Whippets are growing in popularity as recreational drugs.
While they were originally intended for medicinal use, they have now become a cause for concern among young adults. Research concerning this drug focuses mostly on answering this question: do whippets kill brain cells? Our drug and alcohol rehab in Stuart decided to find out.
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What Are Whippets Drugs?
Whippets – also referred to as whippits, whip-its, or nitrous oxide – is a widely used analgesic agent that is most commonly used with anesthetics during surgeries. You may also be familiar with the term “laughing gas”. Nitrous oxide is a colorless gas that is most often used to sedate patients and alleviate pain, which is why it’s often used on patients who are having their wisdom teeth removed. Like many other drugs, whippets target the brain’s reward system, causing out-of-body, mind-altering, and euphoric side effects. The problem is that people become infatuated with these side effects and focus only on what they feel while they're high, forgetting about what it’s doing to their heart and brain. Nitrous gas cartridges (whippets) discharge nitrous oxide into objects like balloons and are then inhaled. This shoots the gas straight into the brain, immediately causing symptoms.
The most common whippets drug effects include:
- Feelings of euphoria
- Numbness
- Sedation
- Laughing uncontrollably
- Blurred vision
- Lack of coordination
- Confusion
- Drop-in blood pressure
- Heart attack
- Sudden death
The effects of whippets on the brain may vary depending on factors like:
- Amount taken
- Person’s size, age, and health
- Underlying health conditions
- How long the person has been using whippets
- If whippets were mixed with other drugs
- Abuses of any other drugs or alcohol
Any form of substance abuse can have adverse effects on your brain and overall health. Abusing gases and substances like whippets can disrupt brain function and possibly damage brain cells. At Banyan Detox Stuart, we understand the temptation that pulls people into substance abuse is strong. We also know that once an addiction has developed, quitting without help is nearly impossible. Luckily, you don’t have to do it alone. At our rehab center in Stuart, we offer residential treatment that allows patients to live onsite and recover from their addictions without distractions.
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How Whippets Affect the Brain
But while their short-term effects are dangerous, do whippets kill brain cells? Researchers have made clear that whippets can deprive the heart and brain of much-needed oxygen, a condition formally known as hypoxia. It’s also common knowledge that the brain can’t function without oxygen, and the longer it lacks oxygen, the more damage occurs. So yes, whippets can kill brain cells.
Similar to many other drugs, using whippets long-term may cause irreparable brain and nerve damage. Many people have landed in the hospital and have even died suddenly as a result of hypoxia. While many people consider this another easy or fun drug to use, the aftereffects of substance abuse are anything but enjoyable.
If you or someone you know has a drug problem, we’re here to help. Call Banyan Treatment Centers Stuart today at 888-280-2360 for more information about the levels of care we offer at our rehab facility.
