Help What happens if you don't take enough SN

[Nolife62]

What happens if you don't take enough SN

 

[jodes2]

You'll get the side effects but not die. Headache, cyanosis, difficulty catching breath, speeding heart. If you end up unconscious it could cause brain damage from lack of oxygen I believe

 

[veryhappyhuman]

Depending on your physiology, what is "enough" itself may not be certain. You may see from the pinned thread that some people have passed away from very little SN. Yet others have done the fatal dose and lived.

 

[Nanako]

You'll get the side effects but not die. Headache, cyanosis, difficulty catching breath, speeding heart. If you end up unconscious it could cause brain damage from lack of oxygen I believe

Yeah, I've heard that it doesn't cause brain damage from reputable people in here but don't understand how that could be the case. If you're deprived of oxygen for that long but then you're saved, then surely...?

 

[veryhappyhuman]

Yeah, I've heard that it doesn't cause brain damage from reputable people in here but don't understand how that could be the case. If you're deprived of oxygen for that long but then you're saved, then surely...?

I think it's because it reduces oxygen gradually rather than cut it off suddenly (like with, say hanging). It takes a while for all (or most) of the hemoglobin in blood to be replaced with methemoglobin. Plus the body is capable of removing a certain % of methemoglobin (that's why we take so much SN, idea is to overwhelm this mechanism). Finally, the striking symptoms of poisoning (bluish skin, nausea etc) occur early, and organ damage starts later. So, especially for people living with others, they're bound to get noticed and rescued before real damage happens.

To sum up, yes it is oxygen deprivation, and I'm 99.9% sure that yes, there is brain damage eventually. But the underlying mechanism is different from usual oxygen deprivation. Also, I think the time window between brain damage and death with SN is narrower.

 

[GettingOut]

Thanks for excellent question and very educational responses. You guys are truly amazing!

 

[nico1420]

Do You think being a hevy smoker, improves chances? I mean it should take less time for hypoxia to kick in right?

 

[Lastsauce]

Do You think being a hevy smoker, improves chances? I mean it should take less time for hypoxia to kick in right?

"A pack-a-day smoker can have a 3% to 6% COHb level in the blood. In someone who smokes two packs a day, the level may be 6% to 10%. In a three pack-a-day smoker, COHb levels may reach 20%."

So heavy smokers get a slight headstart as some of their hemoglobin is already occupied by carbon monoxide.

 

[nico1420]

So heavy smokers get a slight headstart as some of their hemoglobin is already occupied by carbon monoxide.

Yayyyy! Finally an advantage in life, or rather the end of ir lol