A question about nitroglycerine (the heart medication)

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

I just found out someone I know (a major pillhead) is popping nitro. This person is morbidly obese, has blood pressure ABOVE the roof, and gulps prescription pain pills like candy. I fully expect to be attending his funeral sometime soon, as he has given no indication of sobering up or changing his ways.

My question is, exactly what does nitro DO to someone in that condition? (He does NOT have angina, BTW.) What kind of rush does it give, and what will it do to him if he pops one too many, too quickly?

Just curious...

:nuke:

[greatauntoftriplets]

1. I think it regulates your heartbeat, but can make it work faster.

My mother has taken it on occasion, but for a very low heart rate for which she has a Pacemaker.

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

3. I was always under the impression

it releases a concentrated blast of oxygen directly to the bloodstream when placed under the tongue. At least that's what my mother (a retired nurse who took the drug in her later years) told me one time. I could be wrong, but I've been told one result can be an instant splitting headache, among other things.

On edit: I've discovered a link that confirms at least some of the things I've been told. FYI, the link is: http://www.medicomm.net/Consumer%20Site/dh/dh_n13.htm

[Catshrink]

2. My mom also takes nitro

but the doc told her not to take more than 3 within a couple of hours because it lowers the blood pressure. She's never said anything about a rush from it.

[leftbend]

4. It causes the blood vessels to relax

They open and let blood flow more freely to the heart, releving the angina. headaches are from the capilliaries expanding too much in the brain. Too much could cause a dangerous drop in blood pressure.

[Individualist]

5. Exactly

I take nitro for infrequent angina.

[Paranoid_Portlander]

6. My own blood pressure dropped...

...about 70 points in the space of 5 minutes after a nitro. Fortunately, I tolerated that. Also, nitro is very dangerous when combined with Viagra. (I have never taken Viagra.)

[Lexingtonian]

7. a high similar to the anesthetic

nitrous oxide. Nitroglycerin decomposes in the bloodstream yielding up little bits of nitrous oxide. Some of the high (it's not much of one, I think) is from an anesthetic effect, some of it may be due to an effect like hyperventilation.

The worst side effect is probably that his heart rhythm could go berzerk for a short amount of time.

Why he does it...obese people develop undercirculation (hence also high bp for this person)- and that means low levels of oxygen deprivation- in fatty tissues, which results an uncomfortable (though generally subconscious) feeling of numbness and unwellness even at rest. The pills improve oxygen flow and improve the sense of wellbeing in reducing that. The pills' effects are lower intensity than what most addictive drugs give in the way of relieving physiological stress signalling, but the principle is the same. You mention he takes pain killers- the reason is about the same, the effect less helpful to his condition. It all has its roots in this person's obesity.

OT:
When I was in college we had a problem with nitrous on campus. It was cheap way to have fun as a group without anyone getting permanent kinds of damage, but a total of three people asphyxiated on the stuff- died with garbage bags over their heads while tripping in locked rooms- during the years I was there. (The stuff suppresses vomitting and other signs of asphyxiation better than carbon monoxide does, so people 'forget' to breath in oxygen when under a lot of it. A pretty clean and relatively painless way to die, but asphyxiation nonetheless.) At the time you could get your neighbors raided immediately anytime if you called in claiming there was nitrous in their place (the other stuff always took them half an hour to arrive and then they'd drive up with flashing lights and eat some donuts before 'breaking up the disturbance'. Unless somebody had OD'd.) Campus police would ignore all the joints and funny powders and pills and vodka bottles and funny smoking items and other stuff around/in the toilet bowls and behind plants. They would always search for and confiscate the nitrous tank and haul it away and tear open all suspiciously inflated garbage bags. Nitrous got you suspended or expelled if you admitted to having obtained the tank, though they strangely never seemed to be able to track down who'd bought the ones they confiscated.