After parsing through all 16 pages of this thread I have to correct something from the original post.
Now, brief disclaimer here, I’m not trying to justify nitrous (ab)use, as it’s something I myself have had problems with, but you, TMP, presented some information initially which is well… incorrect.
Quick personal backstory, I’m a happy psychonaut, and a neuroscientist, and I enjoyed the usefulness of N2O to achieve the same clear-minded “Ah the universe fits together” state that you mentioned. But due to its intense and short lived euphoria, I, like you, began developing an addiction quite rapidly, and then some subsequent neurological symptoms.
The first fears I had were all related to the ingestion of N2O blocking oxygen uptake in the lungs. We had ran experiments in lab relating to hypoxia and I was required to learn the fundamental symptoms, and the dangers. So I did the quickest thing I could think of and ordered a pulse oximeter (device to measure blood oxygenation). And what I found was that the method I was using - fill lungs half with N2O, fill the rest of the way with air, breath shallowly, but constantly till lungs are empty, repeat - did not result in a significant (and I mean non-statistically significant at p5) decrease in oxygen.
So that brings me to my first point… nitrous is one of the most rapidly removed chemicals from the bloodstream. It’s small size and high reactivity give it fantastic solubility, and every ‘clean up’ process/system in your body is great at removing it, e.g. the liver (we’ll come back to that). Any cumulative effect would be through the duration of the N2O usage, and would not continue in the body for more than maximum 4 hours afterwards, assuming ~180lb bodymass.
Secondly, hypoxia is not something that could be caused by N2O in the bloodstream. There is no reason free N2O would cause complications for normal O2 transport through the body. The two act together, and the only way to achieve saturation at levels that would obstruct O2 delivery would be to actually inject N2O saturated plasma directly into the bloodstream (which actually sounds awesome now that I think of it!).
So this is the point of yours I wish to humbly correct. “The effect of Nitrous Oxide is *cumulative*. If you do it too long, it builds up in your bloodstream. Then you do not have enough oxygen in your system - hypoxia sets in, and your brain starts to die. And once you go past a certain point there is *no* coming back - ever. Your life is fucked - forever - till the day you die.”
The buildup of N2O in the bloodstream from bulb usage alone does not reach levels which would or could cause hypoxia. Repetitive usage without breathing, huffing, or using a tank with a mask all could cause hypoxia.
Now I am not dismissing your personal experience, rather attempting to reframe it. Yes hypoxia can cause neuropathy like what you experienced, however it would have to come from an acute incident. This would be if you had a mask on and fell asleep. Or, in a non nitrous setting, were choking and were *without* oxygen for around 3 minutes (at which point non-recoverable neuropathy begins).
I believe what you experienced was actually a B12 depletion brought to symptomatic levels due to physical activity. The N2O cleaned out by the liver (see, brought it back!) has a tendency to bond to the stores of B12 (Cobalamin) in the liver. This causes the cobalamin to “deactivate” rendering it completely unusable by the body.
There are lots of problems with B12 depletion, memory loss, depression, discoloration or even hyperpigmentation of skin, hair loss… But one of the most dramatic symptoms is neuropathy leading to ascending distal numbness (fingers and toes, spreading toward the trunk of the body).
This neuropathy is directly related to the role B12 plays in creating the Myelin Sheaths which protect neuron axons and dendrites. Without B12, along with it’s products homocysteine Methylmalonic acid, the body is not able to produce Myelin. As this protective coating over the neurons begins to break down, there is nothing to replace it, and cellular damage begins to occur, i.e. neuropathy
The breakdown of spinal Myelin causes the distal numbness associated with B12 neuropathy, and in more advanced cases, results in lhermitte's sign, or painful “electrical” firing when the spinal column is compressed.
Interestingly, the symptoms are nearly identical to when another spinal neuropathy such as MS results in active Myelin destruction.
So that’s all well and good, but the thing is this. Your body obtains B12 through eating meat, eggs, and a very small amount of specific plants (hence the high rate of B12 neuropathy in vegans), and it’s not very good at getting that, only around 0.5% of B12 is absorbed through ingestion. So your body filters it out of your blood and stores it in your liver. (Do you see where this is going?). When those reserves in your liver are deactivated from N2O, you are nearly incapable of returning to normal B12 levels without some outside assistance, and in theory the rate of B12 replenishment through natural dietary means is incapable of catching up to the rate of demyelination.
This last year, in the midst of a very stressful (both physically and mentally) experience, started getting the same rapidly ascending distal numbness, brain fog, loss of memory, and difficulty focusing. I’d read medical journals on N2O and B12 deficiency (thanks neuroscience background) and was able to determine that that was the likely culprit.
I went to the Dr. and after explaining the situation, N2O and all, was given B12 injections into my legs for 2 weeks until the numbness had stopped ascending and began to decrease. At that point I began taking B12 subcutaneously twice a day for around 2 months. I had developed lhermitte's sign as well, and treated that separately with Lions Mane Mushroom Extract (needed to rebuild Myelin rapidly, and LMM promotes human NGF), and with abstaining from N2O was back to perfect health in just under 5 months.
I believe the same likely happened to you. However, it doesn’t appear from your story that any efforts were made to repair the damaged myelin, resulting in more serious and permanent neuropathy. If you still have pain symptoms, especially relating to spinal cord contortion, I seriously do recommend looking into LMM extract. Take it for a couple months, see how you feel, worst case scenario you’ll have better memory and a healthier gut.
I still enjoy N2O, but now make sure to pre-load B12 an hour before, and post-load an hour afterwards. And, of course, I’ve cut my intake way down.
Thanks,
camthough