United States Drug Enforcement Administration

Inhalants are invisible, volatile substances found in common household products that produce chemical vapors that are inhaled to induce psychoactive or mind-altering effects.

Gluey, Huff, Rush, Whippets

Sniffing or snorting the substance from a container or dispenser. “Bagging”— sniffing or inhaling fumes from substances sprayed or deposited inside a plastic or paperbag. “Huffing” from an inhalant-soaked rag stuffed in the mouth, or inhaling from balloons filled with nitrous oxide.

Slight stimulation, feeling less inhibition, loss of consciousness,Slurred speech, loss of coordination, euphoria, dizzinessdamages sections of brain controlling thinking, moving, seeingweight loss, muscle weakness, disorientation, inattentiveness, lack of coordination, irritability, depression, and damage to the nervous system and other organssores around the mouth; red or runny eyes or nose; chemical breath odorlong term use may cause damage to nervous system and organs

Because intoxication lasts only a few minutes, users try to prolong the high by continuing to inhale repeatedly over the course of several hours, which is a very dangerous practice. With successive inhalations, users may suffer loss of consciousness and/or death.

“Sudden sniffing death” can result from a single session of inhalant use by an otherwise healthy young person. Sudden sniffing death is particularly associated with the abuse of butane, propane, and chemicals in aerosols.

Inhalant abuse can also cause death by asphyxiation from repeated inhalations, which lead to high concentrations of inhaled fumes displacing the available oxygen in the lungs, suffocation by blocking air from entering the lungs when inhaling fumes from a plastic bag placed over the head and choking from swallowing vomit after inhaling substances.