Inhalants

What are inhalants?
Many products that you have around the house produce chemical vapors that have a mind-altering effect when inhaled. Some of the more common of these "inhalants" are paint thinners and removers, gasoline, glue, spray paint, aerosol deodorant, nail polish remover, cleaning fluids and hair spray. Other products, such as chloroform, nitrous oxide (laughing gas) and the nitrate butyl (now prohibited by law) also are considered inhalants.

Inhalants act like an anesthetic to slow down body functions. Users usually inhale enough fumes to get a drunk-like "high" that lasts a few minutes. Repeated inhaling can make the effect last several hours. Almost 23 million Americans, or about 10% of the population, say they have abused inhalants at least once.

Signs & symptoms
Regular use of inhalants can seriously damage major organs like the brain, liver, heart and lungs. But even one session of repeated sniffing can bring on heart failure and death by suffocation when the inhaled chemicals prevent enough oxygen from reaching the lungs. Watch for these signs of inhalant abuse:

• Red or runny eyes or nose
• Spots or sores around the mouth
• Chemical smell on breath and clothes
• Paint stains on face, hands, clothes
• Hidden solvent or aerosol cans, rags or clothes soaked with chemicals
• Drunk-acting or disoriented
• Slurred speech
• Nausea, loss of appetite

Some behavioral signs of inhalant abuse:

• Inattentiveness, lack of focus
• Lack of coordination
• Irritability, depression
• Frequent need of money, missing valuables around the house

Who's at risk?
People of all educational backgrounds, income levels and cultural heritages abuse drugs. Pre-adolescents and teens are most likely to abuse inhalants, since they're legal, inexpensive and easy for anyone to buy. Inhalants are an overlooked danger because their use as a drug is so far removed from their intended use. Yet inhalants often are the first drug experience that many kids have.

Inhalant use among teens peaks in about seventh grade and tapers off at about ninth grade. Girls between 12 and 17 are more likely to use inhalants than boys of that age are, but sustained abuse is more common among boys of any age. Other risk factors for inhalant abuse include:

• Family poverty
• History of childhood abuse
• Family history of alcohol or drug problems
• Poor grades, dropping out of school
• Social environment that's favorable to drug use
• Lack of supervision
• Depression, anxiety or other mental condition

Professional help
Drug abuse and drug addiction - the compulsive, uncontrollable use of a drug - are chronic conditions that can be successfully treated with behavioral modification therapy and by attending recovery support groups. Inhalant users will need a month or more of detoxification treatment and will suffer withdrawal symptoms such as hallucinations, nausea, sweating, tremors, headache, chills and delirium tremens (DTs).

Follow-up treatment is very important because even after treatment, many people fall back into inhalant use. That's why the earlier you get help, the better the chances for long-term recovery. Priority Health members can check here for information on getting help with drug abuse and addiction problems.

What you can do
Parents can have a big influence on whether or not their children use or abuse inhalants or other illegal drugs.

• Talk with your kids about the dangers of inhalants and other drugs.
• Be involved in their school work and activities.
• Know where they are, who they're with and when they're coming home.
• Find out about drug prevention programs you and your kids can participate in together.