Suggest Treatment For Addiction To Sawdust

Posted on Fri, 20 Feb 2015

Question: Hello, I am looking for help due to an embarassing problem/addiction. I recently was in a carpentry warehouse, and noticed that sawdust smelled really good. Basically, to make a long story short, I progressed from just sniffing it, to basically snorting it and sometimes eating it. I would say I do this 3-4 times a day, probably using a few minutes each time. I know that I have developed at least a psychological addiction to this, but I need to know if this is seriously harming me. I cannot notice any real side effects, besides initial sneezing/nose running (and then I seem to "blow" all the sawdust out on the tissue paper). I've tried to stop, because I assume it is probably not a good idea, but I don't feel I can, as it has turned into a full blown addiction where I get very relaxed and calm from doing it. Can you please inform me of any risks or dangers of this activity? Thank you.

Answered by Dr. Shubham Mehta (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
It can cause breathing problems on long term.

Detailed Answer:
Hello
Welcome to HCM.
I can understand your concerns.

Snorting/sniffing saw dust can affect your lungs on long term as some particle may travel down your nasal passage to lungs. The dust particles settle down in lungs and thus affecting its elasticity. This can result in breathing problems on long term.

Also, saw-dust dust is claimed to cause naso-pharyngeal cancers on long term.

Eating saw-dust can cause abdominal pains and dyspepsia as the dust particles get stick to intestinal linings.

Because its just a psychological dependence, the only treatment for this could be to control you desire to snort. You can wear a mask while working to lessen the smell. You should try to wean off it slowly.

Hope this answers your query satisfactorily.

Feel free to ask further.

Kindly close the discussion if you have no more queries.

Thanks.
Dr. Shubham Mehta, MD.

Note: For further guidance on mental health, Click here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar