Nitrous

Just Say Know!

Name(s): NOS, NANGS, HAPPY GAS, LAUGHING GAS, BULBS, WHIPPETS, HIPPIE CRACK, BALLOON
Chemical Compound:
Nitrous oxide (N2O)

Nitrous oxide (N2O) is a gas that causes rapid pain relief, euphoria, mild sedation and psychedelic dissociation when inhaled. When used recreationally, pure nitrous oxide is inhaled by the user, which increases the associated risks.
Nitrous belongs to a class of drugs called dissociative anaesthetics, which detach perception from sensation. This dissociative effect, combined with its short duration of action, makes nitrous a popular recreational drug. To dissociate means you may feel separate from your body, friends, or surroundings.

Know your mind, know your body, know your substance, and know your limits.

General Information

How it’s Taken: Inhaled

Duration of Effects:
Total duration: 1-5 minutes
Onset: 0-1 minute
Peak: 1-5 minutes
Coming down: 10 minutes
Even though the apparent effects of the drug wear off after 5 minutes, the drug is still active in your system for another 5 minutes after you have taken it.

Most Common Effects:

• Trance-like sensation

• Auditory hallucinations

• Dissociation

• Reduces vitamin B121evels

• Kaleidoscopic visual effects

• Mild euphoria

• Clumsiness I loss of motor control

• Reduced awareness of external stimuli

• Feeling numb

• Headaches

• Mood lift

• Confusion

• Distorted perception of time

• Uncontrollable laughter

*Effects vary greatly from one person to another

Less Common Effects:

• Nausea

• Reduced anxiety

• Buzzing sensation in fingers/toes

• Synaesthesia

Rare Effects:

• Psychosis or psychotic episode

• Paranoia, fear and panic

• Numbness in fingers, nose, lips, and toes with extended use

Possible Long-term effects:

• Depletion of vitamin B12 can cause numbing of fingers, toes, and nerve endings. This can be addressed by increasing the intake of B12 supplements. in advanced cases, B12 shots are used as a treatment. If left untreated, B12 deficiency can lead to long-term damage

• In a small number of cases, extended nitrous use has been followed by psychosis. This was thought to be due to vitamin B12 deficiency, as B12 supplementation plus time in care resulted in resolution of effects

• Exposure to nitrous oxide has been linked to lower fertility rates in women

Call 000 if experiencing an adverse effects, feel unwell or concerned in any way

Safer Using Tips :

Taking drugs is never without risk. Information on dose and length of action are of a general nature. Each person's response to a drug will depend heavily upon individual factors such as body weight, kidney and liver function. Because most illicit drugs are of unknown purity and weight, use caution when dosing, start low and go slow.

• Nitrous is almost always obtained in the form of single-use, pressurised "cream whipper" bulbs. Occasionally, it is used from medical grade cylinders. Read about how to filter your nangs/bulbs HERE

• A standard dose is one or two bulbs, which each contain 8 grams of nitrous oxide.

• Extended sessions can lead to increased harm. See long term effects for more details

• A special device is needed to release the gas from bulbs. Some people use a 'cracker', which is a small device designed to crack bulbs directly into balloons. More commonly, in Australia, people use a cream whipper aka a bulberator, nanginator, nangatron, bulby, etc.

• Avoid inhaling nitrous directly from the nanginator or (especially) cracker. Compressed nitrous is at a high pressure and expands from the bulb at a freezing temperature, which can cause severe damage to the lungs, as well as burns to the throat and lips. Always dispense the gas into a balloon or a larger dispenser first and allow it to warm up before inhaling.

• If you choose to inhale directly from the nanginator, cover the tip with some cloth, e. g. a shirt or scarf to filter out oil and small fragments of metal. Read about how to filter your nangs/bulbs HERE

• When using a nangenator, crack the bulb away from your face, as there have been rare cases of injury from faulty, old or cheap nangenators.

• Never inhale nitrous alone; it is possible to lose consciousness entirely under the influence of nitrous

• Never inhale nitrous released from a medical-grade cylinder in a fully-enclosed space, such as in a car with the windows up. There are recorded cases of people falling unconscious over time and dying from lack of oxygen.

• You do not need to hold your breath or deprive yourself of oxygen for the drug to work

• Use in a safe environment with people that you trust.

• Breathe properly to oxygenate your blood before and after using nitrous

• Sit or lie down – nitrous can lead to an immediate loss of motor skills. Sitting will help prevent injury occurring.

• If lying down, elevate your head slightly.

• There is no need to breathe in and out of a balloon multiple times – this leads to oxygen deprivation and does not add to the high.

• Use your own balloon and don’t share balloons, to avoid the spread of germs, cold sores etc

• Load up on bananas, swiss cheese, eggs or Berocca to increase your store of vitamin B12. Continued nitrous use can lead to the depletion of B12. This is especially important for vegetarians and vegans.

• With continued use in a single session, the user may feel stronger effects with each dose.

• After each session or festival, open your nanginator and give it a good clean. The walls of the tank will be covered with a build-up of brown motor oil – this is a side effect of the bulb manufacturing process. See what the inside of a nanginator that hasn’t been cleaned looks like HERE

• BIN YOUR BULBS! They don’t belong on the ground; they take ages to break down and can be dangerous to animals and doofer feet.

• Not all recycling plants process nitrous bulbs, but call around to scrap metal yards and find one that will accept them – you may even get a little cash for dropping your bulbs off.

• When buying bulbs, make sure you get cream chargers! Soda chargers look almost identical but contain the much more dangerous gas carbon dioxide – inhaling that is extremely painful, could kill you, and you won’t get high.

Unsafe Combinations:

Nitrous combined with…

• Depressants = increased risk of losing consciousness

• Psychedelics = intensified psychedelic effects and risk of challenging experience

• Alcohol = nausea and vomiting.

Take a look at the TripSit drug combinations chart HERE for info on other combinations

Nitrous is not recommended to take if you have or have had:

• Pulmonary hypertension
• Asthma
• Chest infection
• Breathing difficulties
• Or if you are pregnant

Speak to you doctor for more info on drug combinations/health conditions. Call (02) 8354 7300 or 1800 644 413 (free call) for referrals

Roadside Drug test:

Nitrous is not detectable by a saliva test. it's best not to drive until the effects have completely worn off and you have had a decent sleep. Make sure you take this into consideration when planning your ride home from a festival or event.

Read more about Mobile Drug Testing HERE