Published in

SAGE Publications, Journal of Drug Issues, 2024

DOI: 10.1177/00220426241233193

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Recreational Nitrous Oxide Dosing and Administration and Its Use in Traffic: An Online Survey

This paper was not found in any repository, but could be made available legally by the author.
This paper was not found in any repository, but could be made available legally by the author.

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Abstract

Nitrous oxide (N2O) is a popular recreational intoxicant and associated paraphernalia are increasingly being found at road traffic accident scenes in the Netherlands, suggesting that N2O intoxication causally contributes to the occurrence of a significant number of road traffic accidents. However, information on the pharmacodynamics- and kinetic characteristics of recreational N2O use is limited, impeding policy making and enforcement. This investigation aimed to determine a representative dosing method for recreational N2O use and establish a relevant timeframe for assessing psychomotoric functioning in future research. Online survey responses of 511 N2O users revealed that the majority inhaled N2O from party balloons filled with 4–14 L of N2O. Inhalation typically involved a repetitive “rebreathing” technique with 20–30 second breaks every six cycles, or without breaks, for approximately 12 cycles in total. 10.3% of respondents admitted to have inhaled N2O during driving in the past. Driving departure within 1 hour of inhalation was common, providing a relevant timeframe for the investigation of psychomotoric effects of recreational N2O use in future research.