Journal article
Psychedelic effects of a subanesthetic concentration of nitrous oxide
Anesthesia progress, Vol.37(6), pp.271-276
1990
PMCID: PMC2162553
PMID: 2097905
Abstract
The subjective effects of nitrous oxide were examined by administering questionnaires to volunteers (16 men and 16 women) breathing 30% nitrous oxide or 100% oxygen. Nitrous oxide produced a variety of subjective effects, including some that are characteristic of psychedelic drugs, such as happy, euphoric mood changes, changes in body awareness and image, alterations of time perception, and experiences of a dreamy, detached reverie state. The subjective effects, including those of a psychedelic nature, were very similar to the subject effects we observed in a previous study of nitrous oxide. However, euphoric mood changes were more pronounced, and adverse effects were less pronounced, in the present study, possibly due to the shorter duration of gas inhalation or the minimal tests of performance involved. Some other differences in subjective effects between the present and previous studies were identified by a discriminant analysis and seemed related to specific differences in experimental conditions. This suggests that the environment can influence which drug effects emerge, or at least their relative prominence. Clinicians should be familiar with the range of subjective effects that patients inhaling nitrous oxide may experience.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Psychedelic effects of a subanesthetic concentration of nitrous oxide
- Creators
- R. I Block - Department of Anesthesia, University of Iowa, Iowa CityM. M Ghoneim - Department of Anesthesia, University of Iowa, Iowa CityV Kumar - Department of Anesthesia, University of Iowa, Iowa CityD Pathak - Department of Anesthesia, University of Iowa, Iowa City
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Anesthesia progress, Vol.37(6), pp.271-276
- Publisher
- American Dental Society of Anesthesiology
- PMID
- 2097905
- PMCID
- PMC2162553
- ISSN
- 0003-3006
- eISSN
- 1878-7177
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 1990
- Academic Unit
- Iowa Neuroscience Institute; Anesthesia
- Record Identifier
- 9984007196302771
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