Classification: Vasodilator
Common Names/Nicknames: Poppers, RUSH, snappers, locker room, liquid gold
Active Compound: Amyl, butyl, isobutyl, isoamyl, isobutyl, cyclohexyl, and other nitrites, such as nitroglycerin
Found in: Nitrite compounds
Mode of Consumption: Inhalation
DEA Scheduling/Legal Status (in US): Unscheduled, illegal to use for recreational drug purposes
Effects:
Relaxation, giddiness, skin flushing, skin sensitivity, disinhibition
Risks:
Headache, dizziness, weakness, decreased blood pressure, increased heart rate, visual disturbance, hypotensive loss of consciousness, hypoxia, fatal cardiac arrest
Dangerous Drug Combinations:
Potentially fatal combination with alcohol, barbiturates, methaqualone, benzodiazepines, and other sedative drugs.
Special Considerations:
While nitrites carry relatively low risk of lethality when inhaled, they are extremely toxic when ingested.
And remember, if somebody may need help, play it safe and call for medical assistance.
“Students may bring an intoxicated or drug-impaired friend to University Health Services or to a hospital, or seek assistance from College residential life staff or HUPD, and by doing this, neither they nor the friend will face disciplinary action from the College for having used or provided alcohol or drugs.”
The Amnesty Policy
Harvard College Student Handbook
Sources:
Buzzed: The Straight Facts About the Most Used and Abused Drugs from Alcohol to Ecstasy (Third Edition), by Cynthia Kuhn, Scott Swartzwelder, and Wilkie Wilson. Published 2008 by W. W. Norton & Company.
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institute of Health (NIH) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
http://www.nida.nih.gov/DrugPages/
U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), part of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Erowid Organization