This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

Snorting Smarties Isn't Addictive– It Isn't Harmless, Either

Snorting Smarties is about the same as inhaling sugar with a few irritants. Children have been crushing the candy and inhaling the powder for a while to imitate the act of snorting cocaine or heroin. Snorting Smarties doesn’t give a true “high” and it is not addictive. However, it can cause nasal infections, bleeding and scarring, allergic reactions and even the development of a nest of maggots in the nostrils or sinuses.

Infections and inflammatory reactions probably come from sugar-coating the lining of the nasal passages, sinuses and lungs. This can trigger wheezing or bronchospasm, which are particularly dangerous for kids with asthma or reactive airways.

Sharp pieces can injure the nasal lining and sinuses and nasal passages can trap small particles of the crushed candy—the perfect set-up for a nasty infection. Children may even develop dangerous allergic reactions (anaphylaxis) to the powder. This can lead to life-threatening swelling of the tongue and the upper airway.

Find out what's happening in Five Townswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Watch for Smarties Problems

Children who snort Smarties seem to want to mimic illicit drug use. Parents should know that this behavior could be part of a emotional or psychiatric issue to discuss with a pediatrician.

Although kids have been doing this for quite a while, parents and teachers need to stress the dangers of it. Over time, repeated inhalation can put children at serious risk for respiratory infections (including a chronic cough) from the powder’s irritating effects.

Find out what's happening in Five Townswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Nasal maggots are a rare potential complication that may result from development of atrophic rhinitis. Atrophic rhinitis is a chronic condition that happens after the lining of the nose and underlying bone of the turbinate (curved sections within nasal passages) break down or atrophy. It leads to foul-smelling secretions that crust in the nasal passages and cavity. Maggots can then infest the nasal passages, and patients won’t even know it because they’ve lost sensation there. This maggot infestation requires endoscopic removal, followed by copious flushing-out of nasal passages with special chemicals and antibiotics. No child wants to go through that.

This post was written by Robert Glatter, MD, emergency medicine physician at Lenox Hill Hospital.

For more North Shore-LIJ Health Blog posts, go to http://blog.northshorelij.com/ 

Contents of the health blog are the property of North Shore-LIJ Health System and are provided as a health resource for consumers, health care professionals and members of the media. The medical content on the North Shore-LIJ Health Blog is for informational purposes only and should not be considered a substitute for consultation with your physician regarding diagnosis, treatment or any other form of specific medical advice. These materials may be reprinted for noncommercial personal use only. "North Shore-LIJ Health System," "North Shore-LIJ," "northshorelij.com," "VivoHealth," their related entities and logos are trademarks of the North Shore-LIJ Health System. Copyright © 2011 North Shore-LIJ Health System. All rights reserved.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?