Nitrous Oxide Campaign

Happening tomorrow!

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Yesterday we had a launch event for our joint project between and on preventing neurological and societal harm from nitrous oxide misuse. Thank you to .trust and many more!

DM us to learn more about our workshops on the neurological risks of nitrous oxide

New guidance from the Association of British Neurologists outlines the key steps to help people with nerve damage from nitrous oxide

🚨In the run up to New Years Eve, please be aware of the neurological risk of nitrous oxide! 🚨

Nitrous oxide can damage the nerves by inactivating vitamin B12, causing loss of the special myelin layer that enables super fast messaging. To learn more about what goes wrong check out our page!

Last Wednesday we had a great session in Mile End in collaboration with .harca and

This was with a knowledgeable group! By the end of the session, all of them felt well informed about the risks of nitrous oxide to the spinal cord.

Last weekend was great! We had a stall at the with . More than 246 people took part in our fun activities to understand nitrous oxide and it’s effect on the body. Spinal cord damage from balloons was new knowledge for 97% of them!

If you are new to our page, thanks for following, and helping us grow our message - tell your friends!

Okay, so if you take nitrous oxide and have some symptoms, how do you KNOW if you have spinal cord damage? 🤔

Doctors at the emergency department 🏨 or at a GP surgery will usually start by talking to you and examining you. More research is needed but it seems that the more nitrous oxide you take, the more likely you are to have damage. 📈

Some blood tests may be needed such as B12 levels - see our blood markers post! 🧪

Finally, a way to know if your spinal cord is damaged or not is by imaging it using MRI scanners 🧲. This will usually be used if symptoms are quite bad.

Blood markers can be compared to a map 🗺. Maps guide where you go, but don’t describe exactly what a place looks like. For spinal cord damage caused by balloons, these blood tests guide how treatment is given, but don’t tell you everything about the severity of the damage.

MMA (methylmalonic acid - not the other MMA 🥊 ) and homocysteine are these useful tests. Levels of these molecules are high when damage occurs, as they are not broken down. Vitamin B12 level is also tested, but this is sometimes normal in people with devastating symptoms.

If you have symptoms after using nitrous oxide, approach your GP or local Accident and Emergency department. These tests may be used to identify if you have spinal cord damage or not.

How do we know someone has damaged their spinal cord due to nitrous oxide overuse? We use MRI!

MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) uses a big magnet to create images of the organs inside our bodies! 🧲 📸

Our MRI graphic shows a white streak in a damaged area of spinal cord, which is normally dark when healthy.

Diagnosis of this type of spinal damage is made by a combination of MRI images and the symptoms of nitrous oxide spinal cord damage (such as numbness, tingling, pins and needles). Click on our other posts to find out more about those!

Vitamin B12 is a nutrient our bodies need to survive. Nitrous oxide overuse causes B12 to malfunction! 😨 Swipe to find out how!

Myelin is a fatty layer protecting nerves that allows for fast transfer of impulses along nerves ⚡️. B12 is essential for forming myelin, but nitrous oxide can inactivate B12 preventing myelin from doing its amazing job! 😟

Like and Follow to Know The Risks of N₂O! 👍