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Tripping on Xenon Gas (2023)

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Re: Tripping on Xenon Gas (2023)

#51

Post by perihelions »

jkingsman wrote: post #24
perihelions wrote: post #10

[flagged]

I think this is an unnecessarily polarized admonition. Alcohol is arguably more than possibly-lethal, but many people exercise a reasonable risk calculus that allows them to enjoy it, and even enjoy it to a low level to moderate excess (on occasion), and that doesn't necessarily indicate pathological drug abuse. An unusual medically-safe (in medical contexts) anesthetic generating curiosity about recreational effects…

- "An unusual medically-safe (in medical contexts) anesthetic"

It's a heavier-than-air asphyxiant and the contexts are not medical. It takes somewhat rose-tinted glasses to assume every person abusing this anesthetic will do so safely, under professional supervision, in some expensive clinic. Or that the anesthetic spas will be competently regulated and ethical.

Inert gas asphyxiation is instant death.

Re: Tripping on Xenon Gas (2023)

#52

Post by mrob »

alan-hn wrote: post #44
digging wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It depends on your definition of psychedelic then, as I find different sources supporting either argument, but NO2 produces powerful hallucinations, euphoria, dissociation, and sometimes creativity much like typical psychedelics, but on a compressed timescale.

Many people also consider ketamine a psychedelic and the primary mechanism of action is NMDA antagonism preferring the NR2B subunit

It's common to distinguish between "psychedelics", which primarily function via serotonin receptors, and "dissociatives", which primarily function via NMDA receptors.

Re: Tripping on Xenon Gas (2023)

#53

Post by opprobium »

time0ut wrote: post #49
opprobium wrote: post #21

The Xenon episode of Hamilton's Pharmacopeia is one of the very best episodes of that series, I don't know the best way to find it on streaming currently, it was available I believe on Netflix (or maybe it was Hulu?): https://www.vicetv.com/en_us/video/xenon-the-perfect-anesthe... The full episode takes very disturbing twists and turns, worth a watch.

Not sure if this is the whole thing: https://youtu.be/dj25HO48Gxw Edit: I think this is it but have not watched https://youtu.be/ZVahys8MWLo The shorter clip is the one I was thinking about and my mind went right to it when I saw this article.

Unfortunately it's not, this is some supplementary video. The full thing is 44 minutes long and covers a lot of different angles. The ongoing story about the Czech Xenon clinic in it that he covers over a longer time period is especially crazy.

Edit: Yes the full one is that second link.

Re: Tripping on Xenon Gas (2023)

#54

Post by IsTom »

alan-hn wrote: post #27
schoen wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How does it do that without forming chemical compounds? Is it like a catalyst for another reaction or something?

Reactions don't need to happen, the magnesium ion is a single atom that interacts with the NMDA receptor to block it at specific potentials. When the postsynaptic neuron gets enough input at a synapse, there is enough change in the charge inside the cell where it allows the Mg2+ ion to be displaced from the pore to allow cations to pass through Our cells use single atoms, usually in the form of charged ions, on a reg…

But wouldn't xenon (as a noble gas) be pretty hard to ionize? Without a charge it shouldn't interact the way ions do.

Re: Tripping on Xenon Gas (2023)

#55

Post by alan-hn »

mrob wrote: post #52
alan-hn wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Many people also consider ketamine a psychedelic and the primary mechanism of action is NMDA antagonism preferring the NR2B subunit

It's common to distinguish between "psychedelics", which primarily function via serotonin receptors, and "dissociatives", which primarily function via NMDA receptors.

The term psychedelic is describing specific subjective effects rather than a mechanism of action, what you're thinking of are the classic serotonergic psychedelics which are 5ht2a agonists but ketamine and other dissociatives can be considered dissociative psychedelics

Re: Tripping on Xenon Gas (2023)

#56

Post by janalsncm »

In college I used a lot of nitrous. I got small cartridges and a “cracker” with a balloon. It was pretty euphoric.

I stopped after recording myself taking it. I was unconscious a lot longer than I remembered being, and even though I was probably never at risk of suffocating there were long periods where I didn’t see myself breathing. That was enough.

I regret the effects it may have had on my brain. It’s impossible to know the counterfactual “what if” and maybe binge drinking was worse.

Re: Tripping on Xenon Gas (2023)

#58

Post by cypherpunks01 »

opprobium wrote: post #21

The Xenon episode of Hamilton's Pharmacopeia is one of the very best episodes of that series, I don't know the best way to find it on streaming currently, it was available I believe on Netflix (or maybe it was Hulu?): https://www.vicetv.com/en_us/video/xenon-the-perfect-anesthe... The full episode takes very disturbing twists and turns, worth a watch.

From season 3, they're all great, but besides the Xenon one I also remember "Ultra LSD" and "Synthetic Toad Venom Machine" being especially great episodes.

Re: Tripping on Xenon Gas (2023)

#59

Post by alan-hn »

IsTom wrote: post #54
alan-hn wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Reactions don't need to happen, the magnesium ion is a single atom that interacts with the NMDA receptor to block it at specific potentials. When the postsynaptic neuron gets enough input at a synapse, there is enough change in the charge inside the cell where it allows the Mg2+ ion to be displaced from the pore to allow cations to pass through Our cells use single atoms, usually in the form of charged ions, on a reg…

But wouldn't xenon (as a noble gas) be pretty hard to ionize? Without a charge it shouldn't interact the way ions do.

Charge is not the only way that molecules interact

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_der_Waals_force

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