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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 10 of 10. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by IAMtheWalrus on June 4, 2008, at 11:41:32
I just got back from the Dentist where i was given nitrous oxide and boy did it do the job..THAT STUFF IS WONDERFUL!!
-W
Posted by torachan on June 4, 2008, at 14:04:42
In reply to Nitrous Oxide, posted by IAMtheWalrus on June 4, 2008, at 11:41:32
Try Ether. ;)
Posted by Amigan on June 4, 2008, at 15:02:00
In reply to Nitrous Oxide, posted by IAMtheWalrus on June 4, 2008, at 11:41:32
So how does it feel? :p
Posted by IAMtheWalrus on June 4, 2008, at 15:51:34
In reply to Re: Nitrous Oxide, posted by Amigan on June 4, 2008, at 15:02:00
> So how does it feel? :p
>Very relaxing and euphoric.
Posted by yxibow on June 5, 2008, at 4:12:20
In reply to Re: Nitrous Oxide » Amigan, posted by IAMtheWalrus on June 4, 2008, at 15:51:34
Its used less and less in dentistry today because of possible dissociative effects.
Trivia, it has a global warming potential of 120 or so and a possible ozone depleting agent.
It is also used widely as a cream foaming agent and people recreationally have used cylinders, with rare fatalities.
Posted by undopaminergic on June 5, 2008, at 11:10:00
In reply to Re: Nitrous Oxide, posted by yxibow on June 5, 2008, at 4:12:20
More trivia:
Nitrous oxide (N2O) is an antagonist of the NMDA-glutamate receptor and thus has some pharmacological similarity to memantine and ketamine. This property of N2O is likely to account for the dissociative effects sometimes associated with its use.
N2O also has some GABAergic activity. It has anxiolytic efficacy that is antagonised by benzodiazepine-receptor antagonists such as flumazenil.
By some mechanism, N2O interacts with the endogenous opioid system, but the details are unclear. There are conflicting reports as to whether the effects of N2O are diminished by opioid-antagonists such as naloxone. One paper reports that rats tolerant to the analgesic effects of N2O do not exhibit cross-tolerance to morphine, whereas, in contrast, morphine-tolerant rats have reduced sensitivity to the analgesic effects of N2O.
Possibly via stimulating the release of endogenous opioids, N2O activates brain stem noradrenergic neurons, which results in enhanced noradrenaline release in the spinal cord. Apparently, spinal alpha2B-adrenergic receptors mediate N2O-analgesia, as the analgesic - but not sedative - effects of N2O in animals lacking alpha2B-adrenoceptors are abolished.
Animals that develop tolerance to N2O upon long-term exposure are reportedly cross-tolerant to alcohol, and conversely, animals tolerant to alcohol have reduced sensitivity to the analgesic effects of N2O.
However, N2O-tolerant animals are reportedly not cross-tolerant to barbiturates.
N2O depletes the cyanocobalamine form of vitamin B12 by oxidising it to an inactive compound, and chronic use of N2O can result in vitamin B12-deficiency.
Posted by Amigan on June 5, 2008, at 11:51:51
In reply to Re: Nitrous Oxide, posted by undopaminergic on June 5, 2008, at 11:10:00
> More trivia:
>
> Nitrous oxide (N2O) is an antagonist of the NMDA-glutamate receptor and thus has some pharmacological similarity to memantine and ketamine. This property of N2O is likely to account for the dissociative effects sometimes associated with its use.
>
> N2O also has some GABAergic activity. It has anxiolytic efficacy that is antagonised by benzodiazepine-receptor antagonists such as flumazenil.
>
> By some mechanism, N2O interacts with the endogenous opioid system, but the details are unclear. There are conflicting reports as to whether the effects of N2O are diminished by opioid-antagonists such as naloxone. One paper reports that rats tolerant to the analgesic effects of N2O do not exhibit cross-tolerance to morphine, whereas, in contrast, morphine-tolerant rats have reduced sensitivity to the analgesic effects of N2O.
>
> Possibly via stimulating the release of endogenous opioids, N2O activates brain stem noradrenergic neurons, which results in enhanced noradrenaline release in the spinal cord. Apparently, spinal alpha2B-adrenergic receptors mediate N2O-analgesia, as the analgesic - but not sedative - effects of N2O in animals lacking alpha2B-adrenoceptors are abolished.
>
> Animals that develop tolerance to N2O upon long-term exposure are reportedly cross-tolerant to alcohol, and conversely, animals tolerant to alcohol have reduced sensitivity to the analgesic effects of N2O.
>
> However, N2O-tolerant animals are reportedly not cross-tolerant to barbiturates.
>
> N2O depletes the cyanocobalamine form of vitamin B12 by oxidising it to an inactive compound, and chronic use of N2O can result in vitamin B12-deficiency.It amazes me of how complex action in the CNS an non-organic molecule may have. N2O, lithium...
I also read somewhere that high amounts of N2O causes brain damage.
Posted by undopaminergic on June 5, 2008, at 14:22:04
In reply to Re: Nitrous Oxide, posted by Amigan on June 5, 2008, at 11:51:51
>
> I also read somewhere that high amounts of N2O causes brain damage.
>The so-called Olney's lesions? It seems that all substances with considerable potency as NMDA-antagonists are capable of causing this pattern of damage, at least in some species. As far as I know, Olney's lesions have still not been observed in monkeys or primates, and in this case, there is a considerable probability for differences between rodents and more advanced species, as in the latter, the brain structures implicated in Olney's lesions are very much more advanced.
Posted by blueboy on June 6, 2008, at 11:13:38
In reply to Nitrous Oxide, posted by IAMtheWalrus on June 4, 2008, at 11:41:32
I had nitrous twice in my life at the dentist and I agree, it is wonderful. Oddly enough, I could still "feel" the pain and recognize that it was pain. It just didn't connect to whatever part of my brain makes pain unpleasant!
And afterwards, it was so nice to leave the dentist's office feeling all groovy instead of having a dead lip. But I wouldn't have driven a car.
My dentist stopped using it, though. He said he didn't want to be exposed to it constantly, year after year, for decades, and I have to concede his point.
Posted by Amigan on June 6, 2008, at 13:28:01
In reply to Re: Nitrous Oxide, posted by undopaminergic on June 5, 2008, at 14:22:04
> >
> > I also read somewhere that high amounts of N2O causes brain damage.
> >
>
> The so-called Olney's lesions? It seems that all substances with considerable potency as NMDA-antagonists are capable of causing this pattern of damage, at least in some species. As far as I know, Olney's lesions have still not been observed in monkeys or primates, and in this case, there is a considerable probability for differences between rodents and more advanced species, as in the latter, the brain structures implicated in Olney's lesions are very much more advanced.No, i don't think it was about Olney's lesion. It was either about excessive nitrogen being neurotoxic or simply about hypoxia caused by erroneous N2O/O2 ratio. I can't remember.
This is the end of the thread.
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