Where the substance comes from
Poppers are alkyl nitrites — amyl, propyl, isopropyl, pentyl — highly volatile liquids in small bottles. Their legal status varies: freely sold in some countries, banned in others, tolerated elsewhere under fanciful labels (“room odouriser”, “leather cleaner”).
A little history
Amyl nitrite was synthesised in 1844 by the French chemist Antoine Balard, already known for discovering bromine. In 1867 the Scottish physician Thomas Lauder Brunton showed that it relieves angina attacks within seconds by dilating the vessels: it was the first treatment for angina, sold in small glass ampoules that were crushed between the fingers — hence the sharp "pop" that gave the product its name.
In the United States amyl nitrite was sold without prescription from 1960, then put back on prescription in 1969 when its recreational use became visible; the industry got around the obstacle with isobutyl nitrite, sold as "room odouriser" under brands such as Rush. Poppers became in the 1970s an emblematic product of the gay scene and of discotheques. At the start of AIDS they were for a time wrongly accused of causing Kaposi's sarcoma.
France banned them in 1990, extended the ban to all alkyl nitrites in 2007, then saw the Conseil d'État annul the ban in 2013: they have been on open sale since, except to minors. The United Kingdom excluded them from its 2016 Psychoactive Substances Act. The most discussed risk today is the retinal damage linked to isopropyl nitrite, described since 2010.
The forms it takes
A bottle that is opened and whose vapour is inhaled through the nose. The liquid must never be swallowed: swallowing causes severe poisoning, with blood that no longer carries oxygen.
What the user is looking for
A rush of warmth and euphoria lasting tens of seconds, a racing heart, and above all relaxation of smooth muscle, sought to make anal sex easier. That specific use explains their spread in certain settings.
Immediate unwanted effects
- Violent headache, dizziness, falling blood pressure, collapse.
- Chemical burns around the nose and lips if the liquid touches skin.
- Never with erectile dysfunction treatments (sildenafil, tadalafil and relatives) or with nitrates prescribed for the heart: both lower blood pressure, and the combination can cause fatal circulatory collapse. It is the commonest accident.
- Swallowing: methaemoglobinaemia, a life-threatening emergency, with grey lips and skin and breathlessness. It is treated in hospital with an antidote.
Medium and long-term risks
Repeated use can cause poppers maculopathy: a persistent central spot in vision, sometimes permanent. Any loss of central vision in a user needs an eye examination. Add dermatitis around nose and mouth and, with heavy use, anaemia.
How to spot use
Small 10–25 ml bottles with a very recognisable chemical smell and household-product labels, recurrent headaches, a flushed face after nights out, crusting around the nostrils.
Why the effect is stronger in adolescents
At the same dose in a lighter body, the concentration reached is higher in an adolescent than in an adult. More importantly, the reward circuit matures well before the prefrontal cortex that is supposed to restrain it: the pull to repeat is stronger and the brake weaker, which markedly shortens the gap between first use and problem use. Use established before eighteen multiplies the risk of adult dependence whatever the substance — including legal ones such as the caffeine in energy drinks, alcohol or nicotine.
When to call an ambulance without hesitating
Loss of consciousness, seizures, severe confusion, slow or irregular breathing, blue lips, chest pain, very high temperature, uncontrollable agitation, suicidal thoughts. In those situations call the emergency services and say what was taken: treatment depends on it, and nobody is prosecuted for calling to save someone.