Effects of Inhalants

Inhalants are chemical drugs that act as a depressant to the central nervous system and can have dangerous effects on the body. Inhalants are not very commonly known as drugs because they are found in many of our household products, and most of us do not know their effects. From a long time, inhalants have been used for medical purposes, for making people unconscious before a surgery. However, it is also been used as a drug that helps in giving an immediate high. When a person uses an inhalant, it reduces the oxygen level in the blood and causes damage to the brain.

Inhalants are drugs that include aerosols, gases, nitrites and solvents which are present in products like glues, paints, hair sprays, cleaning fluids, cookware coating agents, nail paint removers, air fresheners, etc. Inhalants, like other drugs are taken by people because it takes them to a different world, where they can be away from the problems and inhibitions that they face in life. Besides, they are less expensive and also easily available. When a person inhales one of these products, it slows down all the bodily functions and does great physical and mental damage.

The immediate effects that are commonly seen after a person has used an inhalant are nausea, headache, nosebleeds, coughing, increase in heart rate, loss of appetite, bad breath, sneezing, lack of coordination, tiredness, etc. Usually, the immediate effects found in a person would depend on the drug dose that he or she has inhaled. People who take inhalants feel excited, hallucinated and distorted. They may have a slurred speech and also may turn violent, harming themselves as well as those around them.

If a person becomes addicted to inhalants for a longer period of time, it can cause harmful effects on the physical and mental health of that person. Long term effects found on people who use inhalants are weight loss, loss of hearing, irregular heartbeat, damage to the kidney, and also damage to the bone marrow and liver. It can also cause mental imbalance and memory impairment.

Excessive long-term usage of inhalants can also lead to death. Sometimes, while inhaling, the person may feel suffocation and this can lead to unconsciousness, coma or even death. Death can also occur if an addict becomes unconscious while vomiting. One can also be affected by 'sudden sniffing death syndrome', where an individual dies when taking a puff of a highly concentrated inhalant. This can happen even if the person is trying the drug for the first time or if he has been an addict for a long time.

Most of the time, the damage caused by inhalants are permanent. However, effects caused by some inhalants can be treated and cured. To save us and our family from the effects of inhalants, the most important thing is that we have the correct information about this deadly substance. Children and teenagers are said to be the two groups of people who are more at risk of getting addicted to inhalants. Parents and care givers should see to it that children do not handle these products without the presence of an adult. People who use these inhalants must remember that these drugs may give them a quick relief from the tensions and problems, but only at the cost of losing their precious life.