MUSCLE sprays are used by athletes to relieve cramps, but some youths in Kuala Lumpur are using the sprays to get a high and relieve stress.

The ethyl chloride sprays are easily available from any medicine shop or pharmacy for just RM17 ($7.30) for a 100ml bottle.

The chemical is called 'laughing gas' by the youth addicts because it causes a few minutes of non-stop laughing or crying when inhaled, reported Harian Metro.

The addicts are believed to be tertiary students who seek an outlet from the pressure of their studies.

They spray the liquid into a towel or piece of cloth before breathing in the fumes, which apparently causes laughing, followed by hallucinations.

At low concentrations, ethyl chloride is used as a surgical anaesthetic, said the US Environmental Protection Agency website.

But at slightly higher concentrations, it can cause respiratory failure. Neurological symptoms have been observed in human case studies in instances of ethyl chloride abuse.

For example, a 28-year-old woman who sniffed ethyl chloride off her coat sleeve daily for four months had symptoms like tremors, speech difficulties and slowed reflexes.

Ethyl chloride can also cause heart tissue to become hypersensitive and more predisposed to heart attacks.

Harian Metro interviewed an unnamed teen who said he and his college mates would use the sprays whenever they felt stressed, especially when exams were near.

He said another college friend had introduced him to the drug a few months ago.

'It's easy to get, we can buy it in the supermarket or pharmacy.

HALLUCINATIONS

'No one suspects that it can cause addiction and make us hallucinate.'

He said a 100ml bottle would run out in less than an hour if shared in a group.

He claimed that the effect of inhaling the spray is similar to glue sniffing.

He recalled a friend who started sobbing about his personal problems after inhaling the spray chemical.

'I think he couldn't control his thoughts any more,' said the teen.

The paper reported that those who abuse the inhalant drug get addicted easily and will feel uneasy until their next fix.

The muscle spray is imported from Germany and is approved by the Malaysian health ministry.