Finding the ether reports on Erowid a bit disappointing, I wanted to share a bit of my own experience. My employment gives me access to unlimited amounts of reagent grade diethyl ether. It is powerful stuff! Taking (inhaling) it at baseline is the most fun.
Ether
Limited data
Limited data
Sparse data. Doses and effects may be unreliable or untested.
- 2 corroborating sources
- no dose data
- duration data present
- 18 combo interactions documented
- PubChem toxicity data
- classified Tentative
Limited data
Sparse data. Doses and effects may be unreliable or untested.
- 2 corroborating sources
- no dose data
- duration data present
- 18 combo interactions documented
- PubChem toxicity data
- classified Tentative
Aliases: Sweet vitriol, diethyl-ether, Diethyl ether
Summary
An industrial solvent which is sometimes used recreationally as a dissociative anaesthetic, with a short length of action. Effects are similar to alcohol. Leaves one's breath tasting and smelling strongly of ether for much longer than the experience lasts.
Dose Information
No curated dose ladder is available for this substance. The figures below are drawn from SubstanceIndex (DoseWiki) as a fallback — often a conservative threshold only. Treat them as approximate and cross-reference before use.
Light
Common
Strong
Heavy
Onset, Duration & After-effects
Effect Profile
72 reportsScores (1–10) curated from multiple sources:
- Effect keyword matching from PsychonautWiki catalog
- Validated against 72 Erowid trip reports
- Weighted by importance: core (×3), major (×2), minor (×1)
Dissociative
1.6
Light
2/10
Strong mania with low motor impairment and dissociative depth
Dissociative Depth
×3
1
Mania / Compulsion
×1
10
compulsive redosing
restlessness
disinhibition
stimulation
euphoria
Insight / Novel Thought
×2
0
Motor / Sensory Impairment
×1
2
Based on reports from:
Tolerance
Build-up
develops over 1–4 weeks of regular use
Reset
days to weeks depending on duration of use
Tolerance Decay
Full tolerance
3d
Half tolerance
8d
Baseline
~14d
Acute tolerance: develops within a single session — the reset numbers above apply after sustained heavy use, not after one binge. Within-session tachyphylaxis usually resets largely overnight.
Effects
Aggregated from 72 Erowid experience reports
Positive Effects 12
Anxiety Suppression
33.3%
70%
Euphoria
23.6%
70%
Color Enhancement
13.9%
70%
Focus Enhancement
13.9%
70%
Music Enhancement
12.5%
70%
Introspection
11.1%
70%
Tactile Enhancement
9.7%
70%
Empathy
8.3%
70%
Stimulation
6.9%
70%
Sedation
6.9%
70%
Body High
5.6%
70%
Pain Relief
4.2%
70%
Adverse Effects 5
Confusion
19.4%
70%
Nausea
13.9%
70%
Memory Suppression
9.7%
70%
Motor Impairment
9.7%
70%
Headache
6.9%
70%
Combinations
Cross-Check Ether with another substanceCommunity Trip Reports
Anecdotal first-person accounts from Reddit, Erowid, and Bluelight. Click a source to expand. Reports are harm-reduction context, not medical guidance.
Erowid 8 reports 1 positive 5 neutral 2 cautionary visit
The following is a retrospective account of a 12 month + intensive exploration of the effects of Diethyl Ether largely stimulated by Aleister Crowley's 1922 essay "Ethyl Oxide".
It was about 1996 and I was about 16 years of age when I was flipping through some sort of chemical book at school and I came across a paragraph on diethyl ether. It said that it was a relatively non toxic anaesthetic.
[Erowid Note: The "water extraction" method is ineffective in separating diethyl ether from the volatile hydrocarbon liquids/gases in "starter fluid". Our understanding of the literature is that there is no such thing as safe use of volatile hydrocarbon gases: their psychoactive effects are inseparable from nerve and o...
[Erowid Note: Our understanding of the literature is that there is no such thing as safe recreational use of volatile solvents, aerosols and other street inhalants : their psychoactive effects are inseparable from nerve and organ damage.
[Erowid Note: The "water extraction" method is ineffective in separating diethyl ether from the volatile hydrocarbon liquids/gases in "starter fluid". Our understanding of the literature is that there is no such thing as safe use of volatile hydrocarbon gases: their psychoactive effects are inseparable from nerve and o...
[Erowid Warning: The water extraction method is ineffective in separating diethyl ether from the volatile hydrocarbon liquids/gases in starter fluid. Our understanding of the literature is that there is no such thing as safe use of volatile hydrocarbon gases: their psychoactive effects are inseparable from nerve an...
Before this ether experience, I had been sober for about 2 months prior, not counting the one time I took about 2 knockout doses of tetrazepam (separately throughout the night) in order to help me sleep before a major exam.
Bluelight 3 threads 2 neutral 1 cautionary visit
lab ether- experienced- realizing infinity [note, this was written about 7-8 months ago, i had just misplaced it until now, things in brackets were added today, oct. 13, 2001] I had acquired 3 quarts of lab grade diethyl ether, which i had divided equally among 20 ounce bottles.
Me and two friends were bored tonight, so we went to Walmart and bought a can of Prestone starter fluid. We sprayed it into a bottle, mixed in one part water, shook it for a while, then seperated the heptane from the ethyl ether.
WARNING!! THE METHOD DESCRIBED IN THIS REPORT DOES NOT RESULT IN DIETHYL ETHER!! INSTEAD IT GIVES YOU SEVERAL BRAIN-DAMAGING INHALANTS, AND THIS METHOD COULD RESULT IN SERIOUS BRAIN INJURY OR DEATH!!! Nothing to do, I pick up a can of starter fluid from a gas station, get a bottle of water, spray it in, pour in water e...
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