What would be the effects of putting Nitrous Oxide in a drink?

[faxon]

So this question actually has a bit of back story. Monster Energy just released a new product called Nitrous Monster (comes in 3 flavors, capped 12oz can), and i just picked up 4 of them. long story short this stuff works. i was biking home (with a 99.5f fever) after i drank one while waiting for some take out, and i looked down to notice i was going 25MPH on my road bike without even trying. i have NEVER had that happen on any energy drink by itself. it usually takes about 300mg of caffeine for me to get that effect, and a monster doesnt have nearly that much. after getting back home, i feel chipper and quite energetic, much different than the usual jitters i would get from a regular energy drink. so my question is, what exactly is different about a product containing NOS that makes it such an effective energy supplement

 

[Gibsons]

I think it would be very difficult to get a significant amount of nitrous oxide dissolved into 12 oz of water. Even if you could, I don't think you'd get an outright stimulant effect.

I haven't been able to find a link that definitively states what's in it (even from the Monster website), other than this. Text

 

[Modelworks]

They could use the same process that puts CO2 into water but it wouldn't have a stimulating effect. If anything it would put you to sleep.
You are thinking of its effect on combustion and that is totally different because there it makes a larger explosion because of the added oxygen.

 

[firewolfsm]

They just say Nitrous because it sounds cool.

 

[Cogman]

http://www.energyfiend.com/200...-truth-behind-the-name

No Nos.

 

[brblx]

not to be overly corrective (it annoys me when others do it), but 'nos' iirc stands for 'nitrous oxide systems,' a manufacturer of nitrous delivery systems for cars. it's not the gas, gearheads tend to mock the young import crowd for their obession with 'nos' (apparently pronounced 'NAAAWWWWZZZZ').

anyway...

 

[ShawnD1]

When in doubt, check wikipedia. Their articles about drugs are usually quite good.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N...xide#Neuropharmacology

If wiki is to be trusted, nitrous oxide does the following:
-NMDA antagonist (this will disconnect you from reality)
-GABA agonist (cause relaxation)
-opioid agonist (kills pain? other effects?)
-"release norepinephrine into the spinal cord and inhibit pain signaling"

Then lower down:

In the United States, possession of nitrous oxide is legal under federal law and is not subject to DEA purview.[33] It is, however, regulated by the Food and Drug Administration under the Food Drug and Cosmetics Act; prosecution is possible under its "misbranding" clauses, prohibiting the sale or distribution of nitrous oxide for the purpose of human consumption.

Well that sucks.

 

[faxon]

yea i guess it's all bullshit then. kind of ironic actually, putting a relaxant in an energy drink lmao

 

[GaryJohnson]

IIRC, they use nitrogenated water in these drinks instead of carbonated water.

 

[ShawnD1]

Originally posted by: GaryJohnson
IIRC, they use nitrogenated water in these drinks instead of carbonated water.

I guess that would make sense, but it wouldn't work very well. Drinks can be carbonated because CO2 can bind to water.
CO2 + H2O --> H2CO3 (carbonic acid)

Nitrogen is inert. Its solubility in water is very low because it doesn't form anything. solubility of various gases in water
CO2 solubility - ~3.5g per kg at 0C
N2 solubility - ~0.03g per kg at 0C (CO2 is 100x more soluble than N2)

The trend continues with other gases as well. Ammonia forms NH4OH in water and its solubility is 900g/kg. Sulfur dioxide forms H2SO4 and its solubility is 225g/kg. Oxygen and helium do not react with water and their solubilities are as low as nitrogen.

 

[bobsmith1492]

So Shawn, you're saying someone should invent ammoniated soft drinks or sulfur dioxided drinks?

Hm, isn't H2S04 sulpheric acid? Tasty...

 

[spikespiegal]

Nitrous oxide in sufficient quantity, if it's allowed to displace Oxygen will have the same effect as straight nitrogen - affixiation.

Side story, but I'm one of the few people who doesn't like this stuff when going to the typical trip to the dentist. Was having a root canal done about 10 years ago, and the dentist had the N02 turned up too high.

Extremely bad experience. Felt paralyzed, unable to tell him to turn it down, and had a repetitive 5 second delay loop of reality running through my head.

 

[ShawnD1]

Originally posted by: spikespiegal
Extremely bad experience. Felt paralyzed, unable to tell him to turn it down, and had a repetitive 5 second delay loop of reality running through my head.

That would be the NMDA reaction. Other NMDA antagonists like ketamine and PCP do the same thing.

ketamine description

When Ketamine separates or dissociates the mind from the body, the brain is freed from the usual business of reacting to sensations from the body. Perception increases to fill the gap vacated by the senses and gives rise to Ketamine's more mind-expanding effects.
[...]
Users often fall into a deep trance state. Their eyes may move sightlessly from side and side, and their bodies may assume bizarre postures.

Try to tell someone about it and you're likely to mumble monosyllabic and nonsensical inanities.

Long story short, putting nitrous oxide or any other NMDA antagonist in an energy drink is a horrible idea. Your brain is virtually useless while under the influence of these drugs and it cancels out any stimulatory effects you would expect to get from an energy drink.

 

[IcePickFreak]

Please for the love of Jebus stop calling it NOS instead of N20 or just plain Nitrous, unless you are referring to a N20 kit made by NOS. It's like nails on a chalkboard, especially in the 'Highly Technical' section. Unless you're thinking about throwing the bottle, solenoids, & all in a blender and adding it to an energy drink.

 

[WildHorse]

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[Cattlegod]

It is probably Nitric Oxide, used in many pre workout mixes for vasodilation.

 

[Aluvus]

Originally posted by: faxon
i was biking home (with a 99.5f fever) after i drank one while waiting for some take out, and i looked down to notice i was going 25MPH on my road bike without even trying. i have NEVER had that happen on any energy drink by itself.

I am honestly surprised that no one else has commented on this detail.

 

[Nalyk]

Maybe he was going downhill XD

 

[mindless1]

Originally posted by: Aluvus

Originally posted by: faxon
i was biking home (with a 99.5f fever) after i drank one while waiting for some take out, and i looked down to notice i was going 25MPH on my road bike without even trying. i have NEVER had that happen on any energy drink by itself.

I am honestly surprised that no one else has commented on this detail.

Probably a combination of placebo effect and that along with caffeine, Monster Nitrous appears to have Taurine, Ginseng, B-Vitamins... I can get hopped up on amino acids and Ginseng without any caffeine at all.

Problem is the body is a careful balance, a tweaked formula may temporarily have gains but eventually you run lower on essential nutrients too expensive or too unpalatable to put in an energy drink.

The energy drinks were probably already robbing "average" day-in, day-out performance. 25 MPH isn't too hard on a road bike. Instead of an energy drink it would've been better to just take B-Vitamin supplements and maybe a Gatorade G2. Leave amino acid and plant pseudo-stimulants to competitive athletes under a doctor's supervision.

-OR- Hungry person with takeout food lets stomach do the peddling. Who likes cold food?

 

[gamephile]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned this yet, but Nitrous Oxide Systems (NOS) actually has a branded energy drink.
DrinkNOS.com

Sadly, nitrous oxide is absent from the ingredients list.

 

[Cogman]

Originally posted by: spikespiegal
Nitrous oxide in sufficient quantity, if it's allowed to displace Oxygen will have the same effect as straight nitrogen - affixiation.

Side story, but I'm one of the few people who doesn't like this stuff when going to the typical trip to the dentist. Was having a root canal done about 10 years ago, and the dentist had the N02 turned up too high.

Extremely bad experience. Felt paralyzed, unable to tell him to turn it down, and had a repetitive 5 second delay loop of reality running through my head.

That's a bad experience? I call that an awesome experience! I swear, I would be a druggie if I ever let myself play with drugs.

 

[KIAman]

Originally posted by: Cogman

Originally posted by: spikespiegal
Nitrous oxide in sufficient quantity, if it's allowed to displace Oxygen will have the same effect as straight nitrogen - affixiation.

Side story, but I'm one of the few people who doesn't like this stuff when going to the typical trip to the dentist. Was having a root canal done about 10 years ago, and the dentist had the N02 turned up too high.

Extremely bad experience. Felt paralyzed, unable to tell him to turn it down, and had a repetitive 5 second delay loop of reality running through my head.

That's a bad experience? I call that an awesome experience! I swear, I would be a druggie if I ever let myself play with drugs.

For sure, I can't think of a better way to get a legal high

As for the OP, it's all marketing BS. High octane was already used.

Next year, we'll see a new energy drink called the "Hybrid."

EDIT: Once an energy drink is called "Hybrid" I want everybody who read this thread to note my prediction and date, and help me get money out of my idea

 

[mindless1]

Originally posted by: spikespiegal
Nitrous oxide in sufficient quantity, if it's allowed to displace Oxygen will have the same effect as straight nitrogen - affixiation.

Side story, but I'm one of the few people who doesn't like this stuff when going to the typical trip to the dentist. Was having a root canal done about 10 years ago, and the dentist had the N02 turned up too high.

Extremely bad experience. Felt paralyzed, unable to tell him to turn it down, and had a repetitive 5 second delay loop of reality running through my head.

As long as the 5 second loop wasn't of the whirring burning smell, it is better to focus on something else like how high you are, how the clown got into the room, or why your pants are pulled down. :Q

BTW, root canal isn't a typical trip to the dentist.

 

[ThingyNess]

More likely than not, they're just adding some L-arginine to the mix. It's very VERY commonly used in all manner of bodybuilding supplements, and is also the most common 'active ingredient' in the various 'herbal' sexual potency formulas. It's an NO precursor, and consuming large amounts of L-arginine can stimulate NO synthesis in the body -- the most obvious effect is vasodilation, which helps blood flow to muscles, and can improve performance in physical activities. The vasodilation effect of course also mimics what happens when a person takes Viagra - allows easier blood flow into the spongy tissue in the penis, which of course can help achieve and maintain an erection. It's not rocket science, and the supplement has been on the market for years.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/arginine.html

(Of course, there is a distinction between "Nitrous" and "Nitric" oxide, but that very well may have been lost to their marketing department.)