The heartbeat slows and respirations become shallow. The person may become extremely drowsy and lose consciousness. The subject's skin may feel cold and clammy, and death can result from respiratory failure. People usually do not think of inhalants as drugs because they were never meant to be used that way. The typical users of these drugs are young and do not have access to more preferred drugs.
Inhalants rank fourth in popularity behind alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana among young people.
Junior high students seem to be among the most common abusers. There are about 1,400 products potentially usable as inhalants. Alternatively, the open container or soaked rag can be placed in a bag where the vapors concentrate before being inhaled. Once inhaled, the extensive capillary surface of the lungs allows rapid absorption of the substance and blood levels peak rapidly. Entry into the brain is so fast that the effects of inhalation can resemble the intensity of effects produced by intravenous injection of other psychoactive drugs.