Popper drugs are often used in recreational settings like parties, bars, or clubs. If you’ve ever heard the term or seen poppers used, it’s common to wonder what they are or if they’re safe to use.
In this article, we’ll cover everything you should know about poppers, including their history, use cases, effects, and potential dangers. Keep reading for all the information.
What Are Poppers Drugs?
Poppers are an inhalant drug that is commonly bought and sold for recreational use at parties. People use them because it causes a euphoric high that enhances pleasurable experiences, including sex.
Additionally, some people use them after taking other recreational drugs like MDMA or cocaine to prevent the crash or low feeling as the effects from those substances wear off.
Poppers are made from a class of drugs called alkyl nitrites. Specifically, poppers are most commonly made from the prescription medication amyl nitrite, which is used to treat angina (chest pain).
While these drugs have medical uses, inhaling them and misusing them recreationally can be very dangerous and cause negative side effects, including difficulty breathing, severe drops in blood pressure, and seizures.
The Dangers of Unregulated Sales for Products Labeled as Poppers
Along with the dangers of misusing amyl nitrite, the FDA is reporting an increasing number of retailers selling poppers made from other substances similar to amyl nitrite. That includes other nitrites like butyl nitrite, isobutyl nitrite, isopropyl nitrite, and cyclohexyl nitrite, as well as glue, shoe polish, and cleaning fluids that people inhale to get high.
Since recreational popper drugs are produced in unregulated environments, it makes them even more dangerous, causing people who use them not to know what they’re inhaling.
Many retailers, like adult novelty stores, label them as other products like air fresheners, liquid incense, or cosmetics. They’re also often sold in small bottles that look like energy shots or drinks labeled under names like “Super Rush” or “Jungle Juice.”
The FDA has issued several warnings that these products aren’t approved or safe to be ingested or inhaled.
History and Origin
Amyl nitrite was invented in 1844 by a French Chemist, Antoine Jérôme Balard. In 1867, a Scottish Physician, Sir Thomas Lauder Brunton, documented the first clinical use of the drug to treat patients struggling with chest pain.
When someone has an angina attack, the heart starts beating faster, making it harder to achieve proper blood flow, which causes noticeable pain. Amyl nitrite effectively treats chest pain from angina attacks since it helps lower blood pressure, expand blood vessels, relax muscles, and increase blood oxygen supply to the heart.
After being around for over a century, the first documented recreational use of amyl nitrite was in 1964. That led to what was known as the “poppers craze” in the 1970s when many people misused it in bars or at parties since it became known for enhancing sexual experiences and providing a relaxing high.
Nowadays, the use of poppers is rising once again, with them being used more often at parties and sold at adult novelty stores under different names or in varying product categories.
Studies between 2015-2017 estimated that about 3.3% of U.S. adults misuse amyl nitrite or poppers each year. A lot of research cites that use is highly prevalent among gay men who use the drug’s muscle-relaxing properties to facilitate anal sex. That said, many people from different backgrounds use them for the recreational high or enhancement of pleasurable experiences.
How Poppers Are Used and Their Effects
Poppers are an inhalant drug, meaning people breathe in the fumes to get high from them. They usually come in small bottles with a pop top or screw-on cap that’s opened and inhaled straight from the bottle. However, some people will soak a cloth with the liquid or dip an unlit cigarette in it and sniff that.
Nitrites are extremely flammable, so dipping a cigarette in them can be very dangerous if someone accidentally tries to light it afterward.
After inhaling the fumes, people usually feel a quick head rush that lasts for a few minutes. It’s common to feel a bit disoriented during this period. Then, other effects will begin, like a sense of euphoria and relaxation, increased sex drive, and skin sensitivity.
While the immediate effects of poppers feel pleasurable, they can also become quite strong and overwhelming as your body absorbs more of the fumes. It can start to feel like you’re very drunk if you inhale the fumes multiple times. They can cause impaired judgment, reduced coordination, and visual changes like light sensitivity or blind spots.
Potential Risks and Side Effects
There are serious risks that come with the recreational use of poppers or alkyl nitrites.
Short-Term Risks and Side Effects
In the short term, some of the most common side effects experienced are:
- Increased pulse
- Headache
- Flushing of the face and neck
- Nausea or vomiting
- Vision sensitivity or blind spots
- Restlessness
If you inhale too much or have a bad reaction to the fumes, more serious side effects or health issues could occur like:
- Difficulty breathing
- Extreme drops in blood pressure
- Extreme decreases in blood oxygen levels
- Heart arrhythmia
- Seizures
- Coma
Mixing poppers with other substances can also make it more likely to have severe side effects or bad reactions.
Signs of Overdose
Signs of overdose or a severe reaction after inhaling poppers include:
- Extreme dizziness
- Fainting
- Pressure in the head
- Shortness of breath
- A weak or fast heartbeat
- Bluish color under the lips, fingernails, or palms
If someone is experiencing any of these signs, it’s important to call 911 immediately to get them medical attention.
Long-Term Risks and Side Effects
Frequent and long-term use of poppers can cause:
- Burns or other skin irritation
- A rash around the eyes, mouth, or nose
- Loss of vision from contact with the vapors
- Brain damage
- Bronchitis
- Weakened immune system
- Increased risk of certain types of cancer, such as lung cancer
Legal Status and Regulation
Amyl nitrite, which is often the substance in poppers, is legal for medical use in the U.S. when you have a prescription for treating a health condition like angina. However, there can be consequences for recreational use of it.
There’s continuous debate about how these drugs should be regulated. They currently aren’t regulated at the federal level, so their legality or the consequences of using them recreationally can vary state-by-state in the U.S.
The FDA warns about using these drugs recreationally since they can be dangerous and is continuously evaluating how they should be regulated.
Worldwide, many countries also debate about whether poppers should be legal. Countries like Japan have made them completely illegal, whereas they’re legal in the UK and France. Other countries, such as Australia, are mixed in their legality, often allowing them for medical use but not recreational use.
Conclusion
While popper drugs might be sold in bottles or forms that make them look safe for recreational use, they can have many dangers or serious side effects. It’s not recommended to use them recreationally in the U.S. The best practice is to only use alkyl nitrite drugs if they’re prescribed by a doctor to treat a medical condition.
Since poppers are often used alongside other recreational drugs in party settings, like cocaine, which can be highly addictive, it’s also important to remain wary of signs of addiction with recreational drug use.
If someone you know or care about is showing signs of addiction like social withdrawal, trying to stop drinking or taking drugs and not being able to, or sudden struggles at work or school, resources are available that can help.
Our treatment center provides medical detox and residential addiction treatment tailored to your needs to achieve full recovery. You can contact us today to learn more about how we can help.
References
- Commissioner, Office of the. “Ingesting or Inhaling Nitrite “Poppers” Can Cause Severe Injury or Death.” FDA, 7 Mar. 2023, fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/ingesting-or-inhaling-nitrite-poppers-can-cause-severe-injury-or-death.
- “Inhalants.” nyc.gov, www.nyc.gov/site/doh/health/health-topics/inhalants.page.
- Haverkos, Harry W., et al. “Nitrite Inhalants: History, Epidemiology, and Possible Links to AIDS.” Environmental Health Perspectives, vol. 102, no. 10, Oct. 1994, p. 858, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1567358/pdf/envhper00406-0056.pdf, https://doi.org/10.2307/3432118.
- Le, Austin, et al. “Use of “Poppers” among Adults in the United States, 2015-2017.” Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, vol. 52, no. 5, 15 July 2020, pp. 433–439, https://doi.org/10.1080/02791072.2020.1791373.
