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Young woman left bedbound after taking part in dangerous high school trend
A young woman who got addicted to nangs as a teenager said the substance left her temporarily bedbound and unable to walk.
Molly Day, 20, who lives in Perth, first used nitrous oxide at her end-of-year school celebrations to mark the end of Year 12.
'They were so easily accessible, you could get them from smoke shops, corner shops, and get them online 24/7, so it was a very popular thing [with] teenagers especially,' Ms Day told ABC.
What started out as a bit of a laugh slowly morphed into a serious addiction, when she began to use the substance by herself after her friends found out the gas was available in larger cannisters.
Molly Day, 20 (pictured) who lives in Perth, said she got addicted to nangs after she first tried the substance at her end-of-year school party last year
Ms Day said her addiction got so bad that she couldn't even get out of bed one morning.
'I was doing them the night before actually and I woke up that morning with just about complete paralysis,' she said.
'By the time I got to the hospital, within a day or two, I couldn't even stand, couldn't walk, couldn't feel anything.'
Nitrous oxide is a colourless gas that is commonly administered by health professionals, as a type of anaesthetic to provide patients with pain relief.
The drug can cause major health affects including memory loss, a weakened immune system, and psychosis, if the substance is used excessively.
Consuming the drug in large quantities can lead to permanent brain and spinal cord damage.
Ms Day said she spent a lot of money buying nitrous oxide to fuel her addiction.
Dozens of retailers including food delivery platforms will allow people to order nangs and have them delivered at all hours of the day.
The availability of the substance has sparked an unhealthy habit among Aussies who are using nangs.
The 20-year-old (pictured right) was unable to walk for a period of time after she began consuming the laughing gas in larger quantities
Figures from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare showed that among the 300,000 people who used inhalants between 2022-2023, 56 per cent have used nitrous oxide.
Dr Jeremy Haylar, clinical director of the Alcohol and Drug Service for Metro North Mental Health in Queensland, said that a young student in Sydney, who is often referred to in medical studies, would spend $750 a day to buy nitrous oxide.
'She had no connection with reality, she was hearing voices and very confused, so she went to hospital because those effects had come on so quickly,' he said.
Around 600,000 Aussies have used nitrous oxide at some point and the substance has been associated with the deaths of 20 people from 2000-2021, findings from the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre show.
Dr Haylar, who is among the dozens of medical professionals who deal with the impacts of excessive use of nangs firsthand, said the effects of the gas are devastating.
He treated a patient who lost control of their bladder, after they consumed nitrous oxide in high doses, and the person has still not recovered from the health issue.
'They had an Indwelling urinary catheter, and they also lost feeling in their legs, so they were very unsteady on their feet,' he said.
Ms Day, who spent three months in rehabilitation before she could begin walking again, still has not regained the feeling completely in her legs a year after she began her treatment.
Health experts have become increasingly concerned about the accessibility of nitrous oxide, which are sold in cannisters (pictured) as the substance can cause major health issues
She urged others not to use nangs and she hopes her horrifying ordeal will set an example, for those who may be thinking of consuming nitrous oxide.
'This [nangs] is something that affects everyone, it doesn't have to do with gender, it doesn't have to do with weight,' she said.
'It could be that one nang that possibly kills you and puts you in the position I was in and it's honestly just not worth it.'
The widespread concerns over nangs prompted the West Australian government to ban the sale of nitrous oxide cannisters.
The state government will amend the Medicines and Poisons Regulation 2016, to ensure the supply of nangs is only permitted for use by registered food businesses.
Health experts have urged other states to implement similar measures in a bid to restrict the number of young people, who can access large nitrous oxide cannisters.
Being in possession or selling the gas in not illegal in most states across Australia, unless there is a risk that users are likely to inhale the drug.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) now requires nitrous oxide to have a 'do not inhale' label to be included on cannisters after the change was introduced in 2022.
Ms Day (pictured) has urged others not to use nangs and warned people, that they could be left with irreversible health damage if they use the substance excessively