Dr Shilpan Patel: Neurology Registrar on calls to regulate nitrous oxide following rising hospitalisations

An Auckland woman who can no longer move her legs after inhaling nitrous oxide - otherwise known as 'nangs' or 'laughing gas -  is urging the government to regulate the sale of the gas.  

Nitrous oxide has been used as an anaesthetic for over than 150 years, but it’s also popular as a recreational drug. 

Auckland City Hospital Neurology Registrar, Dr Shilpan Patel, told Heather du Plessis-Allan “We’ve seen people inhaling hundreds of canisters a day come in with injuries – as well as people who’ve only had a handful.” 

Patel says “It’s quite a serious condition that can have long-lasting consequences for otherwise young, fit and well people.” 

LISTEN ABOVE. 

 

 

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now an Auckland woman is urging the government to regulate
the retail supply of nitrous oxide, which a lot of
young people know out there as nangs. The twenty four
year old was inhaling the NANGS for a back injury
and has now lost feeling in her legs. The gas
can be brought from dairies and vape shops for legitimate
reasons like baking cakes, I suppose, but the sale or
purchase for the purpose of inhaling is already banned. Auckland

(00:22):
City Hospital Neurology Registrar doctor Shelpin petellers with us. Hey, Shelpin, Hi,
how much of the stuff would you have to suck
in to lose feeling in your legs?

Speaker 2 (00:33):
Yeah, we have seen a really wide range. We've seen
people inhaling hundreds of canisters per day coming into symptoms,
and we've seen people using only a handful of ten
canisters or so with a pre existing BE twelve efficiency
and also coming in with symptoms.

Speaker 1 (00:52):
Will the feeling in the leagues restore itself or is
that it?

Speaker 2 (00:57):
We have been looking into this and following up our
patients to WRUS. Most people do recover, but so far
it looks like they're taking a very long time to recover.
Most people six months down the line still have numbness
and aren't back to walking only. So it's quite a
serious condition that can have long lasting consequences for these

(01:19):
otherwise young sittin'well people.

Speaker 1 (01:21):
How much of this are you seeing?

Speaker 2 (01:24):
We are? We are seeing, you know, we're seeing presentations
to our neurology department at Alkan City Hospital. Not infrequently
we've had we've had, we know, at least a monthly
or so, we'll have a serious case admitted to the wards.
We're unable to walk because they're so severely affected. And

(01:47):
then maybe others out there in the community with mild
of symptoms that are not presenting to hospital that we
don't know about.

Speaker 1 (01:53):
Now, Shelpin, I thought we had rules around the stuff.
I thought people shouldn't be inhaling it for a bit
of a cake.

Speaker 2 (02:02):
I'm not a super flued up on the exactly, just lashing,
but yes, I believe it is. It's I believe it's
illegal to well, it's not legal to sell it for
someone with the intent of them using it for inhalation.
That's I believe the law.

Speaker 1 (02:19):
Apparently, did you realize. Apparently it works like this. If
you go to the dairy and you say, can I
have some of those well, I don't know what you
call them nangs, but I don't know anyway, probably not
calling them nangs to the dairy guy, right, because then
he knows what you're up to. But if you say
you want some of the gas canists is apparently he
says what do you want them for? And then you're
supposed to say baking a cake and then he goes, okay,
even if it's like eleven o'clock at night. That's ridiculous,

(02:40):
isn't it.

Speaker 2 (02:42):
Yeah, And that's that's a concern for us. We're we're
really worried that young people have access to such huge
numbers or large volumes of nycrosoxide and they're coming to
serious health. That's our primary concerns.

Speaker 1 (02:57):
Okay, now, explain something to me. Why are people using it?
Like I thought? Look, I was young ones, right, And
I'll admit that I did it when I was young
one time, and all it was was about a thirty
second weird experience and then nothing more. What's the fun
in that?

Speaker 2 (03:11):
You've got me there? But it appears to me that
people use these uses nitrosox side chemists regularly, just for
a repeated feeling of a feeling high. The chemical itself
doesn't appear to be chemically addicting, like like nicotine and cigarettes,
but people do chase this high again and again and again.

Speaker 1 (03:30):
Is this basically what is this laughing gas?

Speaker 2 (03:32):
Isn't it is? But laughing gas that's used in hospital
is actually a mixture mostly nitros oxide and some something
out some of the stuff, but it's similar.

Speaker 1 (03:42):
Okay, hey Shelpin, thank you, I really appreciate your time.
That's doctor Shelpin could tell neurology Redistroyer All cland City Hospital.
Seems to me, the problem there is that the rules
the problem. The problem is that the rules are so
easy to get around. Right If you just say you're
baking a cake, it's bloody eleven o'clock at night, and
you're like completely wasted, and you tell the dairy guy
you're baking a cake, that's the that's all he needs
to be able to sell it to you. When I

(04:02):
did it, I would have been probably like early twenties,
and it was back then it was kind of a
new thing, I think, And I did it as far
as I can recall, just the once and never wanted
to do it again because what happened was after you
do it in the balloon thing after that just a reminder,
I was in my early twenties, right, so don't judge
me for it now, like basically a totally different person.
But it was like my head, it was like everything

(04:25):
slowed down and it was like vision. My whole experience
of reality was like a skipping CD. It was like
as I sort of slumped backwards from it, and then
after I got up, I was like, that was na.
That was not a good time. That was really bizarre,
and you lose complete ConTroll of yourself. So I don't
know how somebody can do enough of it to make
their legs go numb. But ever, each to our own,

(04:45):
I suppose For more from Hither Dupless Yellen Drive, listen
live to news

Speaker 2 (04:50):
Talk sai'd Be from four pm weekdays, or follow the
podcast on iHeartRadio