By Dr. Gbonjubola Abiri

On a Friday night in Lagos, 22-year-old Tobias was having the time of his life. The music was loud, his friends were laughing and someone brought out a canister of what they called “laughing gas.” A few inhalations, they assured him, would produce a quick high, a feeling of light-headedness and a few minutes of euphoria. No needles, no tablets, no problem. It was just gas. What could possibly go wrong?

Tobias joined in. Within moments, he felt giddy, detached from his surroundings, and uncontrollably amused. Everyone was laughing. Someone recorded the moment for social media. It was fun, it was trendy and it was over almost as quickly as it began.
What Tobias did not know was that the substance he had inhaled could interfere with the very vitamin his nerves needed to function properly.
Nitrous oxide, popularly known as laughing gas, has legitimate medical uses as an anaesthetic and pain-relieving agent under controlled conditions. However, its growing recreational use, particularly among young people, is a different story. In Nigeria, concerns about its non-medical use have been raised, with reports of young people inhaling it at parties and sharing videos of their experiences online. A few months ago, I spoke about laughing gas on TikTok. Today, I believe we need to have this conversation again, not because it is fashionable, but because the risks are too serious to ignore.
The problem is that the high may be brief, but the consequences can be long lasting and devastating.
With repeated use, nitrous oxide inactivates vitamin B12, an essential nutrient that helps maintain healthy blood cells and the protective covering around our nerves. Over time, this can cause nerve damage, weakness in the arms and legs, numbness or tingling, difficulty walking, and in severe cases, paralysis. Some people develop psychiatric symptoms, including confusion, paranoia and hallucinations. Acute exposure can also cause loss of consciousness, oxygen deprivation and even death. Recovery from neurological injury may be prolonged with some damage remaining permanent.
Imagine Tobias, weeks after those carefree nights, beginning to notice tingling in his feet. He struggles to climb stairs and feels unsteady when walking. At first, he dismisses the symptoms. Perhaps he is stressed. Perhaps he needs more rest. He never connects them to the gas his friends had convinced him was harmless.
This illustrates why laughing gas misuse is so dangerous: the damage may develop quietly, long after the laughter has faded.
The name itself is misleading. Calling it “laughing gas” can make a potentially harmful substance sound harmless. However, a substance does not become safe simply because its effects are short-lived, its use is fashionable or everyone in your social circle is doing it.
Curiosity, peer pressure, the desire to belong, and the search for escape can all contribute to substance use. Understanding these influences does not excuse harmful behaviour; it helps us prevent it.
Parents, educators, health professionals and policymakers must work together to educate young people, challenge the normalisation of recreational drug use, and strengthen access to appropriate treatment and support.
If you have been using nitrous oxide, stop and seek medical advice, particularly if you experience tingling, weakness, balance problems or changes in your thinking or mood. Do not assume that taking vitamin supplements alone will reverse the damage. Early assessment matters.
Tobias story is fictional, but the danger is real. We cannot afford to wait until our young people are struggling to walk before we take this growing concern seriously.
The laughter may last minutes while the damage may last a lifetime. Laughing gas: this is not a laughing matter.

Remember there is no health without mental health.

Dr. Gbonjubola Abiri is a consultant Psychiatrist, Associate Lecture and Mental Health Advocate