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Help! Nitrous Oxide Withdrawals

O

orange floyd

Bluelighter
Joined
Jun 17, 2009
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81
Yes I know this is not smart, but I've been doing anywhere from one to four boxes of whippits (50 whip-its in each) a day for somewhere around a month, with only a few days off. Recently it has been getting really out of hand, and I've been using it for a longer period of time/throughout the day more. I'm afraid of some sort of GABA withdrawal occuring, having read something about nitrous hitting gaba receptors. I've found it difficult lately to sleep through the night, waking up sweating sometimes and just feeling achey all over. I have been abusing hydro/oxycodone a little, never really pushing the dose all too high at all though, and never using more than a few days in a row (i.e. always avoiding physical addiction, aside from occasional one-day withdrawals that are more like a headache and being irritable and maybe slightly nauseous.)and it feels like i'm dopesick or something when I wake up, until i use nitrous. Today I didn't use nitrous until a good 3-5 hours later than my usual dosing, and i noticed weird sensations in my head that can be closest described to an SSRI brain zap but way less electric/evil/unnerving feeling. I notice my eyes twitching in weird directions, and this stops once i've done some nitrous. I almost started feeling crazy until I had my nitrous today, it scared the shit out of me. I plan on doing a taper to get off of this, any ideas what else I'd be in for had i gone a full 24 hours or more without nitrous? Should i take some benzos and maybe even small doses here or there of opiates? Does nitrous effect opiate receptors? I know there shouldnt be any NDMA withdrawal on a physical level, but should i be worried about the GABA withdrawal? I've used the search engine and there seems to be pretty much no info on nitrous withdrawal, any help would be greaaaaaaatlyy appreciated.
 
I do nitrous just about every day. at least 2 24packs and haven't experienced any of that. i'm also prescribed ativan and tranxene so that could be why i don't . the only thing it does to me is makes me VERY fatigued. i had vitamin b12 drawn (which it depletes) and now have to give myself injections. in fact, a lot of the things you described are symptoms of b12 deficiency which leads to folate deficiency as well. you may want to get a b12 and folate lab drawn.

someone correct me if i'm wrong, but i think it acts on both gaba and opiate receptors to an extent. it doesn't act the same ways as actual benzos and opiates at the receptor sites, but mimics the anxiety-relieving and pain-killing effects. However, it's NOT physically addictive. Psychologically, that's another story. It's uncommon, but for few it is a VERY addictive substance.

that being said, it's such a dumb drug to do (and i'm speaking for myself as well) as it is expensive and SO short-acting (seconds!!).... but even though i know better, i can't get rid of the craving.
 
Regular nitrous use can be damaging. Go read TheMerryPrankster's thread in Trip Reports.
 
Unless your hittin those balloons every 5 mins (or less) i think you'd know about any kind of withdrawals you're gonna have..
 
There is no dangerous withdrawl from nitrous, unlike GABAergics. It'll be unpleasant, but not at all hazardous to your health.

You're just rationalizing your decision to continue wasting money and time on nitrous. The correct answer is not to do any more, now or ever.
 
I have gone through like 3 CASES of BOXES of 24 whippits in less than a week before by myself, never had any kind of withdrawal, although my fingers and toes started to get a bit tingly from b12 depletion, solved that by running out of money for nitrous...
 
Why not Just get a bigger tank? will take a lot longer to WD because you will always have a nice size tank =D
 
^I sometimes wonder how much that is fabricated.

But to the OP,
I don't think you can have nitrous oxide withdrawals. Just the compulsion to do them or boredom from not doing so.
 
i can tell you that nitrous oxide WDs feels like benzo WDs (aka major GABA dysfunction). i would know because i am experiencing nitrous wds and benzos are helping. but we are talking heavy use here (I used nitrous to get myself through the month of suboxone WDs and PAWs)
 
the fact that GABAergics are helping and easing with a lot of unpleasantries does not imply that the problem is GABA dysfunction to begin with. Only that very generally cessation of a narcotic or sedating drug causes withdrawals that are related to overexcitability, discomfort of having a new balance set in your brain...

yes substituting one drug for another (as long as they are narcotic, sedative, analgesic, etc) temporarily and partially helps with symptoms and may stretch out withdrawals. it may complicate withdrawal because you'd be postponing the reset your brain is doing so to speak.
 
Drugs are psychologically addicting based on speed of onset and decay due to reward centers. That's why it causes "addiction," but not "dependence."

It also has a reverse tolerance.
 
Withdrawals from Nitrous Oxide are REAL

I know this is an old thread, and hopefully the OP is no longer struggling with withdrawal symptoms from Nitrous Oxide.

But for others who may visit this post and may be struggling with the same problem, I feel compelled to post some research facts about Nitrous Oxide that point to actual physical addiction and withdrawal symptoms. I know – because I’ve been dealing with them for years.

FACT #1
Nitrous Oxide bonds with the opioid receptors in the brain.


FACT #2
When Nitrious Oxide is used under standard dental procedures of only 30% Nitrous Oxide (and 70% Oxygen) - it is the equivalent to 15mg of morphine.


MEDICAL REFERENCE:
“The strongest evidence is that nitrous oxide stimulates release of enkephalins, which bind to opioid receptors that trigger descending noradrenergic pathways. The most common estimate of analgesic efficacy suggests that 30% nitrous oxide delivered by full mask is equivalent to 10 to 15 mg morphine. This interaction with the endogenous opioid system may account in part for abuse potential attributed to nitrous oxide.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2614651/#!po=0.537634
Anesthesia Progress


COMMENTARY:
The average nitrous user is probably not mixing their N2O with Oxygen.
They're probably breathing in more like 90-100% nitrous oxide at once and only 0-10% Oxygen

A chronic nitrous user will crack a whippit into a balloon - exhale the air from their lungs - then take a big inhale from the balloon once - then breath in-and-out of that balloon multiple times to get the most high. A chronic user will most likely be doing a box of 24 or 50 all at once. That's at least 1+ hour of breathing mostly 90% N20 - with minimal Oxygen intake. And if they're doing this multiple times in one week. Over several months. It's possible they may have a morphine-like substance abuse problem.

I'm just extrapolating here - but that makes sense to me.

It's something to contemplate if you've gone done this path and are struggling to get off the nitrous.

Depending on how dependent your body has gotten, you may need to withdraw from nitrous as you would a morphine addiction.


Here is a link to a blog where I am posting detailed info and good reference links about Nitrous Oxide:
http://n2oadvice.blogspot.com

Eventually I'll have to post something on Erowid.
I think there's a lot of mis-information - and way too much over-simplified information - on the internet about Nitrous Oxide that needs to be digested and summarized in one single place.

All the good info is scattered across different sites and it's hard to get the facts on Nitrous Oxide.

Please remember to tell your N2O party friends that Nitrous behaves like an Opioid in the brain and that they need to be careful not to get hooked.

Good luck my friends!
 
I have a history of repeated alcohol and benzodiazepine withdrawal. Elevated heart rate, nausea, panic attacks, sweating, sensitivity to noise, etc. I’ve been treated with phenobarbital tapers. Amazingly effective.
So I was shocked when I started having these withdrawal symptoms and the only drug I had been using is nitrous oxide, 3-4 times per day for about a month. I kept reading that it’s not physically addictive but it sure feels like it. Had some leftover pheno which relieved all the withdrawal symptoms within hours. Did some more research and saw that like alcohol and benzodiazepines this notorious stuff affects glutamate and Gaba a levels in the brain. I’ve had withdrawal just from a few beers of late so I’m clearly living in a highly kindled state. Thinking of asking the doctor for Acamprosate. Maybe most people don’t have physical withdrawal from nitrous but I believe that I do. NoW I just hope I have enough pheno do yet another short taper.
 
Ok here is a recent article supporting that nitrous can cause physical withdrawal. To me the withdrawal feels like benzo/alcohol withdrawal. anxiety, agitation, headache, sweating, hyperacusis, nausea, panic attacks. I tried to stop the pheno yesterday and today felt these sx returning so I dosed 15 mg pheno and after an hour am already about 50 percent better. Nitrous really sneaks up on you. I really think it’s bad news for certain people anyhow. I can’t be the only one. And I’m not. See below:

www.sciencedirect.com

Severe nitrous oxide use disorder: A case-report

Nitrous oxide or N20 is an odorless/colorless gas, also known as laughing gas. Its analgesic properties were used in dentistry or surgery as early as …
www.sciencedirect.com www.sciencedirect.com
 
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