My good friend Ryan would often joke that his ex-boyfriend died from overdosing on poppers. We would chuckle a little bit as he used to use this line to get away from men he didn't like all that much. Yes, honesty is the best policy, but most of us have told that little white lie on occasion.
His go to phrase or excuse was something we would hear and know was his cue that he was not at all wanting to continue that conversation.
But do people really die from poppers?
In England and Wales, there have been 25 drug-related deaths mentioning alkyl nitrates (more commonly known as poppers). 14 of which since 1995 have been directly caused through the use of the substance. – assuredpharmacy.co.uk
You can go to assuredpharmacy.co.uk for more explanation as to what poppers are and what they do, but the basics are that poppers dilate blood vessels, allowing more blood to get to the heart. Most men use them to relax certain muscles preparing them for penetration and some seem to use them to relax every part of their body.
Firstly, poppers are a vasodilator which is described as a widening of the veins and blood vessels which results from the relaxation of smooth muscle cells within the vessel walls. For this reason, you should not use poppers at all if you have heart or blood pressure problems.
As a whole, poppers are generally safe to use, although they can cause death if swallowed. – assuredpharmacy.co.uk
Although poppers are very prevalent in some walks of life; most notably the gay community and rave scenes, they aren’t without risks, and these risks can be amplified when used alongside certain other substances.
Recently, Assured Pharmacy ran a survey to understand people's awareness of consuming poppers and asked questions about Viagra use, too (see demographics below). Some facts and figures are:
- 55% of Viagra users haves used it alongside poppers. 54% of those who have combined the two substances, stated that they were aware of the dangers of mixing both.
- Adverse side effects can include, headaches, disorientation, a sudden drop in blood pressure, nausea and can burn your skin if swallowed – 20% of users have experienced.
- Repeated poppers by itself can also induce serious eye problems, a Sussex based study in 2016 shows.
Poppers are used mainly in the pursuit of a more enjoyable sexual experience, but the biggest risks regarding poppers appear when using alongside other substances. For example, if you mixed poppers with other drugs such as alcohol, cocaine, MDNA the oxygen supply to your vital organs might be affected, which could cause a coma or even death. The same applies when using poppers alongside any medication or substances that alter your blood pressure, such as erectile dysfunction medication.
Is the study meant to scare popper users? No, but it was completed in order to provide individuals with information about the safe use of poppers.
At Assured Pharmacy we wanted to bring attention to this matter for the safety of our customers and promote healthy, safe sex.
Once again for more information, head over to assuredpharmacy.co.uk
We cannot tell you what to do and what not to do. As always, seek the consult of your personal physician. Talk to them about your sex life. If you can't talk to them about your gay sex, you need a new physician.
Demographics of survey participants.
| Age Range | Count | Gender | Count |
| 18-24 | 171 (12%) | Male | 1311 (92%) |
| 25-34 | 356 (25%) | Female | 42 (3%) |
| 35-44 | 385 (27%) | Prefer not to say | 42 (3%) |
| 45-54 | 250 (17.6%) | Other | 28 (2%) |
| 55-64 | 204 (14.4%) | ||
| 65+ | 57 (4%) | ||
Nicely educative as far as it
Nicely educative as far as it goes. A second article detailing the increased dangers of taking viagra and using poppers simultaneously would be helpful.