consort to a new review , the recreational use of nitrous oxide can have serious and sometimes lasting neurologic impacts . Although this drug is becoming progressively popular , the findings are worrying . It is hoped the results of the survey will aid doctors identify the star sign of nitrous oxide toxicity .

Nitrous oxide ( N2O ) , also know as laughing accelerator pedal , is a colorless , odorless , and non - flammable gasoline . It was first used therapeutically in 1844 for dental surgical operation and has remained one of the most normally used anestheticagentsever since . This is because it is moderately balmy as anesthetics go , making it valuable for venial aesculapian or dental procedures . In recent years , however , the gaseous state has also become popular for unpaid role , where it can be inhaled to achieve a short - lived but nearly instantaneous in high spirits .

According to the2021 Global Drug Survey , around 23 percent of all respondents indicated they had used the drug at some tip , and most 10 percentage in the old year alone . progressively , the drug is becoming a concern in many legal power across the world , including Canada , Australia , persona of Europe , and specially the UK . Part of the issue here is that the drug and its companion gear are easy ordered online . It ’s cheap , it ’s quick , and it ’s often thought to be safe equate to other drugs .

“ The low cost of and ease of access to nitrous oxide make it a popular recreational drug , specially among young people , ” Dr Cyrille De Halleux , a specialist in internal medicine , critical caution and resident at The Hospital for Sick Children ( SickKids ) and chief fellow in the Division of Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology at the University of Toronto , Toronto , Ontario , writes in the review .

But despite the feelings of euphoria and float associated with the gamey , frequent use of nitrous oxide can also have important electronegative impacts . In particular , chronic economic consumption can cause usable vitamin B12deficiency , which can lead in prospicient - condition issues , especially neurologic ones .

The newfangled review of the survive literature found three common disorders associated with its use . These include equipment casualty to the spinal cord ( myelopathy ) , nerve damage impress strength and sensation ( neuropathy ) , and behavioral freakishness ( encephalopathy ) .

Generally verbalise , the main intervention for nitrous oxide perniciousness is the cessation of use , but vitamin B12supplements can also be provide along withmethionine(however , the grounds for its efficacy is sparse ) .

“ Clinicians should ask about nitrous oxide consumption in patients with unexplained finding suggestive of vitamin B12deficiency or other compatible neurologic symptoms , ” the author conclude .

The review is published in theCanadian Medical Association Journal .