carbogen
car·bo·gen
(kar'bō-jen),carbogen
An inhalant of O2 and CO2. Meduna’s original formulation called for 30% CO2 and 70% O2, but the term has been genericised and now refers to any CO2 concentration from 1.5% to 50%. The brain responds to increased CO by increasing breathing and heart rates.Fringe psychiatry
Carbogen was used in psychedelic therapy in combination with LSD, psilocybin, DMT and 2C-B to ensure a smoother, more profound experience; hallucinogenic psychotherapy remains outside of mainstream medicine.
Oncology
The carbogen used in oncology is a mixture of 95% O2 and 5% CO2 and inhaled as a therapeutic adjunct, based on the premise that because tumours thrive in hypoxic conditions, increasing tumour oxygenation during radiotherapy or chemotherapy should increase tumour susceptibility to the therapy. It is considered investigational and is not reimbursed by BlueCross and BlueShield.
Psychiatric history
Meduna used carbogen to assess whether to manage patients with psychotherapeutics; those who reacted poorly to the altered state of consciousness induced by carbogen were de-selected for psychotherapeutic drugs, given the concern that they might evoke a similar response.