![]() ![]() ![]() “If you accidentally drink your poppers, don't panic. ![]() That’s because the chemical in poppers can stop a person’s red blood cells from releasing oxygen, preventing it from getting to the organs.īut there is a drug that reverses those effects, something Zagorski said the FDA should have mentioned in its warnings. If it does happen, she said it’s dangerous and can be fatal. “For the FDA to issue a blanket statement saying that these products ‘are not safe to ingest or inhale’ ignores the lived experience of people who have used these products safely for decades, and misses an important educational opportunity to share ways to reduce the chance for harm if using these products.”Ĭlaire Zagorski, a graduate research assistant at the University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy, said in 10 years of working at an emergency room, she’s heard of someone mistakenly chugging poppers fewer than five times. “We know that many people in the LGBTQ+ community use poppers, and are able to use them without adverse effects,” TerMeer said. Tyler TerMeer, chief executive officer of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, said the FDA’s “abstinence-only messaging” around poppers is ineffective. Ironically, Blanchard said if poppers were regulated to acknowledge humans are using them, the bottles could be designed in a way that would prevent people from drinking or spilling them, and they could have proper instructions. Another danger is combining them with drugs used for erectile dysfunction, which can cause a person’s blood pressure to drop, increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke. They’re typically sold in small bottles as cleaners or solvents and are marketed as not being for human consumption (to market them for humans would be illegal).īlanchard has only heard “urban legend” type stories about (straight) people accidentally drinking poppers, though she said there is a risk of spilling them when passing them around in the dark, which can cause burns if it touches the skin. In addition to providing users with a head rush, poppers relax muscles in the anus and vagina, so they’re popular for enhancing sex Blanchard said they can also make sex work easier. “The fact that FDA chose to stir up unfounded alarm instead of publishing harm reduction guidance for poppers consumers as well as manufacturers reveals the agency's disregard for the safety and bodily autonomy of people who use drugs, especially those who are queer, trans or sex workers,” Blanchard said.Īn FDA spokesperson said the agency could not provide VICE News with data surrounding the accidental ingestion of poppers or elaborate on the timing of its tweet in time for publication. Blanchard, a trans woman who uses poppers, said the timing of the tweet, just before Pride month and at the end of state legislative sessions that enacted “the most violently anti-trans laws within recent memory” is concerning. ![]()
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