment

Inpatient recovery is a modality that offers hands-on care and supervision for individuals who need a place to start again and distance themselves from substances like poppers.

A change of surroundings can do wonders for the mind and body. Residing in an inpatient facility provides access to the best personalized care for understanding the root cause of addiction while treating your body and mind from any physiological and psychological dependence.

A peaceful environment, round the clock support and group and individual counseling can offer a person a new chapter free from popper use.

Outpatient Treatment

Outpatient alternatives offer individuals with popper dependence the chance to recover in a more flexible way than inpatient protocols. Clients can continue living at home while receiving counseling and attending therapy. Some programs focus on serving the LGBTQ community or military veterans. These programs give you the opportunity to seek specialized clinical care, meet peers who are also recovering and learn coping skills to bounce back and live the life you want.

Aftercare

Completing a recovery program like inpatient or outpatient treatment is not the end of the road. Recovery is a lifelong journey you face one day at a time. Preventing relapse is an active process that requires a plan and connection with supportive individuals.

Well designed, robust aftercare plans help individuals maintain relationships with peers, learn new life skills and consider every potential circumstance that could put them in danger of relapsing.

Living without poppers is possible. The best day to take the first step is today.