I’ve done some wild things in my pursuit of better sex.
I’ve attended an orgasm retreat in the Californian desert. I’ve taken a notepad to a swingers’ party in the middle of London. Heck, I’ve asked complete strangers questions about their genitals that would get most people removed from a dinner party.
So, it takes a lot for me to say, ‘Umm… I think we might be taking this a little too far.’
But that’s exactly what happened last week when a friend casually revealed that she had inhaled something potentially life-threatening in pursuit of a better orgasm.
More surprising still, she’s not the only straight woman I know who’s tried it.
The substance in question is called poppers. They come in tiny bottles that are often sold under gloriously anodyne labels such as ‘leather cleaner’ or ‘room deodorizer,’ and have spent decades being synonymous with gay clubs and gay male sex.
For anyone as sheltered as I apparently was, poppers are alkyl nitrites: chemicals inhaled to produce an intense but fleeting head rush.
Within seconds, blood vessels dilate, the heart starts racing and a wave of warmth and euphoria rushes through the body. Gay friends describe feeling uninhibited and spectacularly turned on, although the effects generally disappear within a few minutes.
I’ve done some wild things in my pursuit of better sex, so it takes a lot for me to say something is too far
A friend casually revealed that she had inhaled something potentially life-threatening in pursuit of a better orgasm
Their popularity among gay men wasn’t merely about having a fabulous time on the dance floor. Poppers relax smooth muscle, including the sphincter, which can make anal sex easier and potentially less painful.
Over time, they became so closely linked to gay male sexual culture that I had never really considered what appeal they might hold for heterosexual women.
Quite a lot, apparently.
My friend claimed that one quick inhale during sex made every sensation feel more intense and sent her orgasm ‘through the roof.’
She told me the rush helped silence the endless chatter in her head and surrender to what was happening to her body. I always thought that was what martinis were for.
Plenty of women, I’m told, use poppers during anal sex for the same muscle-relaxing effect that first made them famous among gay men. Suddenly, a drug I associated with gay nightclubs has started appearing on the bedside tables of straight couples.
Naturally, as someone who has devoted far too much of her professional life to investigating how people are getting off, I needed to know more.
Could this suspicious bottle be the secret to the earth-shattering orgasm women have been promised since Samantha Jones first strutted onto our screens? Should I be taking them?
More importantly, are there any risks?
The appeal is immediately obvious. Poppers work within seconds and wear off within a few minutes, meaning there’s no hours-long psychedelic journey or awkward comedown to navigate. A quick dive into Reddit reveals countless users raving about increased sensitivity and the glorious silencing of the part of the brain still wondering whether their stomach looks fat from that angle.
For women who struggle to switch off during sex – and good lord, there are many of us – that sounds dangerously appealing.
Unfortunately, the ‘dangerously’ part is quite literal.
Poppers rapidly widen the blood vessels, which can cause a sudden drop in blood pressure accompanied by dizziness, headaches, nausea or fainting.
More serious reactions include difficulty breathing, an irregular heartbeat, dangerously low oxygen levels and seizures. The chemicals can also burn the skin and eyes – frequent use has been linked to vision damage – and swallowing the liquid can be fatal.
Plus, the FDA issued a 2021 advisory warning that ‘these products can result in serious adverse health effects, including death, when ingested or inhaled.’
Poppers are alkyl nitrites: chemicals inhaled to produce an intense but fleeting head rush
Damn it, there’s always a catch.
Then I discovered the detail that every man with a few ‘pecker issues’ needs to know before passing the bottle around.
Poppers should never be combined with Viagra, Cialis or similar erectile-dysfunction drugs. Both cause blood vessels to dilate and taking them together can send blood pressure plummeting to a dangerously low level, potentially leading to cardiac arrest or death.
Considering how many men quietly pop a little blue pill without announcing it to the person sharing their bed, that feels like a pretty enormous catch.
There’s also no guarantee that a bottle bought online contains exactly what the label claims. Recreational poppers have not been approved by the FDA as safe to inhale, and different alkyl nitrites can vary in strength and risk. They’re not being dispensed by a pharmacist or with a neatly printed list of side effects.
So, while the pros sound pretty darn amazing, the potential consequences are far less enticing.
I’m all for seeing stars during sex, but preferably not beneath the fluorescent lights of an emergency room.
