Effects of ethanol and nitrous oxide, alone and in combination, on mood, psychomotor performance and pain reports in healthy volunteers.
J P Zacny, V M Camarillo, P Sadeghi, M Black
Drug and alcohol dependence October 1, 1998 DOI: 10.1016/s0376-8716(98)00056-8 via PubMed
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractRecreational users sometimes combine ethanol and nitrous oxide (N2O), but their combined subjective effects were unstudied. In 11 volunteers, ethanol (0, 0.25, or 0.5 g/kg) was consumed, followed 15 minutes later by inhaling 30% N2O or placebo oxygen for 35 minutes. Thirty minutes into inhalation, subjects immersed a forearm in icy water for 3 minutes. Ethanol increased ratings of feeling drug effect and drunkenness. N2O altered mood, impaired cognitive and psychomotor performance, and reduced pain reports. Ethanol potentiated some N2O effects, and the combination produced effects neither drug alone did, but ethanol did not enhance N2O's analgesic effects. The data did not convincingly show the combination had greater abuse liability than N2O alone at the tested doses.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Within-subjects experimental study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 11 |
| Population | Healthy volunteers |
| Interventions | Ethanol Nitrous oxide |
| Dose | 0, 0.25, or 0.5 g/kg ethanol; 30% N2O in oxygen |
| Duration | 35-minute inhalation period with 3-minute cold pressor test at 30 minutes |
| Key finding | Ethanol did not potentiate the analgesic effects of N2O, and the combination did not convincingly demonstrate greater abuse liability than N2O alone at the tested doses. |
Abstract
Ethanol and nitrous oxide (N2O) are sometimes used in combination by recreational drug users. The subjective effects of this drug combination have not been examined, and was the basis for the present study. The effects of both drugs were examined alone and in combination. Dependent measures included mood, cognitive/psychomotor performance, and pain reports. Volunteers (N = 11) first consumed a drink containing ethanol (0, 0.25, or 0.5 g/kg), waited for 15 min, and then inhaled 100% oxygen (placebo) or 30% N2O in oxygen for 35 min. Thirty minutes into the inhalation, subjects immersed their non-dominant forearm in icy water for 3 min. Ethanol increased ratings of 'feel drug effect' and 'drunk'. N2O affected several mood ratings, impaired cognitive/psychomotor performance, and reduced pain reports. There were several instances of ethanol potentiating the effects of N2O, and instances in which the drug combination produced effects that neither drug alone did. Ethanol did not potentiate the analgesic effects of N2O. Overall, the data obtained in the study did not convincingly demonstrate that the drug combination of N2O and ethanol had a greater abuse liability than did N2O alone, at the doses that were tested.