The Dangers of Poppers?

[0608]

Hi, guys.  I have a friend... okay, a f-buddy who I meet once in a while.  He's also poz, and he uses poppers (amyl nitrite) when he has sex.  The last time we met, he asked me to try it, and I did.  It left me with a huge headache afterwards, but it kinda felt "sexy" at the same time (as stupid as that sounds).

But it also left me wondering if the chemicals in poppers in any way interacted with our meds or if anyone had more info on the dangers of popper usage.  For me, the headache went away in an hour or two, although my nostrils felt a bit prickly for a while. 

[mecch]

If you had a massive headache for one or two hours, you might consider
1) you and poppers dont mix well.
or
2) you sniffed far too much of the stuff.
or
3) you had some crappy poppers and should shop for a better brand and/or a brand that doesn't give much of a headache.

The general thinking on popper dangers is that they are not dangerous, esp if used just now and then.  But they lower inhibitions so you can do things that maybe aren't on your list of things you might do...

[Ann]

Poppers can be dangerous for some people, but they will not cause problems with your hiv meds.

When inhaled, poppers cause the blood vessels to dilate, so the heart beat increases and blood rushes to the brain. This can result in pounding headache, dizziness, light-headedness and flushed face.

Other effects of use can include: headache, cold sweats, nausea, nitrite dermatitis (a rash around the mouth, nose and cheeks), and pain and swelling of the nasal passages. Poppers spilled on skin can cause a painful burning sensation - if this happens, wash it off your skin asap.


Anyone with glaucoma, heart trouble or anemia should avoid using poppers because of the drop in blood pressure they cause.

At the very least, this drop in blood pressure can cause a person to faint when standing up and potentially sustain a serious head injury. Anyone using poppers can experience this effect (so keep the possibility in mind when standing up), but it happens more easily in someone with anemia, for example.


Poppers should not be used when taking Viagra. The makers of Viagra have issued a  warning about taking the drug with poppers. They are both stimulants and taken together can cause a sudden drop in blood pressure that may give you a heart attack. There have been several heart attack deaths directly attributed to mixing Viagra and poppers.

People who take high-blood-pressure meds should also avoid poppers. The addition of poppers can lower the blood pressure to the extent that your heart simply stops.


Don't get me wrong - I'm not against the use of poppers, far from it. They can be quite enjoyable in the right setting. However, I believe people should know what they're potentially getting into when using them. Most people have no problems whatsoever, but if you are aware of the potential problems you can hopefully avoid experiencing them.

Hope this helps!

[0608]

Thank you so much, guys!