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    Nitrous Oxide Stats & Data

    Dissociative
    Nos N2o N20 Nangs Nitro laughing_gas nitrous
    NPS DataHub
    MW44.01
    FormulaN2O
    CAS10024-97-2
    IUPACNitrous oxide
    SMILESO=N#N
    InChIKeyGQPLMRYTRLFLPF-UHFFFAOYSA-N
    Psychoactive Class Dissociative

    Pharmacology

    DrugBank
    State Solid

    Description

    Nitrous oxide, commonly known as "laughing gas", is a chemical compound with the chemical formula N2O. At room temperature, it is a colorless non-flammable gas, with a pleasant, slightly sweet odor and taste. It is used in surgery and dentistry for its anesthetic and analgesic effects. It is known as "laughing gas" due to the euphoric effects of inhaling it, a property that has led to its recreational use as an inhalant drug.

    Mechanism of Action

    Findings to date indicate that nitrous oxide induces opioid peptide release in the brain stem leading to the activation of descending noradrenergic neurones, which results in modulation of the nociceptive process in the spinal cord. Several receptor–effector mechanisms including dopamine receptors, α2 adrenoceptors, benzodiazepine receptors and -methyl- -aspartate (NMDA) receptors have been implicated although the relationship of one with the other is not known.

    Effect Profile

    Curated + 535 Reports
    Dissociative 5.0

    Strong dissociative depth, motor impairment, and mania with low insight

    Dissociative Depth×3
    104.22.7
    Mania / Compulsion×1
    92.60.6
    Insight / Novel Thought×2
    20.62.9
    Motor / Sensory Impairment×1
    103.31.9
    Catalog Erowid BlueLight
    Based on reports from:
    Effect Index Psychedelic Dissociation — Josie Effect Index Nitrous Entities — Natalie Effect Index Tainted Euphoria — utheraptor Bluelight Big & Dandy Thread Erowid Experience Reports PsychonautWiki Nitrous Oxide The Drug Users Bible Nitrous Oxide

    Community Effects

    TripSit
    Positive
    euphoria dissociation analgesia

    Tolerance & Pharmacokinetics

    drugs.wiki

    Tolerance Decay

    Full tolerance 1h Half tolerance 0d Baseline ~0d

    Experience Report Analysis

    Erowid BlueLight
    504 Reports
    1992–2025 Date Range
    169 With Age Data
    33 Effects Detected

    Demographics

    Gender Distribution

    Age Distribution

    Reports Over Time

    Effect Analysis

    Erowid + Bluelight

    Effects aggregated from 535 experience reports (504 Erowid + 31 Bluelight)

    535 Reports
    117 Effects Detected
    54 Positive
    29 Adverse
    34 Neutral

    Effect Sentiment Distribution

    Confidence Distribution

    Positive Effects 54

    Euphoria 38.5% 90%
    Music Enhancement 37.0% 90%
    Color Enhancement 32.5% 86%
    Awe 32.3% 84%
    Joy 32.3% 86%
    Empathy 29.6% 70%
    Stimulation 24.6% 70%
    Tactile Enhancement 22.8% 70%
    Focus Enhancement 21.6% 70%
    Tingling 19.4% 90%
    Introspection 18.3% 75%
    Body High 16.1% 87%
    Insight 16.1% 86%
    Lightness 16.1% 84%
    Mystical Quality 12.9% 89%
    Revelatory Insight 12.9% 86%
    Thought Acceleration 12.9% 83%
    Patterning 9.7% 90%
    Identity Alteration 9.7% 85%
    Auditory-Visual Synesthesia 9.7% 83%

    Adverse Effects 29

    Anxiety 38.5% 83%
    Confusion 29.8% 82%
    Depersonalization 29.0% 82%
    Fear 16.1% 87%
    Nausea 14.4% 84%
    Memory Suppression 12.3% 80%
    Delusion 9.7% 83%
    Paranoia 9.7% 88%
    Amnesia 9.7% 80%
    Motor Impairment 8.0% 82%
    Ego Inflation 6.5% 88%
    Panic 6.5% 85%
    Muscle Tension 6.0% 70%
    Headache 5.6% 80%
    Thought Loops 4.5% 85%
    Pupil Dilation 4.4% 70%
    Sweating 4.2% 70%
    Psychosis 4.0% 70%
    Jaw Clenching 3.4% 70%
    Increased Heart Rate 3.4% 70%

    Subjective Effect Ontology

    Experience Reports

    Structured effect tags extracted from 535 Erowid & Bluelight experience reports using a controlled vocabulary of 220+ canonical effects across 15 domains.

    Auditory

    music enhancement 198 37.0% auditory distortions 173 34.3%

    Cognitive

    confusion 159 29.8% focus enhancement 109 21.6%

    Emotional

    anxiety 206 38.5% euphoria 206 38.5% empathy 149 29.6%

    Motor

    stimulation 124 24.6%

    Selfhood

    dissociation 131 24.5%

    Tactile

    tactile enhancement 115 22.8%

    Visual

    visual distortions 254 47.5% color enhancement 174 32.5%

    12 unique effects extracted · Derived from Erowid & Bluelight reports

    Real-World Dose Distribution

    62K Doses

    From 354 individual dose entries

    Common Combinations

    Most co-occurring substances in experience reports

    Form / Preparation

    Most common forms and preparations reported

    Redose Patterns

    Redosing behavior across 446 reports

    8.7% Redosed
    1.1 Avg Doses
    105m Median Interval
    Read full reports on Erowid →
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