Paralyzed in both legs due to inhaling nitrous oxide (laughing gas).

The Department of Neurology and Musculoskeletal Disorders at Phu Tho Provincial General Hospital recently admitted a 16-year-old female patient from Vinh Phuc province who was experiencing weakness in both upper limbs, paralysis in both lower limbs, and inability to walk after consuming 15 balloons filled with nitrous oxide (laughing gas).

According to the patient's medical history, they were previously healthy, but two weeks prior, they had consumed 15 balloons of "laughing gas" over three days. Afterward, the patient experienced numbness and tingling in all four limbs, frequent muscle cramps, decreased sensation in both arms and legs, a feeling of heaviness in the legs compared to the arms, and progressively worsening limb weakness leading to complete loss of mobility in both legs.

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The patient was admitted with symptoms such as numbness and reduced sensation in the extremities; legs feeling heavier than arms, flaccid paralysis of the legs with muscle strength of 2/5, difficulty in movement, inability to walk, requiring wheelchair mobility; subtle weakness in both arms with muscle strength of 4-5/5; no slurred speech, no facial paralysis, and no sphincter dysfunction.

The patient was diagnosed with subacute peripheral neuropathy due to nitrous oxide abuse. Treatment included neurotransmitter enhancement drugs and high-dose vitamin B12.

After 10 days of treatment, the patient's clinical symptoms improved: they could walk and move, numbness subsided, upper limb muscle strength was 5/5, and lower limb muscle strength on both sides was 4-5/5. The patient's health stabilized and they were discharged, continuing outpatient medication, with a follow-up appointment scheduled with the Neurology department.

After treatment, patients need to follow their doctor's instructions to speed up their recovery.

At the same time, regular check-ups are necessary, along with adopting a healthy lifestyle by maintaining a regular exercise routine, avoiding harmful stimulants, and following a scientifically sound diet.

According to Dr. Le Thi Bich Thuy, Head of the Department of Neurology and Musculoskeletal Disorders at Phu Tho Provincial General Hospital, nitrous oxide (N2O) poisoning from prolonged abuse of inhaling "laughing gas" can lead to subacute neurodegeneration due to the inactivation of vitamin B12, thereby causing long-lasting and difficult-to-recover nerve damage.

Therefore, in patients with symptoms of numbness and paresthesia in the extremities, obtaining a history of nitrous oxide abuse, conducting thorough clinical and paraclinical examinations, especially cervical spine MRI and nerve conduction studies, will help in accurate diagnosis, thereby maximizing the patient's motor function recovery.

Through this, doctors advise that while the use of "laughing gas" may cause temporary euphoria and happiness, it has negative effects on the user's health.

Stimulants carry the risk of abuse or dependence, causing serious neurological and cardiovascular problems, brain depression, and even death.

Previously, according to doctors at the Neurology Department of Bai Chay Hospital, they had received numerous cases of patients suffering from N2O gas poisoning due to prolonged use of laughing gas.

Common neurological symptoms include numbness, weakness or mild weakness in the limbs, unsteady gait, with or without cervical spinal cord injury…

Regarding nitrous oxide poisoning, recent statistics from the Poison Control Center at Bach Mai Hospital show that almost every day there are patients being treated as inpatients at the hospital due to the consequences of using nitrous oxide.

Mild symptoms include numbness in the limbs, memory loss, heart rhythm disturbances, and general weakness; severe symptoms can lead to serious damage to the spinal cord, brain damage, and mental disorders.

There have been many cases of patients being severely affected by the harmful effects of nitrous oxide, making recovery difficult and causing lifelong disability. Delayed treatment can even lead to death.

More dangerously, according to a warning from the Poison Control Center at Bach Mai Hospital, frequent use of nitrous oxide (laughing gas) can lead to addiction and gradually lead people to seek out other drugs such as marijuana and synthetic drugs to satisfy their deviant desires.

In fact, in many localities across the country recently, the use of nitrous oxide (laughing gas) along with synthetic drugs has been very common.

According to the Ministry of Health, N2O gas is on the list of chemicals with restricted production and trade in the industrial sector. It can only be bought, sold, and produced for industrial purposes and is not permitted for human use.

N2O (dinitrogen oxide or nitrous oxide), also known as laughing gas, is a colorless, slightly sweet-tasting inorganic compound. When inhaled, this gas displaces oxygen in the body, causing oxygen deprivation and inhibiting the central nervous system, leading to euphoric feelings and hallucinations. N2O is an addictive substance, belonging to the group of hallucinogens with a tendency to increase dosage. Users can become dependent, addicted, and experience hallucinations similar to heroin.

If used quickly and in small amounts, nitrous oxide will cause fleeting laughter and euphoria. However, if used in large quantities or over a long period, it can cause neurotoxicity and nerve damage from the brain down to the spinal cord, especially the cervical and thoracic spinal cords.

Patients may experience disorders such as numbness, weakness in the limbs, memory impairment, sleep disorders, heart rhythm disturbances, hypotension, anemia, vitamin B12 deficiency, etc. More serious consequences include depression, coma, hypotension, paralysis, and death.

For people with cardiovascular disease, asthma, and other respiratory illnesses, exposure to N2O gas can be life-threatening due to asphyxiation and respiratory failure.

In cases of nitrous oxide (N2O) poisoning, combining treatment with hyperbaric oxygen therapy can quickly remove the toxic gas from the patient's body, especially the brain, helping to reduce neurological sequelae and promote faster recovery.