Amyl Nitrite

Butyl/amyl nitrite(nitrate) (Poppers)

Known collectively as alkyl nitrites, amyl, butyl and isobutyl nitrites are yellowy-clear liquids inhaled for their intoxicating effects. These are commonly referred to as nitrates although this is technically incorrect. Amyl nitrite was first produced in 1857 and originally used from the mid-1860s as a treatment for angina (chest pains). Although other forms of treatment are more usual, its only remaining medical use is as an antidote for cyanide poisoning. The name'poppers' comes from the way the substance used to be packaged - in small glass capsules, which were cracked open to release the vapour (the capsules 'popped' when they were opened). Nitrites are now sold in small bottles, and are usually butyl nitrite, a substance similar to amyl nitrite but less potent. It is a highly volatile flammable liquid, which evaporates at room temperature. Butyl nitrite has no medical uses and was originally sold in America as an a room odoriser and aphrodisiac. The drug became popular in the UK first on the gay scene of the 1970s and have continued to be popular in rave, dance and club culture.

How it is taken

Once opened, the amyl or butyl nitrite evaporates and the vapour is inhaled. These products are usually described by the manufacturers as 'room odourisers' with an implicit suggestion that the bottle should be opened, and the vapour allowed to fill a room.

What happens?

The effects of this drug can be felt around 15 seconds after you have inhaled. Most people experience a rush of light-headedness and some dizziness, followed by relaxation and a general feeling of well-being. Sometimes you may feel flushed, or may lose some control of your body function - as well as feeling dizzy, you may actually fall over. The effects are very short lived, usually lasting for up to three minutes.

Physical changes?

These nitrites cause blood vessels to enlarge, lowering blood pressure and increasing the rate at which your heart pumps. The other main effect is as a muscle relaxant; poppers have been popular within the gay scene for a number of years because they make it easier to get fucked.

Keeping safe

Anybody who suffers from circulatory problems or from low blood pressure should be particularly wary of this substance, which acts as a stimulant to the system. Nitrites are known to be potent inhibitors of the human immune system, and there is currently some debate about the role these substances have with regard to HIV. Researchers based at the US National Institute on Drug Abuse have been studying the physiological effects of nitrites, and their research suggest that use of this drug can cause 'sustained alterations to the human immune system', and may be connected to the development of cancers such as Karposi's Sarcoma.

Legal status

It has always been illegal to sell poppers if they are to be inhaled. This is because they are classed as a medicine and you would need to be a chemist to sell them. If you did break the law in this regard then you would be committing a civil offence and would be prosecuted by the Medicines Control Agency, part of the Department of Health. However, poppers are not illegal if they are used as 'room odourisors' There are currently moves afoot to close this loophole and a distinct possibility that they will no longer be available through shops, pubs, clubs and mail order where they are freely available at the moment.

1196