New study reveals ‘life-changing’ effects of nitrous oxide abuse

A new study has revealed the life-changing damage that can be caused by the use of nitrous oxide, more commonly known as nangs.

1News spoke to an Auckland woman who lost movement in her legs due to the drug and said the side effects of the product, which is designed to whip cream, are not well known.

The woman told 1News that she probably inhaled 1,000 canisters in two weeks.

Her nang use inflamed her spinal cord, leaving her in the hospital for six weeks.

“I woke up one morning and tried to get out of bed, but I lost the use of my legs and arms,” ​​she said.

She said life has been “very, very hard” since then.

“Because obviously all my nerves aren’t working, I’m in pain and it’s hard to breathe, lots of headaches.”

Cases like the woman’s are on the rise at Auckland City Hospital.

“For the past year, we have had 1-2 patients a month who have severe symptoms of nitrous oxide myelopathy,” said Dr. Shilpan Patel.

“And many of these patients had questions about how they could recover in the long term.”

This prompted him to start researching the effects of the drug, which led to the publication of a study in the New Zealand Medical Journal that looked at 12 patients who suffered from recreational use.

One patient in the study used 720 containers daily, taking them to the hospital for nearly a month.

“Some patients were bedridden; they couldn’t walk,” Patel said.

“Our findings in our study show that these people do get better, but the recovery is very slow.”

Medical professionals want better education about the risks of using nangs.

“We think it would be good if young people couldn’t use such large amounts of nitrous oxide because it’s quite dangerous for them,” Patel said.

Patel also said he wants to see tighter restrictions around nangs to minimize damage.

Deputy Health Minister David Seymour said: “The Government is not looking at further restrictions on nitrous oxide, but if people abuse and misuse it, we may be forced to do so.

“And that would be a real shame for people who are legitimately using nitrous oxide just to prepare something to put on their baked goods.”