12 Things You Should Know About Poppers

A number of us take them casually. Some of us are even addicted to them. A few of us don’t have sex unless we’re using them. Poppers.

A staple in the gay community, and something a number of us use to get a little head rush during sex and loosen our rear. So what are poppers, really? What is this weird smelling liquid we love to inhale?

Here are 12 things you should definitely know about poppers.

1. Poppers is slang for a chemical class called alkyl nitrites

So the word “poppers” is actually just slang for alkyl nitrites. Good to know, because we should probably know what we’re putting into our bodies, right?

2. You can die

It isn’t very common, no, but be careful — you can, in fact, die from poppers. When you inhale the poppers laying down, you run the risk of developing cyanosis, which drops your oxygen levels. Huff wisely.

3. It can cause vision issues

Yes, you can spill the actual liquid in your eye and that would suck. However, according to Live Science, inhaling poppers can also lead to vision problems overall.

4. Poppers work by relaxing the smooth muscles in your body

This includes the sphincter muscles in your anus, which is why you loosen up right after inhalation.

Smooth muscles surround the body’s blood vessels, so when they relax, it causes blood vessels to dilate, which results in the increase of heart rate and blood flow throughout the body. This is what leads to the feeling of euphoria you get after using them, according to The Good Drugs Guide.

5. Poppers became big during the gay disco of the 70s

In the '70s and '80s, gay men would sniff poppers at gay clubs to enhance the music and get high. In the '90s, poppers were used in the growing gay rave scene. Now, however, poppers have become more popularized, and some straight people use poppers recreationally (not for sex) at clubs too.

6. Taking poppers and Viagra is very dangerous

Both Viagra and poppers cause a person’s blood pressure to drop. The combination can result in fainting, stroke, or a heart attack/death, according to LGBT Foundation.

7. Don’t ingest them

Sounds obvious, right? But some people have ingested poppers, usually accidentally, and that can cause death, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

8. Only 3 percent of the population use poppers

Compare that to the 10 percent of American adults who report smoking marijuana in the past year. As far as drugs go, popper use isn’t that popular, even though it’s legal. But the 3 percent makes sense, because gay men predominantly use poppers and that percentage roughly reflects the number of gay men in the population.

9. The UK almost banned poppers

Remember when that happened back in early Spring of this year? Apparently, the only reason it didn’t pass was because of a technicality, according to The Guardian.

10. Canada banned poppers

In 2013, Canada cracked down on the distribution of poppers, warning that sales of poppers could lead to a three-year jail sentence or a $5,000 fine, according to DailyXtra.com.

11. Negative side effects

Like any drug, there are some negative side effects from taking poppers. The main short term ones are light headedness/headache and occasional dizziness or fainting. Long term side effects include eye damage or loss of eyesight “Poppers Maculopathy” and extremely high doses can potentially lead to the fatal “‘methaemoglobinaemia’” where blood is unable to carry oxygen to cells in the body. (It’s like what happens with Carbon Monoxide poisoning), LGBT Foundation reports.

12. You technically need a prescription for amyl nitrite

Amyl Nitrite was originally a prescription drug in 1937 and remained until 1960, but in 1960, the FDA removed the prescription due to the fact that it’s relatively safe. In 1969, however, it was reinstated as a prescription drug. You can buy substances that obtain alkyl nitrites other than amyl nitrite at most sex shops that sell recreational drug paraphernalia. They may be purchased legally, and are advertised as nail polish remover (or something else along those lines).