Inhalants - Are There Any Medical Reasons for Taking This Substance?

Are There Any Medical Reasons for Taking This Substance?

Fumes from household and industrial products are not meant to be inhaled. Inhalants with accepted medical uses include nitrous oxide and amyl nitrite. Nitrous oxide is an anesthetic used frequently by dentists to minimize pain during routine procedures. It is also used in operating rooms to prepare patients for surgery.

Amyl nitrite is a clear, yellowish liquid. It was originally manufactured and prescribed by physicians to relieve severe chest pain in people with heart disease. This pain, called angina pectoris, occurs when the blood supply to the heart is restricted. Amyl nitrite helps relax the muscles around the blood vessels of the heart, making it easier for blood to flow through them. Newer medicines for angina pectoris have become available, so amyl nitrate is rarely used to control chest pain anymore. The most important medical use for amyl nitrite since the late 1980s has been as an antidote for cyanide poisoning.