A 31-year-old woman has described how her addiction to an easy to access product left her partially paralysed. The use of nitrous oxide, or laughing gas, as a recreational drug has been on the rise since Covid, with inhalation of the chemical compound inducing momentary feelings of euphoria. However, the colloquial name of the gas belies its dangers and misuse can cause significant health impacts including lasting nerve and neurological damage, spinal degeneration and death. Cartridges of nitrous oxide , also known as “nangs”, are sold in some tobacconists and online, with legitimate uses ranging from sedation in dental and medical clinics, to filling balloons and aerating whipped cream. At the height of her addiction, 31-year-old Lu was inhaling between 1200 and 2400 small aluminium canisters of nitrous oxide a day to horrifying effect.…