It oxidises the cobalt atom at the centre of vitamin B12 and switches the vitamin off. Your blood level can look completely normal while the spinal cord is failing.
Filed under DrugConstellation Mood & neurochemistryStatus Upcoming
Not yet investigated
What we have so far
It oxidises the cobalt atom at the centre of vitamin B12 and switches the vitamin off. Your blood level can look completely normal while the spinal cord is failing.
This star is on the map because the show intends to take the question apart properly — the trials, how it is actually tested, whether the thing sold is the thing studied. That work is not done yet, and nothing here should be read as a conclusion. When the investigation is published it will appear on this page.
What we are reading
Gathered for the investigation and not yet written up. Each note says what the paper does and does not show.
Mair D, Paris A, Zaloum SA, White LM, Dodd KC, Englezou C, Patel F, Abualnaja S, Lilleker JB, Gosal D, Hayton T, Liang D, Allroggen H, Pucci M, Keddie S, Noyce AJ. Nitrous oxide-induced myeloneuropathy: a case series.J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry · 2023 · 94(9):681–68810.1136/jnnp-2023-331131 · PMID 37253616
119 patients across London, Birmingham and Manchester — the largest series to date. Pins and needles was the presenting complaint in 85%, lower limbs before upper; gait ataxia common; bladder and bowel involvement frequent. The cord lesion sits at C3–C5 on T2 imaging. Canisters consumed per week correlated with methylmalonic acid (ρ=0.44), which is the functional B12 marker — and the reason a normal serum B12 does not exclude this.
Xiang Y, Li L, Ma X, Li S, Xue Y, Yan P, Chen M, Wu J. Recreational nitrous oxide abuse: prevalence, neurotoxicity, and treatment.Neurotox Res · 2021 · 39(3):975–98510.1007/s12640-021-00352-y · PMID 33770366
The review that frames the public health side: rising recreational use in adolescents and young adults, most of whom have no idea of the risk. Stopping and replacing B12 early gives a good prognosis; long-term use without treatment ends in irreversible neurological damage. The mechanism is still argued over, which is worth saying out loud.
