{"id":39208,"date":"2025-07-30T06:00:44","date_gmt":"2025-07-30T10:00:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.veriheal.com\/blog\/?p=39208"},"modified":"2025-10-13T14:57:22","modified_gmt":"2025-10-13T18:57:22","slug":"the-nitrous-fad-and-shifting-cultural-perceptions-of-psychedelics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.veriheal.com\/blog\/the-nitrous-fad-and-shifting-cultural-perceptions-of-psychedelics\/","title":{"rendered":"The Nitrous Fad and Shifting Cultural Perceptions of Psychedelics"},"content":{"rendered":"

Scroll through TikTok today, and you might stumble upon some surreal clips of people giggling after inhaling from a metal canister or balloon, seeming to momentarily disconnect blissfully from reality. A growing trend has brought anesthetic nitrous oxide\u2014also known as laughing gas or \u201cwhippets\u201d\u2014back into public attention for recreational use, making such scenes more than just strange content from niche corners of the internet.<\/span><\/p>\n

Formerly only featuring in backstage parties at music festivals, whipped cream canisters, or in dentist offices, nitrous oxide (N\u2082O) has found new popularity online. With hashtags like #galaxygas and #whippets attracting millions of views, the gas is experiencing an increase in cultural attention, particularly among young people. Users take nitrous oxide recreationally to produce a brief, euphoric high that is cheap, accessible, and often perceived, although sometimes mistakenly, as harmless.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the United States, misuse of the anesthetic gas called nitrous oxide (known commonly as just \u201cnitrous\u201d, \u201cwhippets\u201d, or \u201cpoppers\u201d) has been steadily rising since 2010, with a <\/span>58% increase<\/span><\/a> in intentional nitrous oxide exposure reported b etween 2023 and 2024, and over <\/span>13 million Americans<\/span><\/a> report having misused nitrous in their lifetime. Unlike cannabis, nitrous oxide use can be potentially fatal by <\/span>asphyxiation or cardiac arrhythmia<\/span><\/a>. While rare, related deaths rose 110% between 2019 and 2023, according to the CDC.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Nitrous
Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The substance is legal to use in medical settings, but it is not legal for use as a recreational drug. Today, manufacturers commercially sell canisters in various flavors, unofficially intended for recreational inhalation, under names like Galaxy Gas. These products raise concerns about potential health risks, as sellers offer them with minimal regulation, and experts continue to question the overall safety of using nitrous recreationally.<\/span><\/p>\n

The new wave of recreational nitrous use reflects growing mainstream interest in psychedelics and altered states of consciousness, highlighting the public\u2019s increasing curiosity about and acceptance of mind-altering substances. What is driving this increased fascination with psychedelia? What special experiences do these dissociative highs offer? Moreover, what is the history of nitrous use, and is it dangerous? This article provides a deep investigation of the nitrous fad, tracing its recreational use back to the Victorian era and proceeding to the present day with a critical examination of the drug\u2019s safety and its resurgence in popularity within modern mainstream recreational drug culture.<\/span><\/p>\n

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What is Nitrous Oxide?<\/b><\/h2>\n

Commonly known as “laughing gas,” nitrous oxide contains two nitrogen atoms and one oxygen atom, giving it a colorless appearance and slightly sweet smell. People have used it for various purposes, including as an anesthetic in medicine and dentistry, a propellant in whipped cream canisters, and even fuel for rocket engines.<\/span><\/p>\n

When inhaled, nitrous acts primarily on the brain\u2019s <\/span>N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptors<\/span><\/a>, and it acts similarly to ketamine to disrupt communication between neurons, producing novel dissociative experiences. It also acts pain-wise like morphine, increasing endogenous opioids that also contribute to possibly fatal respiratory depression, as opioids do. Nitrous also works like antianxiety medications (i.e., benzodiazepines) by activating GABA receptors.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

People inhale the drug recreationally to produce brief euphoric and sometimes psychedelic effects. The high can last as short as <\/span>5-20 seconds<\/span><\/a>, or up to <\/span>30 seconds to 5 minutes<\/span><\/a>. Driving after consumption can still be dangerous for <\/span>at least 30 minutes<\/span><\/a> after use. Users report experiencing effects including fits of laughter and even sensations of floating and metaphysical insight.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Generally, the drug is fast-acting, and users return to a normal headspace relatively rapidly. Some <\/span>effects of the drug\u2019s activity<\/span><\/a> in the body include:<\/span><\/p>\n