Inhalant-related disorders

Substances: hydrocarbon-based inhalants (e.g., glue, paint thinners, fuel, nitrous oxide, alkyl nitrites)
Epidemiology: most prevalent in high-school-aged individuals
Mechanism of action: Inhalants generally work by depressing the CNS.
Clinical features of inhalant intoxication
- Glue sniffer's rash: characteristic eczematous rash between the nose and upper lip after prolonged use of inhalants
- Short duration (minutes) of symptoms (rapid onset and resolution)
- Slurred speech, headache, diplopia, agitation, hallucinations, gait disturbance, somnolence
- Euphoria, disinhibition, dizziness, confusion, lethargy, disorientation, drowsiness
- Nystagmus, muscle weakness, tremor, hyporeflexia, ataxia
- Overdose: asphyxia, suffocation, seizure, coma, death (due to respiratory depression)