Nitrous Oxide Abuse: Clinical Outcomes, Pharmacology, Pharmacokinetics, Toxicity and Impact on Metabolism.
Toxics November 28, 2023 Emeline Gernez, Graham Robert Lee, Jean-Paul Niguet et al.
Recreational use of nitrous oxide (N2O), or laughing gas, has risen sharply, with the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction listing it as one of the most prevalent psychoactive substances in Europe in 2022. Chronic N2O exposure causes neurological symptoms most often, such as sensory or motor disorders, along with psychiatric issues and cardiovascular events like thrombosis. N2O is difficult to measure directly in biological samples, so indirect biomarkers—vitamin B12, plasma homocysteine, and plasma methylmalonic acid—should be used for diagnosis and assessment. Oxidative stress markers may become useful but require further study.