Experiences - Nitrous and Head Rushes

[voodoo child]

Growing up, I've always experienced head rushes. You know, when you stand up really quickly after long periods of sitting. Usually, I'd just grab onto something and focus really hard, and it'd go away fast. And they didn't happen all the time or anything.

Then when I got in HS though and started to get high all the time, I started to appreciate head rushes as sort of a free high, and would try to ride them out as long as possible.

To SWIM, head rushes are a very similar experience to nitrous highs. Often times they're a little more intense and dangerous, because SWIM finds himself knocking over stuff and hurting himself, because SWIM can't control his body, and nitrous has always been something SWIM has more control over.

But are they in any way linked?

[Pomzazed]

Yes, The link is "Lowering of Blood Pressure"

When you sit for a long period and stand up quickly and suddenly, your blood pressure drops for a bit while, thus make you feel like a bit "confused".

This is also the same as alkyl nitrite, which has vasodillator property (expand your blood vessel); thus blood pressure is lowered

[Paracelsus]

Since I have been prescribed enalapril (ACE inhibitor, hypotensive), I experience 'head rushes' quite often when standing up quickly.

It's simply gravity. When standing up quickly, less blood comes to the brain. Less blood, less oxygen, hypoxia. That is what kids doing the 'choking game' seek.

When I experience these, my visual field narrows until it's all black. I can manage it quite well (I don't fall down). I simply don't move (because I can't see anything). After some 3 seconds, the vision comes back and a warm rush of blood comes to the head.

SWIM describes the last part (the actual 'rush') as similar to nitrous. But that's pretty much all they have in common. Nitrous really does make SWIM lose motor control, as it does with most people. And nitrous is much more fun, so don't use the choking game as a substitute for nitrous (I doubt repeated hypoxia would be terribly healthy for the brain).