Amyl Nitrite - Overview

Overview

Amyl nitrite was discovered in the United Kingdom in the mid-1800s and used to treat severe chest pain. People with heart disease (also called coronary artery disease) often experience shortness of breath and feelings of intense pain and pressure in their chests. This pain, called angina pectorisPronounced an-JINE-uh peck-TOR-ess; a feeling of suffocation and pain around the heart that occurs when the blood supply to the heart is not adequate., is felt when the blood supply to the heart is restricted. Blood carries oxygen to all parts of the body. Without oxygen, the body's cells die. Chest pain is the brain's way of telling a person with coronary artery disease that the heart needs more oxygen. In order to get that oxygen, the flow of blood to the heart must increase.

Official Drug Name: Amyl nitrite (AM-ull NITE-rite), Aspirols, Vaporole; sometimes referred to as amyl nitrate; this substance is closely related to butyl nitrite, isobutyl nitrite, and other nitrites, including nitroglycerin.

Also Known As: Amys (pronounced like the girl's name Amy), pearls, poppers, and snappers. Note that butyl nitrite and isobutyl nitrite have their own street names, including liquid gold, locker room, rush, and thrust. The most frequently used nickname for nitrites in general is poppers.

Drug Classifications: Not scheduled, inhalant

Amyl nitrite helps relax the muscles around the blood vessels of the heart, making it easier for blood to flow through them. The blood vessels that carry oxygen to the heart are called arteries. Amyl nitrite acts on those arteries by dilating or opening them up. As a result, the pumping action of the heart improves, and blood circulates more freely throughout the body. When oxygen-rich blood reaches the heart, the chest pain goes away. Amyl nitrite acts very quickly, relieving the pain of angina in heart patients within a few minutes.

People who use amyl nitrite as a recreational drugUsing a drug solely to achieve a high, not to treat a medical condition. find its side effects appealing. Sniffing amyl nitrite brings on a short but dizzying burst of euphoria, making it a prime target for abuse. Its use as a recreational drug began growing in popularity in the 1950s. Because of the way in which amyl nitrite is taken, however, "it is very difficult to control the dose," explained Ruth Stalnikowicz in a Journal of Toxicology article. This can pose serious health threats to users. Throughout the 1960s, though, amyl nitrite was actually available to the public as an over-the-counter drug. According to Andrew Weil and Winifred Rosen in From Chocolate to Morphine, abuse of the substance skyrocketed during that time, and by 1969, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) declared that amyl nitrite could only be obtained with a doctor's prescription.

Amyl nitrite was originally manufactured and prescribed to treat angina pectoris, a heart condition marked by severe chest pain and shortness of breath. More effective treatments exist today. Royalty-Free/Corbis.
Amyl nitrite was originally manufactured and prescribed to treat angina pectoris, a heart condition marked by severe chest pain and shortness of breath. More effective treatments exist today. © Royalty-Free/Corbis.

Over time, amyl nitrite was used less and less to treat angina, but it became fashionable on the club scene following rumors that it intensified sexual pleasure. It found particular acceptance among gay men in cities across the United States and the United Kingdom. Usage later spread to straight dance clubs, where both men and women sniffed it to achieve a quick highDrug-induced feelings ranging from excitement and joy to extreme grogginess. that supposedly added to the wild dance club experience.