• 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)