Signs of Speedball (Heroin with Cocaine) Use

Posted on September 26, 2017October 12, 2017 by dr-admin

When a person mixes heroin with cocaine, they may seem anxious, uncoordinated, stupored, and drowsy. This mixture of depressant and stimulant is referred to as a speedball. A lot of people concurrently use heroin and cocaine to counter any side-effects from either drug, but it can also result in consequences such as respiratory failure, overdose, and coma.

What Is A Speedball And Why Is It Dangerous?

A speedball refers to a mixture of depressants and stimulants; it’s a form of polysubstance abuse. A few examples of a speedballing are alprazolam with methamphetamine, alcohol with amphetamines, or the most common speedball, heroin with cocaine.

People may use heroin with cocaine for the intense rush, or to minimize the negative side-effects or “come-down.” But the reality is the effect that mixing heroin with cocaine has on the body is unpredictable, and can be fatal.

How Cocaine Works

Cocaine works by stimulating a person’s central nervous system. It causes a flush of dopamine in a their brain, and increases their heart rate. The euphoric effect makes the user feel energetic, extremely happy, and often sleepless. Cocaine also acts on the parasympathetic nervous system which is responsible for regulating a person’s fight or flight response.

How Heroin Works

Heroin, on the other hand, works by depressing the central nervous system. Once it’s in the blood stream, heroin rushes to the brain and binds to opioid receptors—these are responsible for feelings of pain and pleasure, but also affect breathing, sleeping, and heart rate. Unlike cocaine, heroin affects the sympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for the body’s rest and digestion.

Mixing Heroin With Cocaine

When cocaine and heroin are mixed, their opposite effects can create a system debacle. This is because when both the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems mentioned above, are attacked, the brain responds by sending a mixed signal of what to do. Another, perhaps more practical danger is that the effects of cocaine wear off much faster than heroin, which can easily result in respiratory failure.

Most of the time heroin and cocaine are diluted with non mood altering substances such as starch, sugar, flour, powdered milk, talcum powder, or even rat poisoning. So there isn’t always a way to tell what either drug has been cut with, thus the purity of each drug isn’t always clear. An amount that proved to be “safe” last time someone mixed heroin and cocaine, could be a fatal dose this time.

In 2015, heroin alone killed 12,989 people. That same year, cocaine killed 6,784 people. From 2010-2015, heroin and cocaine related deaths more than doubled with a combined total that escalated from 8,408 deaths in 2010 up to 21,823 deaths in 2015.

Mixing cocaine and heroin isn’t only dangerous, it’s part of a growing epidemic in the United States. Without a serious change, and the right help, a lot more lives may be lost to addiction.

Signs Of Speedball Use

Some of the signs of speedballing will be harder to point out than others, but it may help to be able to recognize the signs of heroin and cocaine abuse.

That’s because many of the side-effects of heroin and cocaine are, “associated with the abuse of either one individually,” (NIDA for Teens).

The side-effects of speedballing heroin and cocaine may include:

anxiety
high blood pressure
strong or irregular heartbeat
drowsiness
suppression of breathing
general confusion
incoherence
blurred vision
stupor
drowsiness
paranoia
mental impairment
uncontrolled and uncoordinated motor skills
risk of death from:
- stroke
- heart attack
- aneurysm
- respiratory failure

Why Mix Heroin With Cocaine?

The reasons that someone mixes heroin with cocaine can vary, but there are a lot of people who inject a mixture of the two to chase the perfect euphoria. Others may combine the heroin with cocaine to counter the drug side-effects like anxiety, depression, or even a crash.

Heroin is a mentally and physically addictive drug that can be extremely difficult to quit cold turkey. A lot of people are met with the challenge of intense mental and physical withdrawals when they finally do stop using heroin.

Everybody’s different, and there so there’s no clear-cut reason that people will mix depressants and stimulants. There are also people who use cocaine as a sort self-medication for heroin withdrawal.

Heroin withdrawal can include the following symptoms:

restlessness
severe muscle and bone pain
sleep problems
diarrhea and vomiting
cold flashes with goose bumps
uncontrollable leg movements
severe heroin cravings

(NIDA)

Treatment For Addiction To Heroin And Cocaine

Finding an evidence-based inpatient rehab center is the usually the best first step to get help for someone struggling with an addiction to heroin and/or cocaine.

Some of the unique treatment programs offered at rehab centers include:

Evalulation
Detoxification
Medication-Assisted Therapy
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Dialectical Behavior Therapy
Contingency Management
Individual and Group Therapy

Find An Addiction Treatment Program That Works

If you or someone you love is struggling with an addiction to cocaine and heroin, contact DrugRehab.org to speak to an addiction treatment specialist about how to get help. Your recovery is important to us, and your call will be completely confidential.

For More Information Related to “Signs of Speedball (Heroin with Cocaine) Use” Be Sure To Check Out These Additional Resources From DrugRehab.org:

Sources

National Institute on Drug Abuse: National Center for Health Statistics – Overdose Death Rates
National Institute on Drug Abuse – Cocaine
National Institute on Drug Abuse – Heroin
National Institute on Drug Abuse – How Effective is Drug Addiction Treatment?
NIDA for Teens – Real Teens Ask About Speedballs

The Dangers of Smoking Heroin

Posted on September 19, 2017September 20, 2017 by dr-admin

Heroin is a potent opioid drug derived from the opium poppy. It comes in several forms, including as a powder or sticky, tar-like substance called “black tar” heroin. Either of these forms can be smoked. Drug abusers smoke heroin out of pipes or inhale the vapors off of foil through a straw (“chasing the dragon”). Smoking heroin is extremely addictive and can lead to overdose and drug-induced illness and disease.

What Is Heroin?

Heroin is a derivative from morphine, another potent and addictive opioid extracted from the opium poppy. Like all opioids, heroin creates a sense of euphoria and relaxation. Also like other drugs within this class, heroin causes central nervous system depression, which is why this drug poses such a threat of overdose.

Why Do People Abuse Heroin?

Every user has their own reasons for abusing a drug, though the two most common are for self-medication and recreational use. In situations of the former, a person may be going through a tough spot in their life, or be struggling with a mental health problem, and desire to escape. Recreational users take heroin to create the intense, pleasurable states the drug produces, as well as to promote a sense of extreme relaxation.

How Do People Smoke Heroin?

Heroin is smoked in ways similar to other drugs. Some people may use a crack or meth pipe, which is most typically made from glass. Other individuals sprinkle the drug on top of tobacco or marijuana before smoking it in a bowl or joint.

Many people consider vaporizing heroin a form of smoking. Because of this, we will also discuss how people vaporize the drug. One of the most well known and pervasive is “chasing the dragon.” During this practice the user places the heroin on tin foil which is heated from below by a lighter.

As the heroin runs down the foil, and as the smoke rolls off of it, the smoke is said to resemble a dragon. To inhale it, a person may just breathe it in, but many people use straws or hollowed out pens.

Heroin drug abusers can be very inventive in their desperation. The drug may be:

Heated on top of a pop or beer can.
Heated and inhaled off the tip of a paper clip (in the case of black tar).
Smoked in a foil “tooter” (rolled up piece of foil).
Smoked from the glass that comes with a “love rose” sold at gas stations.
Vaporized in a light bulb turned vaporizer.

As you can see, many of these implements are items found around the house. Heroin is stored and transported in small plastic baggies, balloons, or tiny foil squares. Being aware of the paraphernalia used during drug abuse can make it much easier to spot an addiction.

When heroin is heated up, it will leave a resin behind. If you see a substance resembling this in odd places, such as on pop cans, paperclips, or lightbulbs, you need to be concerned.

Do not touch drug paraphernalia with your bare hands, or if at all if you can help it. Heroin is becoming increasingly cut with other drugs, some of which can be fatal if they come into contact with your skin.

Why Do People Smoke Heroin?

Heroin abuse is becoming more popular (and dangerous) than ever. Experts witness rising trends in heroin abuse in certain demographics which did not previously abuse the drug so extensively. One reason is because of heroin’s relatively cheap cost in comparison to prescription painkillers. A growing number of Americans have painkiller addictions, and when these drugs become too costly or hard to find, their habits frequently shift to heroin.

Injection drug use holds an intense stigma for some drug users, which leads many of these individuals to use heroin in other ways like smoking. These people may convince themselves that smoking the drug isn’t as harmful, or as serious of drug use. Both of these perspectives are dangerously wrong.

Does Smoking Make A Drug More Or Less Addictive?

While the delivery of a drug can change how quickly and intensely a person feels the high or “rush” associated with heroin, it does not protect you from the drug’s addictive potential. To compare, when heroin is injected directly into the vein (intravenously) these sensations peak at seven to eight seconds, whereas smoking elicits a euphoric state around ten to fifteen minutes, according to the Center for Substance Abuse Research.

Some people think that if they smoke the drug they’re protecting themselves from heroin’s addictive nature. No matter how you choose to administer a drug, whether it be by injection, snorting it, or smoking it, the cold truth is that heroin is highly addictive and deadly.

But the route of delivery does matter somewhat, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. “Heroin is extremely addictive no matter how it is administered, although routes of administration that allow it to reach the brain the fastest (i.e., injection and smoking) increase the risk of addiction.”

What Are The Dangers Of Heroin Abuse?

Smoking heroin carries all the general risks which are associated with heroin abuse. These include a high potential for tolerance, addiction, severe withdrawal, and overdose. More and more, authorities are finding heroin cut with fentanyl, carfentanil, and other deadly opioid drugs. If you smoke a drug laced with any of these, you could die virtually instantly.

Heroin can also cause:

Antisocial personality disorder
Brain damage
Depression
Miscarriage
Nausea and vomiting
Respiratory depression
Sexual dysfunction
Unplanned pregnancies

A heroin addiction can happen quickly. When this occurs finding and using the drug will take precedence over any other task or responsibility in a person’s life. Here, a person’s physical and mental health, relationships, job, schooling, and social responsibilities all become endangered.

What Are The Risks Of Smoking Heroin?

People who smoke heroin may think that they don’t face the risk of infectious disease like HIV/AIDS and hepatitis B and C, since they’re not injecting the drug. Heroin changes the way your brain functions. This impairs your judgement, reduces your inhibitions, and increases risky behaviors. Cumulatively, these things lead many people to engage in unsafe sexual practices and/or to share equipment, which can still expose them to these diseases.

Since you’re smoking the drug, the organs and tissues exposed to the substance can be harmed, which can cause lung problems. Smoking heroin can cause an extreme cough and asthma, to the point a person may need a nebulizer, as cautioned by Livestrong. They continue, noting that a hoarse voice and coughing up blood may also accompany this dangerous practice.

When heroin is heated, it produces a vapor called pyrolysate. When drug users inhale this, they may be exposing themselves to leukoencephalopathy, a debilitating disease of the brain. Though rare, for over 30 years, scientists have been aware of the link between it and “chasing the dragon.”

The pleasure found in heroin abuse fleeting. Using this drug isn’t worth the risk of losing your health and life.

Don’t Let Your Heroin Addiction Consume Your Life

If smoking heroin is a problem in your life, we can help. We can help you to find treatment options and support through our confidential assessment. Call DrugRehab.org today.

For More Information Related to “The Dangers of Smoking Heroin” Be Sure To Check Out These Additional Resources From DrugRehab.org:

Sources

Livestrong — Signs of Smoking Heroin
US National Library of Medicine — Chasing the dragon – characterizing cases of leukoencephalopathy associated with heroin inhalation in British Columbia

What Are The Most Potent Opioids In The United States?

Posted on August 22, 2017October 5, 2017 by dr-admin

The most potent opioids in the United States include carfentanil, fentanyl, heroin, hydrocodone, hydromorphone, morphine, oxycodone, oxymorphone, and a new deadly opioid combination drug called Gray Death. While most opioids are prescribed for pain relief, and contain addictive properties, some opioids are more potent than others.

It can be helpful to know which of these are the most dangerous, on the market and on the street, especially if you suspect someone close to you may be abusing these medications. Some opioids are harmful even to the touch, and taking repeated or large doses of them can result in dangerously slowed breathing, which can lead to overdose or coma.

Others may have fatal results after just one dose, particularly combination opioids. That’s why it’s so important to recognize these medications, their severity, and seek help as needed.

With street drugs, there is never a guarantee for what kind of drug you’re getting or the dosage. It’s best to get out of the vicious, harmful cycle of addiction before you experience damaging effects to your health or worse.

Potent Opioids By Name:

The following are the most potent opioids in the United States, followed by a description of each. When a drug is “potent” it is medicinally effective or has a great ability to bring about a certain result, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary.

Carfentanil

Carfentanil is an opioid analogue of fentanyl, and is “one of the most potent opioids known” according to the U.S. National Library Of Medicine. Its potency level is 10,000 times that of morphine, and 100 times that of fentanyl. Carfentanil is typically used for tranquilizing large animals, including elephants.

Combination Opioid: Gray Death

Opioid combinations tend to be more potent than singular opioids. Gray Death is a current popular and deadly combination in use right now. As Forbes explains, Gray Death “looks like concrete and is so potent that it can be risky to touch and can kill you with one dose.” It contains fentanyl, heroin, carfentanil, and U-47700, a synthetic opioid commonly called Pink—all highly potent opioids.

Fentanyl

Fentanyl is the most potent opioid used in hospitals or by doctors, according to CNN. However, much of fentanyl sold on the street is diverted from other countries, and that’s how it can become dangerous. People buying the drug may have no idea that they’re buying fentanyl and take too much without being under care of a doctor. Even a small amount of fentanyl can be lethal, as the drug can be accidentally inhaled or absorbed through the skin on contact.

Heroin

Heroin affects the brain in a way similar to prescription opioids, causing euphoria, a sense of well-being, and slowing of certain functions. Why is it potent, then? Repeated heroin abuse can cause an excess of the substance in your body, which contributes to overdose. Also, heroin may be laced with additives such as sugar or starch, or with other substances. These can clog the blood vessels that lead to other organs and create permanent damage. Heroin should always be considered potent for the simple fact that there is no guarantee of what’s in it.

Hydrocodone

Hydrocodone is potent enough that it’s prescribed for patients who will need relief from pain round-the-clock for a long time. Drug label warnings for this medication strongly advise against breaking or crushing the pill, or taking it any other way than prescribed—as this can cause overdose and death. Just taking hydrocodone as prescribed can slow or stop breathing, so abuse of it is dangerous.

Hydromorphone (Dilaudid)

Hydromorphone is more potent than morphine, but not as potent as fentanyl. It’s another opioid that is potent even to the touch. As for the effects of it, the drug can cause withdrawal even with monitored use, and can cause fatal overdose when in the wrong hands.

Morphine (Kadian, Morphabond)

With so many potent opioids out there, morphine may be considered mild in the minds of some. But it’s not to be underestimated, as it can still cause addiction, dependency, and even overdose when taken in high doses. Morphine presents even higher risk of overdose when combined with other substances, like alcohol.

Oxycodone (Oxycontin)

Oxycodone is two times as powerful as morphine, and like most opioids can cause respiratory distress. In the last couple decades, abuse of Oxycodone became quite popular as prescription rates increased. Yet abuse of this medication can be dangerous; it’s typically used for postoperative pain relief.

Oxymorphone (Opana)

Oxymorphone is often used to treat those with terminal cancer or chronic, severe pain issues. Because of this, the level of potency of the drug is high, about twice that of Oxycodone. People taking the drug as directed are advised to not stop taking it without help from a doctor. Abuse of Oxymorphone is far more risky as dosage is not regulated.

Why Are Opioids Addictive?

Opioids are addictive partly because the drugs contain chemical properties that change your perception of pain and your response to pleasure. They’re also addictive because when you take them, you experience an immediate rush of pleasurable feelings: euphoria, well-being, and calm.

This rush happens within the first few minutes, and is followed by a short-term “high,” or extended period of pleasurable feelings with minor side effects like drowsiness or slowed breathing. It’s the rush and subsequent high that gets you, makes you want to keep coming back to opioids even if you aren’t aware of it at first.

With time, you lose control; you can no longer recognize the difference between use and abuse, and will do nearly anything to seek the drug. Once you become addicted, you may form a physical dependence on the drugs, which means you’ll have withdrawal symptoms when not taking them. Withdrawal, while not always life-threatening, can be uncomfortable to the point that you want to avoid it, and so keep abusing the drugs.

Who Is Abusing Opioids In The United States?

If you’re caught in this cycle of opioid addiction, you aren’t the only one. The American Society Of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) states that, in 2015, “2 million [people] had a substance use disorder involving prescription pain relievers and 591,000 had a substance use disorder involving heroin.”

Yet few people addicted to opioids ever receive help in treatment, and that is why overdose happens more and more. Plus, if you’ve been addicted to one opioid, it’s quite likely you’ll become addicted to another if you don’t find help. The ASAM estimates that four out of five people who first abused prescription drugs later became addicted to heroin.

The number of people addicted to opioids includes youth as young as 12 years of age, though adults in the age group of 18 to 25 abuse these drugs most. Women are particularly affected by prescription opioid abuse, as they are more likely to have chronic pain, seek medication for it, receive opioid medications, and fall into abuse of them.

What Can Be Done For Opioid Addiction?

So, what can we do to reverse the harm of opioid addiction? More all the time, new treatment modalities are developed and backed by evidence to support effective outcomes. Some of the evidence-based methods we employ at our facilities include:

Counseling: family, group, and individual
Psychosocial therapy: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), and Motivational Interviewing
Adventure therapy
Wilderness therapy
Treatment specific to men
Treatment specific to women
Medication-assisted therapy
Medically-supervised detoxification
Nutritional guidance and exercise support
Mindfulness and stress management techniques
Aftercare support

In addition to great treatment methods, people struggling with opioid addiction will benefit from the excellent care, peaceful surroundings, and serene landscapes often found at private rehabs. At DrugRehab.org, we have access to all the resources you’ll need to find a rehab that is right for you, and that works to build a treatment program that best fits your individual needs.

Find Hope In Treatment Today

Are you battling abuse of one of the most potent opioids in the United States? If you are, you don’t have to fight alone. We’d like to help you overcome addiction, and rebuild your life.

When you call today, your information will be kept confidential. Learn more about opioid treatment and the best rehab centers today. Contact us at DrugRehab.org.

For More Information Related to “What Are The Most Potent Opioids In The United States?” Be Sure To Check Out These Additional Resources From DrugRehab.org:

Sources

American Society Of Addiction Medicine—Opioid Addiction: 2016 Facts And Figures
CNN—What You Need To Know About Fentanyl
Forbes—Gray Death: The Most Powerful New Opioid Combo That’s Risky Even To Touch
Merriam-Webster—Definition Of Potent
National Institute On Drug Abuse—DrugFacts: Heroin
National Institutes Of Health—Opioids And Chronic Pain
New York Times—Inside A Killer Drug Epidemic: A Look At America’s Opioid Crisis
U.S. National Library Of Medicine—Carfentanil, Hydrocodone, Hydromorphone, Morphine, Oxycodone, Oxymorphone

Heroin and Alcohol: A Deadly Combination

Posted on July 11, 2017 by dr-admin

Every day in the United States novices try heroin or alcohol for the first time and every day each of these drugs claims lives of hundreds of people. Heroin is a central nervous system (CNS) depressant that can have a major impact on a person’s breathing and thus decrease their oxygen intake.

When heroin is concurrently abused with alcohol, also a depressant, the combination can be a lot more than what was bargained for; often causing overdose, coma, and even death. It takes a deeper look at this relationship of two depressants to fully understand the severity of it.

Understanding The Dangers Of Heroin And Alcohol Abuse

Heroin is derived from morphine, but about three times stronger and includes an acetyl molecule which allows the drug to enter into the bloodstream and brain faster. One concern with heroin abuse is that it depresses the respiratory system, which basically means that it slows the breathing—oftentimes to a dangerous level. When heroin is concurrently abused with alcohol, this curbed rate of breathing becomes more likely. This can be dangerous on so many levels, but knowing what the situation can provoke can enable you to save someone’s life.

Alcohol is known for the sort of energetic feeling it creates (at least at first), but the truth is that ethyl alcohol is actually a sedative that not only slows down motor function and reaction time of the brain. It also affects the heart and breathing rate. Alcohol, like heroin, is absorbed into the bloodstream.

When drinking alcohol on a full stomach, it can take several hours (on a full stomach) to reach the brain, because it’s absorbed through the small intestine and stomach. When a person injects or snorts heroin, it’s in the bloodstream almost instantly, and makes it’s way to the brain just as rapidly—at which point it changes back into morphine.

Not only is mixing heroin and alcohol dangerous on a physical level, but also on a mental level. Heroin is among the most addictive drugs known to man, and alcohol’s well-known to cause drug dependency and addiction as well. A rehab treatment has potential to help a person with dependence and mental addiction. When heroin and alcohol are used at the same time, the double-depressant combination can cause a chain of events and complications such as:

Slowed reaction time—which makes driving dangerous
When the brain is slowed down, the lungs slow down
Lightheaded due to slow or shallow breathing and lack of oxygen
Lowers heart rate from less oxygen to the brain
Depressed brain, lung, and heart rate can put a person in a coma
Comas can lead to further brain damage, causing problems with memory and other disabilities

Signs And Symptoms Of Alcohol With Heroin

It can be difficult to determine if someone is using alcohol and heroin at the same time, because the two substances can have similar symptoms—and the tell tale signs of alcohol abuse can often cancel out the indicators of another drug. Some of the signs you may look for if you believe someone is using heroin with alcohol, are drowsiness, decreased motivation, or frequent scratching as a side-effect of opiates. Some other signs to look for in heroin use are:

Having muscle and bone pain
Complaining about chills
Frequently throwing up
Insomnia or inability to sleep
Feeling nervous

Unlike alcohol, the signs of heroin abuse may be a little harder to pinpoint. If someone is using heroin, you might not know what’s wrong with them, or why they’re acting weird. From the National Institute on Drug Abuse, “heroin gives you a feeling of well-being and happiness. It also makes you feel like the world has slowed down. People on heroin think slowly and might move slowly. Heroin makes people feel sleepy, like they’re in a dream.

Heroin makes the pupils (the black circle in the center of each eye) get very small. A person who injects (shoots up) heroin will have marks on the skin where the needle went in.”

Heroin And Alcohol Overdose Statistics

As previously mentioned, mixing alcohol with heroin can increase the chances of overdose. In the United States, “between 2000 and 2015, the rate of heroin-related overdose deaths more than quadrupled, and more than 12,989 people died in 2015” (Center for Disease Control and Prevention). Heroin use disorders usually start with abuse of prescription opioids, marijuana, and alcohol. The fact is that three out of four new heroin users report abusing prescription opioids before trying heroin.

Also in 2015, 26.9 percent of people 18 and older reported binge drinking in the past month. Why is this pertinent? Alcohol and heroin are deadly substances with potential to be even worse when mixed. It’s true and even though alcohol leads to nearly seven times the amount of deaths as heroin, when the two are combined it’s even worse.

Alcohol related deaths can include automobile accidents, alcohol poisoning, hepatitis of the liver, alcoholic cardiomyopathy, and opiate/alcohol overdose. In fact, “an estimated 88,000 people die from alcohol-related causes annually, making alcohol the fourth leading preventable cause of death in the United States. In 2014, alcohol-impaired driving fatalities accounted for 9,967 deaths” (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism).

The statistics of heroin and alcohol overdose are staggering, but there’s hope to fix this issue. There are a lot of caring professionals who understand the phases of addiction, and know how to help a person who’s struggling with substance abuse.

Detoxification And Other Treatment Programs

If you’ve established that you or someone you love has a dependency issue with heroin, alcohol, or both then you’re on the right path. Understanding that there’s a problem with drug abuse is the first step. The next step is figuring out a solution to the problem, and preparing for the road ahead. After a person stops using CNS depressants like heroin and alcohol, the withdrawals can be intense and a medical detoxification may be required. Some of the withdrawal symptoms experienced can include irritability, anxiety, depression, severe drug cravings, headaches, nausea, and seizures.

The reason a medical detoxification may be required is that the withdrawals from alcohol and opioids can actually be fatal—especially when the two are combined with one another. Detoxification can give a medical professional the adequate time needed to monitor a patient’s vitals and prepare them for behavioral therapy or whatever treatment comes next, but detox isn’t considered a full treatment. Detoxification only fixes the physical addiction.

The mental addiction from heroin and alcohol is a common ground for checking into an inpatient treatment. Behavioral therapy can be the answer to other emotional or mental disorders that often co-occur with substance use disorders and addiction. In a rehab center, substance use disorders and addictions are treated with treatment programs like medication assisted therapy, cognitive behavior therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, contingency management, group therapy, and support groups.

How To Find A Treatment That Works For You

Contact DrugRehab.org today to speak with an addiction specialist about drug or alcohol addiction. Learn more about the dangers of Heroin and Alcohol by clicking the link below.

For More Information Related to “Heroin and Alcohol: A Deadly Combination” Be Sure To Check Out These Additional Resources From DrugRehab.org:

Sources

National Institute on Drug Abuse – Heroin

Risks Associated with Snorting Heroin (Insufflation)

Posted on June 14, 2017July 14, 2017 by dr-admin

Why Are Some Drugs Snorted?

Snorting drugs, also known as insufflation, has been around for centuries. Hundreds of years ago, North American native cultures ground tobacco leaves into a fine powder called snuff in order to snort the drug instead of smoke it. Their reasoning was simple – snorting the drug caused them to feel the effects almost immediately.

The nasal passageways in your nose contain hundreds of tiny blood vessels that are close to the surface. This is one of the reasons your nose bleeds so easily compared to other areas covered with skin. When a drug is snorted, the fine powder is absorbed by these blood vessels and enter the bloodstream instantly, causing an almost immediate high.

While this immediate high may draw some individuals to insufflation, there are many dangers associated with it. Permanent damage can be caused to nasal passageways after prolonged use, as well as an increased risk of contracting bloodborne diseases such as Hepatitis C through those thin blood vessels.

Repeated insufflation will also cause nasal passageways to produce more mucous to protect blood vessels, resulting in a ‘tolerance’ effect. Increased mucous can decrease a drug’s effectiveness, which can potentially cause an individual to increase their dose to a fatal level.

What Is Heroin?

Heroin is in the classification of drugs known as opioids. It is derived from a substance known as morphine, which is harvested from the Asian opium poppy plant in a process that removes the natural sap from the seed pod of the plant.

Although the morphine concentrate is considered a natural substance, it is combined with many dangerous chemicals to produce the final product of heroin. This process, and the final product, are anything but natural.

The final heroin product can come in many varieties, including white or brown powder or a black, tar-like substance. Heroin can be introduced into the human body through various methods including smoking, injecting (shooting), or snorting (insufflation). Each method can produce a variation of the high, but all have a high risk for addiction.

Snorting vs Shooting Heroin

With the ongoing opioid epidemic that is hitting the United States right now, heroin addiction is more prevalent now than it has been in decades. Specifically speaking in terms of new heroin users, this number has doubled from 2005 to 2012. In 2010 alone there were 2,789 heroin overdoses that resulted in death, a number that has doubled since the previous decade.

With this shift in heroin users, hospitals and rehab facilities are seeing more and more suburban housewives, successful businessmen, and many young teens suffering from addiction and overdoses. There has also been a noticeable shift in the method of taking heroin, with more young adults and teens reporting snorting the drug than have in the past.

For many, the act of snorting heroin seems safer than injecting or shooting it. Widespread campaigns demonstrating the dangers of sharing needles and contracting bloodborne diseases have been partially responsible for this shift. For others, the act of injecting a drug intravenously is a big leap and snorting doesn’t fit the drug stereotype as much.

Regardless of an individual’s reasoning for shooting or snorting heroin, both methods are extremely dangerous and can result in addiction after just one dose. Snorting heroin can also cause the contraction of blood borne diseases through the thin membranes in the nose, making it just as dangerous as shooting.

Signs Of Heroin Abuse

The signs and symptoms of snorting heroin can appear immediately in an individual. Insufflation delivers the dose of heroin directly to the bloodstream through membranes in the nasal passageway causing an almost immediate high. If you suspect a loved one is high on heroin, look for the following signs:

Hallucinations
Diarrhea
Vomiting or nausea
Confusion
Low respiration (breathing) rate
Low heart rate
Constipation
Loss of consciousness

Prolonged use of heroin can be extremely hard on the body. As heroin use continues, the body will naturally build a tolerance to the drug. This tolerance can cause an increase in the dose or frequency an individually will take heroin, increasing the risks that come along with it.

Outside of the risk of fatal overdose and addiction, other long-term signs of heroin abuse include:

Infection of nasal passageways
Frequent nosebleeds
Liver and kidney failure or disease
Heart complications
Increased anger or agitation with normal stimulus
Lung infections and diseases
Collapsed veins
Inability to regulate behavior

Get Help

If you or a loved one is suffering from heroin abuse in any form, you are not alone. This is a growing epidemic in the United States that is affecting millions of people regardless of race, gender, profession, class, or culture.

Heroin is an extremely addictive drug with harsh withdrawal effects. Quitting cold turkey can be difficult and even dangerous. With heroin addiction, seeking professional help is the best answer. Call our addiction specialists today to discuss customized treatment options for yourself or your loved one.

For More Information Related to “Risks Associated with Snorting Heroin (Insufflation)” Be Sure To Check Out These Additional Resources From DrugRehab.org:

Sources

National Institute on Drug Abuse – America’s Addiction to Opioids: Heroin and Prescription Drug Abuse
PBS – Transforming Opium Poppies into Heroin
National Institute on Drug Abuse – What is Heroin?
Hindawi – The Destructive Capacity of Drug Abuse: An Overview Exploring the Harmful Potential of Drug Abuse Both to the Individual and to Society

How Do People Use Heroin?

Posted on May 30, 2017 by dr-admin

What Is Heroin?

Heroin is an opioid drug processed from morphine. In its pure form, it’s a white, bitter powder. The pure form is mainly smoked and snorted, as explained by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). Powdered heroin is commonly cut, or adulterated, with other substances. When this occurs, the color of the drug changes, taking on a brownish tint.

Heroin is also found in another form called black tar heroin. The appearance is as the name suggests, thick, dark colored and either sticky or hard. The color and form occur from the impurities which result from the manufacturing process. Due to the impurities and lesser quality, many injection drug users choose to inject black tar.

How Does Heroin Work?

Opioid drugs work on your body and brain by attaching to opioid receptors. When this occurs, you experience a pain-relieving effect. Recreational drug users seek to induce another feeling from this chemical brain stimulation.

Heroin, like other opioids, creates an intensely pleasurable state of euphoria. It can also create what is termed a rush. Heroin depresses your central nervous system (CNS). This is one reason why it’s such a dangerous drug.

What Are The Signs Of Heroin Use?

Learning the signs of heroin use can help you to identify a person in need of help.

When a person uses, they may experience:

A “rush” and sense of euphoria.
Decreased pain.
Dry mouth.
Flushed and warm skin.
Heavy limbs.
Intense drowsiness and wakefulness (being “on the nod”).
Intense itching.
Nausea and vomiting.
Slowed breathing and heart functions.

If any of these seem familiar, don’t hesitate to speak up. It can be hard to have this conversation, but by doing so, you could be saving your loved one from harm and even death.

The Risks And Dangers Of Heroin Abuse

If you’re a heroin user or know someone who is, it’s pertinent you understand the risks and dangers of abuse. This information could help to save your life.

Here are some general dangers linked to heroin abuse:

Addiction
Compromised immune system
Complications of the lungs, including pneumonia
Decreased memory and decision-making skills
Endocarditis (infection of the heart’s lining and valves)
Impaired verbal and cognitive functioning
Poor impulse control
Miscarriage
Risky sexual behaviors
Withdrawal

Heroin can cause overdose, even on the first dose. Overdose occurs because your CNS becomes severely depressed. This leads to drastically reduced heart functions, blood pressure, and breathing rates. The intensity of these factors can cause coma, permanent brain damage, and may lead to death. The CDC reports that heroin-related overdoses are on the rise. Between 2002 and 2013, they rose 286 percent.

What Ways Do People Administer Heroin And What Are The Risks?

As previously mentioned, people choose to use this drug numerous ways. In addition to the above, each route of administration has specific signs of abuse and unique risks.

Injecting Heroin Intravenously (IV)

To prepare for injection, the user liquefies and dissolves the heroin by diluting and heating, or “cooking” it. It is then loaded into the syringe. Shared needles increase the risk of transmissible diseases, including HIV/AIDS and hepatitis B and C. Injection can also cause abscesses, track marks, and other infections within certain soft tissues.

When many people think of injecting heroin, they are quick to think of intravenous (IV) drug users. This means that the drug is injected directly into the vein. Before a person can do this, they tie off their arm with a piece of rubber tubing or a belt to make their vein bulge. These individuals also inject the drug at various other locations throughout their body, including the leg, neck, feet, and even groin.

Intravenous injection allows any contaminants or cutting agents within the heroin to travel throughout the bloodstream. This can lead to:

Clogged vessels
Cellular infection or death in certain organs
An immune response which can cause arthritis and similar illnesses

According to NIDA, IV heroin abuse can cause:

Collapsed veins
Scarring
Necrotizing fasciitis (sometimes referred to as flesh-eating bacteria) causes tissue death

Heroin can also be injected into into the muscle (intramuscularly) or directly beneath the skin (subcutaneously or “skin popping”).

Smoking Heroin

Users place the heroin (typically black tar) on aluminum foil or the top of a pop can and heat it with a lighter. They then inhale the vapors with a straw or hollowed out pen. This is referred to as “chasing the dragon.”

The University of Arizona outlines the following dangers of smoking heroin:

Pulmonary (lung) function becomes compromised
An uncomfortable shortness of breath (dyspnea)
Severe and repeated asthma attacks (status asthmaticus)

Smoking heroin can also cause leukoencephalopathy, a serious disorder of the CNS’s white matter. A debilitating disease, it causes parts of your brain and spinal cord to deteriorate. This can lead to slurred speech, vision loss, paralysis, and even fatalities.

Sniffing/Snorting Heroin (Insufflation)

These methods are sometimes referred to as insufflation. To prepare, users draw the drug into lines with a razor or credit card on a hard surface like a mirror. They then use a straw, hollow pen, or rolled dollar bill to inhale it into their nasal cavity. This method is very invasive. It can cause great damage to the nose and surrounding areas, including:

Bone loss
Creating a hole in the septum (area between your nostrils)
Chronic nosebleeds
Collapsed nasal passages
Constant runny nose
Perforation (hole) in the roof or back of your mouth
Saddleback nose (a broad, flattened nose)

According to the Center for Substance Abuse Research (CESAR), sniffing the liquified version of heroin through a nasal spray bottle is called “shabanging.”

Mixing Heroin With Other Drugs

Heroin is commonly abused with cocaine (including crack). Alternately snorting lines of these drugs is called “crisscrossing.” If a user injects them both at once it is called “speedballing.” Both of these methods are highly dangerous, as heroin is a depressant and cocaine is a stimulant. Because of this, your body and brain are being simultaneously pulled in two different directions. This increases your risk of overdose and death.

As the opioid epidemic increases, heroin is increasingly used in combination with other, more potent, opioid drugs. Responsible for countless overdoses, these deadly concoctions include fentanyl and carfentanil, and as of late, the lethal mystery combination termed “grey death.”

Some individuals purposely seek out these combinations, believing that they will increase their high. Others stumble into using them, as they unknowingly purchase heroin that is cut with these drugs. By either path, these powerful opioids have left a wave of destruction and overdose deaths across our nation.

Start Living A Drug-Free Life

No matter how you abuse heroin, you’re putting yourself at risk for addiction. Is heroin taking over and ruining your loved one’s life? Or maybe you’re the one struggling. Either way, we can help. It is possible to beat a heroin addiction and find sobriety. DrugRehab.org knows how to find the best heroin rehab centers for your needs. Contact us now.

For More Information Related to “How Do People Use Heroin?” Be Sure To Check Out These Additional Resources From DrugRehab.org:

Understanding A Heroin Use Disorder

Posted on April 28, 2017July 18, 2017 by dr-admin

Because heroin is an opioid, individuals that abuse the drug have an opioid use disorder (OUD). This disorder was previously termed opioid dependence and abuse. A heroin-related OUD causes impairment and distress to the user within a period of one year. A heroin use disorder (HUD) includes patterns and behaviors which many commonly refer to as abuse and addiction.

Heroin is highly addictive and may cause coma, brain damage, and death. Heroin use and heroin-related overdose deaths are on the rise among most U.S. demographics. Fortunately, treatment exists which can help you or your loved one achieve a sober and more balanced life.

What Is Heroin?

Heroin is one of the most addictive illicit drugs known to man. Heroin is derived from morphine, a naturally occurring drug synthesized from the opium poppy. It is found in one of two ways, either as a white or slightly brown powder or in black tar form. When a person uses heroin, the drug causes an excess of dopamine to build up in the brain. The overabundance of this chemical causes the pleasurable rush and euphoric state that heroin abusers seek.

Users may abuse the drug in the following ways: intravenously (injecting), insufflation (snorting), or by smoking it. Typically, the more pure, powdered forms are snorted or smoked whereas impure heroin (black tar) can only be injected. No matter how an individual chooses to abuse this drug, you still face risks of addiction, disease, and death.

What Is The Criteria Of A Heroin Use Disorder?

The American Psychological Association (APA) defines an OUD as “a problematic pattern of opioid use leading to clinically significant impairment or distress, as manifested by at least two of the following, occurring within a 12-month period.” These criteria, as outlined by the APA include that an individual:

Takes a greater dose of heroin or continues to use for a period of time that lasts beyond what they intended.
Is not able to decrease their heroin use despite a desire or an attempt to do so.
Spends increasing amounts of time seeking or using the drug and/or recovering from ill effects associated with heroin abuse.
Experiences cravings or an intense urge to use heroin.
Persists at using heroin even though it is creating or worsening relationships or other social obligations.
Decreases or completely stops taking part in job-related, social, or recreational obligations or events due to their heroin use.
Consistently uses heroin in a way which exposes them to physical dangers.
Does not stop using the drug even though they know it is causing or worsening a physical or psychological condition.
Experiences a tolerance. Specifically, the amount of drug they previously used does not create the same effects, leading them to use more to gain the pleasurable feelings they seek.
Experiences heroin withdrawal if they suddenly stop using. A person may continue to take the drug in an attempt to avoid withdrawal symptoms.

Withdrawal symptoms may include muscle and bone aches, uncontrollable leg movements, goosebumps and chills, nausea and vomiting, insomnia, nervousness or anxiety, intense cravings, and more.

What Are Other Signs And Symptoms Of A Heroin Use Disorder?

Are you concerned that your loved one is experimenting with heroin or suffering from an HUD? Being on the look out for the following signs and symptoms can help you to identify if you loved one may be at risk for an HUD. If a person is using heroin, they may:

Have a decreased sense of pain.
Have warm and flushed skin.
Complain of a dry mouth.
Become very itchy.
Have small (pinprick) pupils.
Feel like their limbs are very heavy.
Seem to move very slowly.
Become nauseous and even vomit.
Alternate between drowsiness and wakefulness.
Have slowed thinking.
Decreased heart and breathing rates.
Have track marks on their arms from injecting the drug.
Wear long sleeves in warm weather to cover up these marks.
Steal money or objects to pay for their habit.
Withdraw from their loved ones.
Lose interest in hobbies, friends, or things they previously enjoyed.
Begin struggling at work or school or even quit or get fired/kicked out.
Become evasive or lie if you try to talk to them about the drug or their behaviors.

Heroin use requires certain equipment. Knowing what to look for can help you to spot a problem. These items may include straws or hollowed out pens (for snorting), syringes, lengths of tube or belts (to tie off with prior to injection), and/or a metal or glass pipe. Many people may keep these supplies in a kit or bag.

What Are The Risks And Dangers Of Heroin?

Addiction is one of the biggest dangers of heroin use. The American Society of Addiction Medicine estimates that of those who try heroin, 23 percent will develop an OUD. An HUD may also cause:

Financial and legal problems
Loss of job
Marriage problems
Child custody battles
Infectious diseases (HIV/AIDS, hepatitis B and C)
Scarring and infection at the injection site
Collapsed veins
Miscarriage
Irregular menstrual cycles for women
Sexual dysfunction for men
Mental health disorders (depression and antisocial personality disorder)
Heart trouble
Other organ complications and damage
Withdrawal

Other severe risks include coma, overdose, and death. Overdose can occur even on the first use. According to the CDC, since 2010 deaths related to heroin have quadrupled. To further avoid these risks, it is urgent that you or your loved one get treatment. While an HUD is a pattern over a year, some individuals might get addicted much sooner. Don’t wait, start exploring your treatment options today.

How Do You Treat A Heroin Use Disorder?

Due to the intensely addictive properties of this drug, we highly recommend medically supervised detox and inpatient drug rehab. Detoxing from heroin can be very unpleasant, painful, and even dangerous. This is why you should never attempt to do this on your own.

Certain medications or pharmacotherapies may be used during detox and/or treatment. The following medications are supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse as evidence-based practices.

Buprenorphine
Methadone
Naltrexone

These drugs treat symptoms of withdrawal and cravings and may also be used as maintenance medications. Other medications may be used to treat any co-occurring disorders.

These medications are best supported by certain behavioral therapies as part of medication-assisted treatment (MAT). This integrative method addresses a person’s physical, mental, and emotional needs in one comprehensive approach.

An individualized rehab program for an HUD may use a variety of treatment modalities, including cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavioral therapy, and motivational interviewing. A thorough program should also offer individual and/or group therapy, family therapy and support, relapse prevention, and aftercare support. Every treatment program is different. Some may also offer holistic therapies, men’s or women’s only treatment programs, adventure therapy, equine therapy, art therapy, and more.

Don’t Let Heroin Rule Your Life Any Longer

While a heroin use disorder is a serious problem, it is not un- treatable. DrugRehab.org wants you or your loved one to succeed and find a fulfilling, drug-free life. Our treatment specialists can help you find the right program that fits your individual needs. Take the first step into living a life free from heroin—contact us today.

For More Information Related to “Understanding A Heroin Use Disorder” Be Sure To Check Out These Additional Resources From DrugRehab.org:

Using Naltrexone To Treat Opioid Addiction

What is Heroin Cut With?

Utilizing Equine Therapy In Addiction Treatment

Is Buprenorphine An Opiate?

What is Methadone?

What Are The Side Effects Of Heroin Use?

The Dangers of Snorting Oxycontin (Oxycodone)

How To Detox From Heroin

Sources

The National Institute on Drug Abuse — Heroin: Research Report Series

What Helps With Heroin Withdrawal?

Posted on March 27, 2017September 15, 2017 by dr-admin

Heroin withdrawals are painful and can feel like a bad case of the flu. Such withdrawals can be worse based on the amount of a drug that a person is using and how long they have been using the drug for. Drug withdrawals are a period of time when your body is not only craving a drug, but also trying to push the last of it out; this is also known as the detoxification period. Detoxing from heroin is serious and without help can lead to relapse and/or overdose.

If you abuse drugs, then you might have experienced withdrawals—the fact is, drug abuse and withdrawals pretty much go hand in hand. Some of the drugs well known for their withdrawal symptoms are alcohol, cocaine, and heroin. Withdrawals can be anything from a headache to nausea or diarrhea. Heroin can be dangerous; because people suffering from an addiction will sometimes do things, or commit crimes that seem out of character—just to get the drug.

It isn’t only dangerous in the way of addiction, but also because of the withdrawals that come with quitting, stopping, or running out of the “fix.” During a withdrawal period, a person might seem irritable, short tempered, and dangerously hostile—this is pretty normal behavior for a person experiencing withdrawal from a drug.

What Is Heroin And How Can It Be Used?

Heroin is an extremely potent and addictive drug made from Morphine which is gathered from the Asian opium plant. In its purest form, heroin is a white or brown chalky substance which can be snorted, smoked, or injected. Heroin also comes in the form of a black substance which is usually injected—after it has been diluted with water or another fluid. A couple of other lesser known ways to use heroin is by suppository, or transdermal patch.

Heroin abuse often leads to addiction, and sometimes overdose and death. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 13,000 people died from heroin in 2015—which was a 20.6 percent increase from the previous year. Before they even have a chance to reconsider or regret a decision, heroin has people hooked both mentally and physically.

How Does Heroin Affect The Brain?

Most drugs will affect the user more than just physically, but also mentally—mental disorders and other serious conditions can arise from prolonged use of drugs like heroin. How does heroin affect the brain? According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, “Heroin enters the brain rapidly and changes back into morphine. It binds to opioid receptors on cells located in many areas of the brain, especially those involved in feelings of pain and pleasure. Opioid receptors are also located in the brainstem, which controls important processes, such as blood pressure, arousal, and breathing.”

Once a person’s brain has become used to having the substance around, they are more likely to get addicted to the drug, and then without it, they don’t feel like they can function normally. A heroin high can last for up to 4 to 6 hours, and a person might use heroin anywhere from 2 to 4 times per day in order to keep from experiencing withdrawals.

High From Heroin—Then Withdrawal

Once heroin has hijacked the opioid receptors in the brain, a person experiences the high from the drug—which is likely to be a numbing euphoria, and is often characterized at first by a tingling feeling. This feeling is followed by a clouded mental state, dry mouth, and feeling of heavy extremities. After the initial high, a person will normally slip or “nod” in and out of consciousness and partial consciousness.

As a person becomes more comfortable using heroin, the more of the drug they will need to use to achieve the same buzz as before. Then as heroin is removed or taken away, a person is likely to experience the withdrawals—which can be one of the largest factors as to why a person doesn’t seek help. They might fight it, or put off quitting drug use altogether. Heroin withdrawal “symptoms usually start within 12 hours of last usage and within 30 hours of last methadone exposure” (U.S. Library of Medicine).

Heroin Withdrawal Symptoms

The withdrawal symptoms from most drugs start out mild to moderate and even though they typically don’t start for an average of 8 hours, with heroin, they can feel sick even sooner. “With physical dependence, the body adapts to the presence of the drug and withdrawal symptoms occur if use is reduced abruptly. Withdrawal may occur within a few hours after the last time the drug is taken” (National Institute on Drug Abuse).

There are different stages of opiate withdrawal, each can depend on how long a person used and how much they used as well as other factors. Heroin and other opioid withdrawals can feel like a bad case of the flu, and the short-term and long-term symptoms of heroin withdrawal can include:

Short-Term:

Agitation
Anxiety
Muscle aches
Increased tearing
Insomnia
Runny nose
Sweating
Yawning

Long-Term:

Abdominal cramping
Diarrhea
Dilated pupils
Goose bumps
Nausea
Vomiting
(U.S. National Library of Medicine)

How Long Do Heroin Withdrawals Last?

The heroin withdrawal timeline will be longer or shorter based on the amount or length that a person repeatedly used the drug. Heroin is considered a short-acting opioid and the first withdrawal symptoms will show up 8 to 24 hours after last use and can last for 4 to10 days (this is frequently considered to be the worst of the withdrawal period). When a person tries to quit cold turkey, the symptoms can last up to like two weeks. Long-acting opioids like methadone begins 12 to 48 hours after use and can last for 10 to 20 days (National Center for Biotechnology Information – NCBI).

Though they last significantly longer, heroin withdrawals will peak (or be most intense) around 2 days since last use. This period of withdrawals is also known as detoxification.

Detoxification From Heroin

After a person decides to stop using heroin, the next step will be enduring the detoxification period. Detoxification is essentially the act of cleaning a drug out of the system. The withdrawal process is the body’s natural reaction to a system’s detox. It’s advised to take on a clean food regimen, along with lots of fluids and vitamins C and B.

As far as the professionals are concerned, “patients should drink at least 2-3 litres of water per day during withdrawal to replace fluids lost through perspiration and diarrhea.” (NCBI). Quitting heroin and facing withdrawals can be pretty terrifying and it’s not going to be easy. Let’s face it, withdrawals can be painful and unbearable, but the end result of recovery and sobriety will be worth it.

Managing Opiate And Heroin Withdrawal

Possibly one of the most important things to remember about detoxing is that professional treatment, therapy, or guidance is essential to a successful early stage of recovery. Trying to self medicate or manage your own opiate withdrawals can lead to neural damage, or even more intense withdrawals—which can lead to a relapse or substitution of another drug. Heroin withdrawals are serious and must be treated as such…

For instance, along with lots of fluids and a healthy diet, in some cases there was a need for medicine to help deal with the withdrawals from heroin; this is also known as a medication-assisted therapy. Some of the medications used for opiate treatment can include clonidine or opioid medications such as buprenorphine, methadone or codeine phosphate. There are also other over the counter medicines like ibuprofen, aspirin, pepto bismol (for nausea), and others that can be purchased at a reasonable price.

Sometimes, a person must go through a strict detoxification before starting a medication, or behavioral therapy, and these are by no means the end all for addiction—they are simply the beginning. Recovery can sometimes need daily maintenance to be successful.

Addictive Opioids Besides Heroin

Heroin is not the only opioid drug that can cause serious withdrawals. Even prescription opioid drugs can lead to an addiction and eventually painful withdrawals. “In 2014 in the US, about 435,000 people used heroin. In the same year, about 4.3 million people were nonmedical users of narcotic pain relievers. This means they were taking narcotics that were not prescribed to them. Narcotic pain relievers include:

Codeine
Heroin
Hydrocodone (Vicodin)
Hydromorphone (Dilaudid)
Methadone
Meperidine (Demerol)
Morphine
Oxycodone (Percocet or Oxycontin)”
(U.S. Library of Medicine)

How To Get Help For A Heroin And Other Opioid Addiction

Opiate addictions can come in a lot of shapes and sizes, and some are worse than others, but the fact of the matter is that all of them can cause serious withdrawals and can even lead to an untimely death. If you’re worried about a person you love and their drug use, or maybe your own drug use has gotten out of control; you might need help. We have a solution and can help you find the treatment you need—so don’t give up. Contact Us today to get the tools for a successful recovery. Heroin addiction kills thousands of people per year—you don’t have to be one of them.

For More Information Related to “What Helps With Heroin Withdrawal?” Be Sure To Check Out These Additional Resources From DrugRehab.org:

Sources

National Highway Safety Administration – Drug and Human Performance Fact Sheets
National Institute on Drug Abuse – What are the long-term effects of heroin use?
National Institute on Drug Abuse – Heroin
National Center for Biotechnology Information – Clinical Guidelines for Withdrawal Management and Treatment of Drug Dependence in Closed Settings
U.S. National Library of Medicine – Opiate and Opioid Withdrawal

What is Heroin Cut With?

Posted on March 22, 2017July 20, 2017 by dr-admin

Drug dealers use other substances like powdered milk, sugar, starch, and quinine to increase the profitability and decrease the potency of the drug they are selling. Sometimes drug dealers will also lace the drug with other mood altering substances. Heroin typically isn’t pure when purchased on the street and can sometimes be 50 percent of the actual drug. Drug dependence is highly likely after using heroin, which can be extremely dangerous, and oftentimes an overdose will lead to death.

Most people don’t realize that when they score a bag of heroin, they’re also getting a mystery substance along with it. Heroin is generally cut with one of an assortment of other substances to lower potency and increase profitability. As if the idea of snorting, injecting, or smoking heroin wasn’t bad enough, there’s a pretty good chance that you’re getting more than you bargained for.

What Is Heroin?

Heroin is a highly addictive opiate second-hand from morphine; which is gathered from the seed pod of the Asian opium plant. Heroin is considered one of the more addictive drugs known to humankind. Its also in the opiate category—the DEA labeled heroin a schedule II drug because of its “ high potential for abuse which may lead to severe psychological or physical dependence.”

Not only is it addictive, it’s also deadly—and it’s getting worse. “From 2014 to 2015, heroin overdose death rates increased by 20.6 percent, with nearly 13,000 people dying in 2015” (Center For Disease Control and Prevention). Street heroin is rarely pure, and you might be surprised by some of the other substances cut into the drug to spread it out.

What Substances Can Heroin Be Cut With?

“Highly pure heroin can be snorted or smoked and may be more appealing to new users because it eliminates the stigma associated with injection drug use” (National Institute on Drug Abuse). Heroin, in it’s purest form (a white powdery substance) is a lot stronger than it used to be, but nonetheless, the new users often prefer the high—although the majority of the stuff you find on the street has about a 50 percent purity and has been cut with another substance, which can include, but isn’t limited to:

Sucrose
Lactose
Mannitol
Caffeine
Quinone
Flour
Chalk
Talcum Powder
Starch
Nutmeg
Ajax
Zinc
Iron
Cadmium
Copper
Calcium
Ethanol

Heroin Cut With Sucrose

Not only has the drug heroin been nicknamed “brown sugar” but it can also be cut with forms sucrose such as brown sugar. So black tar heroin can be cut with brown sugar, which gives the drug a sweet smell, and sticky texture. Depending on the region, sucrose is reported to have been found in anywhere from 15 to 65 percent (and 21 percent in U.S.A.) of collected samples.

Heroin Cut With Lactose

It’s true, heroin is known to be cut with lactose as well (better known as powdered milk). Since heroin is white in it’s purest form, perhaps cutting it with lactose gives the buyer and user the impression that the drug is better. Not only is it white, but lactose is also fairly inexpensive—and will allow for a higher profit margin than some of its substitutes. In a study by the Public Health Institute, lactose was found in up to 33 percent (but only 17 percent in The United States) of heroin samples collected.

Heroin Cut With Mannitol

Mannitol is a type of sugar that’s typically used in medicine—also a diuretic that can be used in a lung analysis when testing for asthma. Mannitol is a naturally occurring sugar derived from corn starch. It is white in color and its use for cutting with heroin may be popular because of it’s color and also its powdery texture. The sugary substitute was seldomly found in different regions and even then, Mannitol could be discovered in about 38 percent of heroin samples.

Heroin Cut With Caffeine

Caffeine is a stimulant and heroin is a depressant—both drugs are addictive and though caffeine is one of the original substances used for cutting, it’s still used by both heroin and cocaine dealers. Though only found in about 7 percent of samples; perhaps caffeine isn’t as popular as the widely used quinine.

Heroin Cut With Quinine

Quinine is a natural substance used in tonic water, and also medicine. It can be used to treat malaria and other ailments (leg cramps). In its powder form, quinine bark is a brownish substance and can also be used to make homemade tonic water. Quinine is the most popular cutting agent used in The United States and was found in 68 percent of the samples collected from Washington, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, and Buffalo.

In Some Places—Heroin Is Also Cut With Minerals

In certain regions of Spain, 100 percent of heroin was found cut with minerals like iron and zinc. A large number of samples were also found with calcium, manganese, copper, and cadmium. Andalucia, Spain was one of the only places where the Public Health Institute found samples of heroin cut with minerals. Interestingly enough, the drug wasn’t cut with anything else (other than the listed minerals) in that particular region.

Is Heroin Always Cut With Other Substances?

Heroin is cut to increase the profitability of the drug and decrease the potency, the aim of the drug dealers is to make a profit on the drug—so much like cocaine, heroin is often cut to make more money. Though it isn’t always sold in a diluted state, in fact, since “opium is not cultivated in Illinois nor is heroin produced. Heroin producers in Mexico are changing their product to meet the demand for higher purity heroin that has developed in Chicago’s heroin market. A growing category of young, white, suburban heroin users in the Chicago area prefer higher purity white heroin over Mexican brown powdered or black tar heroin” (National Drug Intelligence Center).

Furthermore “…there is a public perception that illicit drugs, including heroin, are routinely ‘cut’ with other substances at each stage of distribution in which they pass. However, analysis of samples of heroin seized at importation and of street samples in the UK has shown that the differences in purity are not as large as often speculated” (Public Health Institute).

What Is The Difference Between Lacing And Cutting?

Drugs can either be “laced” or “cut” with other substances—usually to be laced means a drug mixed with another drug to imitate the original high of the original drug or to introduce a new feeling of euphoria. Cutting a drug, though it means that the drug is mixed with something else, generally just implies that the purity of the drug (heroin) has been weakened. Some of the other drugs, or stimulants that heroin can be laced with are:

Carfentanil
Tranquilizer
Arsenic
Cocaine
Angel Dust
Molly
Morphine

How Much Does Pure Heroin Cost?

The most common form of heroin coming into The United States is black tar heroin, and purity usually varies between 50 and 80 percent. “In 1999, a kilogram of 79 percent pure black tar heroin sold for $40,000 to $75,000 in Imperial County. (And) A kilogram of 50 to 65 percent pure black tar heroin sold for $80,000 to $90,000 in San Diego County” (National Intelligence Center).

The price of heroin is variable based on where the drug is purchased, and from the same source: The price of heroin shifted just one year later—in “March 2000, at $14,000 per pound; this equates to $30,800 per kilogram.”

How To Treat A Heroin Addiction

Heroin addictions can be one of the more difficult substance use disorders to treat, and frequently a detoxification, medication-assisted therapy will be necessary to get a person out of the rut. Recovery from a heroin addiction usually requires a full desire to stop, and can also require inpatient treatment and various therapies along with a fully supportive social environment.

Finding Treatment That’s Right For You

Heroin addiction is often fatal, and can lead a person to further crimes, loneliness and depression, homelessness, severe withdrawals and other undesirable circumstances. If you are sick and tired of being sick and tired, and would like to find help. Contact Us at 833-473-4227 and one of our trained professionals will help you find the treatment that you deserve. You can put a heroin addiction behind you, and we can help get you there.

For More Information Related to “What is Heroin Cut With?” Be Sure To Check Out These Additional Resources From DrugRehab.org:

Sources

Center for Disease Control and Prevention – Heroin Overdose Data
Drug Enforcement Administration – Controlled Substance Schedules
National Drug Intelligence Center – Drug Threat Assessment: Heroin
National Institute on Drug Abuse – What is Heroin and How Is It Used?
Public Health Institute – Cut: A Guide to Adulterants, Bulking Agents, and Other Contaminants Found In Illicit Drugs

Common Street Names For Illegal Drugs

Posted on March 21, 2017July 20, 2017 by dr-admin

Illegal drugs sold on the street are often marketed or discussed under different names. These code names were devised to dissuade authorities (such as parents, police officers, or others) from evidence of drug abuse. Knowing the common street names for illegal drugs can be useful to those who suspect someone they know is abusing drugs. Treatment for illegal drug abuse or addiction requires comprehensive healing plans and professional support.

Have you ever heard a drug called by a name that’s unrelated to the drug itself? Or, maybe you suspect someone you know is abusing drugs, but aren’t sure and would like to find out.

Knowing the common street names for illegal drugs can help you learn how drugs are regarded on the street—sometimes the street name hints at the drug’s intended effects. An overview of street names for drugs can also help you identify them in conversation if someone close to you is at risk of abusing them.

The best recourse for abuse of drugs, and addiction to them, is treatment. DrugRehab.org can connect you with the resources necessary to find treatment that works for you or your loved one.

Why Street Names?

In simple terms, street names were developed for common use in conversation about illegal drugs. What do you do if you don’t want authorities, parents, teachers or others to know about drug abuse? You speak in a sort of code.

Some street names may have entered mainstream vernacular (everyday language). Others are used mostly by those abusing or trafficking drugs. Either way, if you suspect someone you know is abusing illegal drugs, it can be useful to know the everyday names for them.

Common Street Names

Cocaine:

Aunt Nora
Bernice
Binge
Blow
Bump
C
Candy
Charlie
Coke
Dust
Flake
Mojo
Nose Candy
Paradise
Rock
Sneeze
Sniff
Snow
Toot
White

Crack cocaine:

24-7
Apple jacks
Badrock
Ball
Base
Beat
Candy
Chemical
Cloud
Cookies
Crack
Crumbs
Crunch and munch
Devil drug
Dice
Electric kool-aid
Fat bags
French fries
Glo
Gravel
Grit
Hail
Hard ball
Hard rock
Hotcakes
Ice cube
Jelly beans
Kryptonite
Nuggets
Paste
Piece
Prime time
Product
Raw
Rock(s)
Rockstar
Roxanne
Scrabble
Sleet
Snow coke
Sugar block
Topo (Spanish word)
Tornado
Troop

Depressants (prescription sedatives)

Barbiturates:

Barbs
Phennies
Red birds
Reds
Tooies
Yellow jackets
Yellows

Benzodiazepines:

Rohypnol (AKA Flunitrazepam):
- Circles
- Date rape drug
- Forget pill
- Forget-me pill
- La Rocha
- Lunch money
- Mexican Valium
- Mind eraser
- Pingus
- R2
- Reynolds
- Rib
- Roach
- Roach 2
- Roaches
- Roachies
- Roapies
- Rochas Dos
- Roofies
- Rope
- Rophies
- Row-shay
- Ruffies
- Trip-and-fall
- Wolfies

Other names for Benzodiazepines:
- Benzos
- Candy
- Downers
- Sleeping pills
- Tranks

Sleep medications:

Forget-me pills
Mexican valium
R2
Roche
Roofies
Roofinol
Rope
Rophies

Hallucinogens

Ketamine:

Cat Valium
Green
K
Jet
Special K
Super acid
Super C
Vitamin K

LSD:

Acid
Battery acid
Blotter
Bloomers
Blue heaven
California Sunshine
Cid
Cubes
Doses
Dots
Golden dragon
Heavenly blue
Hippie
Loony toons
Lucy in the sky with diamonds
Microdot
Pane
Purple Heart
Superman
Tab
Window pane
Yellow sunshine
Zen

Mescaline (AKA Peyote):

Buttons
Cactus
Mesc

PCP:

Angel dust
Boat
Hog
Love boat
Peace pill

Psilocybin:

Little smoke
Magic mushrooms
Purple passion
Shrooms

Ecstasy (aka MDMA):

Adam
Beans
Cadillac
California sunrise
Clarity
E
Essence
Elephants
Eve
Hug
Hug drug
Love drug
Love pill
Lover’s speed
Molly
Peace
Roll
Scooby snacks
Snowball
Uppers
X
XE
XTC

Heroin

Inhalants

Air blast
Ames
Amys
Aroma of men
Bolt
Boppers
Bullet
Bullet bolt
Buzz bomb
Discorama
Hardware
Heart-on
Hiagra-in-a-bottle
Highball
Hippie crack
Huff
Laughing gas
Locker room
Medusa
Moon gas
Oz
Pearls
Poor man’s pot
Poppers
Quicksilver
Rush snappers
Satan’s secret
Shoot the breeze
Snappers
Snotballs
Spray
Texas shoe shine
Thrust
Toilet water
Toncho
Whippets
Whiteouts

Khat:

Abyssinian tea
African salad
Catha
Chat
Kat
Oat

Kratom:

Biak-biak
Herbal speedball
Ketum
Kahuam
Ithang
Thom

Marijuana:

Astro Yurf
Bhang
Blunt
Bud(s)
Blaze
Dagga
Dope
Dry high
Ganja
Grass
Green
Hemp
Herb
Home grown
J
Joint
Mary Jane
Pot
Puff
Reefer
Roach
Sinsemilla
Skunk
Smoke
Texas tea
Trees
Weed
White widow

Hashish:

Boom, Chocolate, Gangster, Hash, Hemp

Methamphetamine

Beanies
Brown
Crank
Chalk
Chicken feed
Cinnamon
Crink
Crypto
Crystal
Fire
Get go
Glass
Go fast
Ice
Meth
Methlies quick
Mexican crack
Redneck cocaine
Speed
Tick tick
Tweak
Wash
Yellow powder

Crystal meth:

Batu, blade, cristy, crystal, crystal glass, glass, hot ice, ice, quartz, shabu, shards, stove top, Tina, ventana

Over-the-counter drugs

CCC
DXM
Poor man’s PCP
Robo
Robotripping
Skittles
Triple C

Prescription opioids (AKA Painkillers)

Codeine:

Captain Cody
Cody
Doors and fours
Lean
Loads
Pancakes and syrup
Purple drank
Schoolboy
Sizzurp

Fentanyl:

Apache
China girl
China white
Dance fever
Friend
Goodfella
Jackpot
Murder 8
Tango and Cash
TNT
Hydrocodone or Dihydrocodeinone:
Vike
Watson 387

Hydromorphone:

D
Dillies
Footballs
Juice
Smack

Meperidine:

Demmies
Pain Killer

Methadone:

Amidone
Fizzies
(Mixed with MDMA) Chocolate chip cookies

Morphine:

M
Miss Emma
Monkey
White stuff

Oxycodone:

O.C.
Oxy 80
Oxycat
Oxycet
Oxycotton
Oxy
Hillbilly heroin
Percs
Perks

Oxymorphone:

Biscuits
Blue heaven
Blues
Heavenly blues
Mrs. O
O bombs
Octagons
Stop signs

Prescription Stimulants

Amphetamine (Adderall, Benzedrine):

Bennies
Black beauties
Crosses
Hearts
LA Turnaround
Speed
Truck drivers
Uppers

Methylphenidate (Concerta, Ritalin):

Diet coke
JIF
Kiddie cocaine
Kiddie coke
MPH
Poor man’s cocaine
R-ball
Skippy
Skittles
Smarties
The Smart Drug
Vitamin R

Synthetic Drugs

Synthetic Marijuana:

K2
Spice

Synthetic stimulants (AKA Bath Salts):

Arctic blasts
Aura
Avalance or Avalanche
Bliss
Blizzard
Bloom
Blue silk
Bolivian bath
Cloud nine
Cotton cloud
Drone
Dynamite or Dynamite plus
Euphoria
Glow stick
Hurricane Charlie
Ivory snow
Ivory wave or Ivory wave ultra
Lunar wave
Mexxy
Mind change or Mino Charge
Monkey dust
Mystic
Natural energy powder
Ocean snow
Purple wave
Quicksilver
Recharge
Red dawn
Red dove
Rock on
Rocky Mountain High
Route 69
Sandman Party Powder
Scarface
Sextasy
Shock wave
Snow day
Snow leopard
Speed freak miracle
Stardust
Super coke
Tranquility
UP energizing or UP Supercharged
Vanilla Sky
White burn
White China
White dove
White lightning
White rush
White Sands
Wicked X or XX
Zoom

Treatment For Addiction To Drugs

Reading this list, you may feel a bit overwhelmed at the possibility of addiction in our nation and elsewhere. The important thing to remember is that treatment for illegal drug abuse and addiction is ever-growing.

In fact, treatment for addiction in recent decades has improved. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) states, “most people who get into and remain in treatment stop using drugs, decrease their criminal activity, and improve their occupational, social, and psychological functioning.”

Treatment works, and getting to treatment could make a vast difference in your life. Methods of treatment are changing, focusing on healing a person as a whole—mind, body, and spirit—rather than just targeting symptoms of addiction.

How To Get Help With Addiction

If you or someone you know is addicted to illegal drugs, you may be uncertain about the next step. You can find help and the treatment you need with our help. Contact us today at DrugRehab.org, and we will help you find a rehab center that fits your needs with a treatment plan that suits your specific goals.

For More Information Related to “Common Street Names For Illegal Drugs” Be Sure To Check Out These Additional Resources From DrugRehab.org:

Sources

Drug Free World—The Drug Facts
National Institute On Drug Abuse—Commonly Abused Drug Charts
National Institute On Drug Abuse—DrugFacts: Heroin

Heroin and Opioid Addiction Statistics

Posted on March 2, 2017August 24, 2017 by dr-admin

Combined, prescription opioids and heroin are responsible for more than 23,000 deaths per year, yet the number of users continues to grow. Each year over 160,000 people try heroin for the first time, and the cost heroin is at an all time low. A gram of heroin can cost as little as $100. Heroin and opioid addiction isn’t just in the streets either, and users range from the wealthy elite right down to high school students. The demographic for opioid use is growing, but wealth, status, and mental stability do not keep a person safe from addiction, overdose, or death…

Not every person who becomes addicted to heroin started by using an opioid pain medication first, or uses heroin by injecting it into their veins. A lot of people start using the drug based on the fact that it gets them high. However, a large percentage of people who get hooked on heroin, got there by previously using another drug. In fact, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, “9 out of 10 people who use heroin used at least one other drug…” And 45% of people addicted to heroin are also addicted to prescription opioid painkillers.

Heroin is a form of morphine, and comes from the Asian opium plant; it’s highly addictive, and often leads to overdose and death. Heroin can be smoked, snorted, or injected, but it can also be used as a suppository or a patch.

What Are Some Common Names For Heroin?

Heroin comes under a variety of aliases and street names. Most of the names have become popularized by the drug culture to perhaps make the drug seem cooler than it is. Some of the other lingoes used for heroin are:

Smack
Dope
Junk
H.
Black Tar
Birdie Powder
Dragon
Hero
China White
Black Pearl
Brown Sugar
Witch Hazel
Chiva
Mexican Horse
Pluto
Mud
Horse
Skunk

How Do People Become Addicted To Heroin And Opioids?

Physical addiction can be difficult to understand, especially once dire consequences arise and a person continues using a drug. Most people don’t start off addicted to a substance like heroin, in fact, by definition, addiction is something that occurs with repeated use of a substance. People become addicted to opioid drug like heroin by simply by using the drug over and over. Though in some cases, NAS might occur, wherein a baby is born with the addiction.

For a regular user and person someone suffering from addiction, what they are essentially doing is feeding the compulsion, which then leads to an obsession–and when a person decides they don’t want to use opioids, they can’t stop.

“This will be the last time I use” or “I will stop… as soon as this bag is gone!” The obsession with opioids takes over a person’s thoughts to the point where, even if they don’t want to think about drugs, it’s all they can think about. At this point of addiction, they are very likely to have withdrawals when they stop using the drug, and quitting “cold turkey” can be ineffective and dangerous.

The Heroin Epidemic

An epidemic occurs when there is a widespread disease in a community–other examples of an epidemic are the “flu epidemic” or the “typhoid fever epidemic.” Heroin use has become such a problem that it has been labeled an epidemic. Heroin use has reached an all time high and the people who are using the drug can be surprising.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention stated that, “some of the greatest increases occurred in demographic groups with historically low rates of heroin use: women, the privately insured, and people with higher incomes.” Heroin is becoming less of a “street drug.” It has made its way from the rural areas to the suburbs, and heroin can kill people from any race or stature.

How Old Is The Average Heroin User?

According to the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration: “In 2013, an estimated 169,000 individuals aged 12 or older used heroin for the first time in the past year… Among individuals aged 12 to 49 who initiated heroin use in the past 12 months, the average age at first use in 2013 was 24.5 years.” 24 years old, but that is a gross average of people between ages 12 and 49–which means that half of the people using the drug are younger than 24 and half are older. Could you picture your mom or dad, or your grandparents using heroin? Well the truth is, statistically, it’s plausible that a person over 60 years old could be using the drug.

How Many People Use Opioids?

An estimated 26.4 million and 36 million people use opioids worldwide, and a number of those people turn to heroin for its greater effect and cost. You would think that someone would have to be pretty desperate to start using heroin, right? Maybe not, a lot of the time, heroin use can start from prescription painkillers, and sometimes a person will start seeking their prescribed medicine on the street after they have expelled all of their other resources (including money, scripts, and so on). In 2013, 681,000 people over 12 years old reported heroin use.

Switching To Heroin From Prescription Opioids

On the street, prescription hydrocodone (Vicodin) can cost up to $5 dollars per pill, or $10 per pill for something like oxycodone (Oxycontin). Because of the cost of prescription painkillers, most people simply can’t afford them. Even with a prescription, opioid painkillers cost as much as 3 times more than heroin. Many people turn to heroin to simply save money, but keep the drug addiction. Heroin use is becoming way too popular, and the cost of the drug has a lot to do with it.

How Much Does Heroin Cost?

The price for heroin has been on the decline since the 80s, and the price of a gram of pure heroin was $2,690 in 1982, but nowadays can be found for $600 and less per gram. The price of street heroin, which has been “cut” and divided into less potent servings (to save dealers money), can be as low as $100 per gram. A dose of heroin is typically 5-20 milligrams, which means that if a person is regularly using heroin, they can get high off of a gram of heroin up to 200 times! It all depends on the purity of the street drug, but in essence, heroin is dangerously inexpensive and widely available to the mass public.

How Many People Die From Heroin And Opioid Overdose?

The biggest cost of heroin abuse is life, and heroin is responsible for approximately 8,200 deaths in the United States. Prescription opioids were also responsible for some deaths–and, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, “in 2015, more than 15,000 people died from overdoses involving prescription opioids.” A staggering number, but what is even more distressing is that “from 1999 to 2015, more than 183,000 people have died in the U.S. from overdoses related to prescription opioids.” Some of the most significant prescription drugs related to death are:

How To Tell If A Person Is Using Opioids

It isn’t easy to spot a drug user on the street. Let’s face it, people don’t usually start off a conversation by telling you that they have a drug problem. It sure would make things easier if they did, but a couple things to look for in a potential drug user, are: rapid weight loss or weight gain, loss of interest in hobbies, irritability, shrunken pupils, and constant exhaustion.

How To Get Treatment For Heroin And Opioid Addiction

According to a statistic by SAMHSA, “the number of people aged 12 or older who received treatment for heroin use during their most recent treatment in the past year has…risen from 277,000 people in 2002 to 526,000 people in 2013.” Some people aren’t fortunate enough to seek help, because many people suffering from an addiction don’t recognize a problem in the first place.

We are here to help, if you or a loved one is struggling with a drug addiction with heroin and other opioids. Contact Us today if you have questions about opioid addiction. Sometimes the phone can weigh a ton when you need help, but call now (1-833-473-4227) to speak to one of our caring professionals and get on the road to recovery. You don’t want to become another drug statistic…

For More Information Related to “Heroin and Opioid Addiction Statistics” Be Sure To Check Out These Additional Resources From DrugRehab.org:

Sources

Center for Disease Control and Prevention – Today’s Heroin Epidemic
Center for Disease Control and Prevention – Prescription Opioid Overdose Data
New England Journal of Medicine – Relationship between Nonmedical Prescription-Opioid Use and Heroin Use
National Institute on Drug Abuse – America’s Addiction to Opioids: Heroin and Prescription Drug Abuse
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration – Trends in Heroin Use in the United States: 2002 to 2013

Heroin Addiction And Depression

Posted on February 24, 2017March 22, 2017 by dr-admin

Mental disorders and addiction are often linked hand in hand. Sometimes it’s hard to know which occurred first. People who suffer from depression may use heroin to self medicate, but once the euphoria wears off it can leave individuals worse off, and in certain circumstances, with a greater illness to battle. Symptoms of depression can intensify when using heroin over a period of time. Within America, 15 percent of the population has suffered from depression.

Within the United States, 15 percent of the population is impacted by depression—making it the most common mental illness. Having little to no emotional sense of pleasure to form normal relationships, hobbies, and/or school or work connections—imagine if this was you. For the many individuals who contend with depression, these struggles are part of their everyday battle—one which may be worsened by heroin abuse and addiction.

Many times a mental disorder and addiction link arms, which presents a challenge when both diagnoses are severe in a person. These two separate brain disorders intermingle, greatly impacting the other, and they both need treatment. Does drug abuse create a mental illness? The specific drug may trigger a mental disorder in people who are more genetically susceptible; however, in others, it’s not the drugs that cause it, instead the substances aggravate existing symptoms.

Mental Illness And Self Medication

People who suffer from mental illness can be prone to abusing drugs as a form of self-medication. When using these drugs, the individual may feel some temporary relief from mental disorders such as depression, anxiety, stress, etc. For example, a youth may have the beginning stages of a mental disorder and so he begins abusing drugs. Suddenly, the symptoms of the disorder heighten much quicker than they originally would have, thereby increasing the drug abuse.

How Are Depression And Addiction Related?

The areas of the brain which are impacted by depression are extremely similar to the areas affected by addiction. Both addiction and depression are centered in the same behavioral areas, including those responsible for pleasure, motivation, reward, and neurovegetative functions. Research continues to examine the relationship involving the two. There is still not a clear understanding of the root cause of the mood differences which involve depression.

Many brain regions associated with addiction share a variety of symptoms with depression, and studies of patients with depression were reported as having abnormalities in these same brain areas. Though there has been contradictory reports as well, further research is still needed. There is also a high rate of suicide with heroin addicts.

Does Heroin Make Depression Worse?

The reward pathways in the brain, when they have little activation, can cause depression. For some who suffer from it, especially those who already abuse heroin, turning to drugs to create a leveled out feeling in brain may seem like an easy fix. When a drug, such as heroin, is used to treat symptoms like depression, it often leads an individual down a path worse than where they even started from. Those who are prone to one mental illness, can easy obtain two such as a co-occurring drug addiction. Many of the same pathways, chemicals in the brain, and molecules from addiction are also present in mental illness—thus linking them strongly together.

It can be far too easy to judge those who are addicted to heroin or another type of drug as doing so from weaknesses of their morals or character, however, this is not the case. An addiction is a disease of the brain, one that has the potential to worsen other disorders, such as depression, or even cause it. Some people who start off using prescription painkillers end up down the path of addiction, even progressing to heroin, even though they started off with legitimate concerns of pain.

What Is The Impact Of Addiction?

When dealing with a heroin addiction, an individual often goes through many different types of battles, such as neglecting relationships and responsibilities, random mood swings, health troubles, lying, or often buying drugs instead of paying bills, etc. These negative changes may foster addiction.

The cycle of addiction is a constant up and down—extreme pleasure and comfort, followed by the lows—which may at first make an individual just feel “normal.” However, when a person first takes heroin, the euphoria is typically unlike anything they’ve ever felt, but after awhile, the once pleasurable feelings start to level out, and again, they feel normal. Overtime, the euphoria diminishes, and eventually, the situation progresses to the point where life, and their moods, starts to feel terrible unless they have heroin. The problem which starts to develop with prolonged abuse is that an individual needs more of the drug to not just feel the euphoria, but also the normal feelings. As this occurs, a person needs more and more heroin to feel even that—this is called a tolerance.

Soon depression settles in, even after abusing the drug—and it may not matter how much is abused—a person is often unable to shake the depressed feelings. This soon turns into a cycle of a person self-medicating their own depression. To top it off, there are additional side effects associated with withdrawal as well, including depression. Quitting can be difficult for those individuals who face depression, physical withdrawal symptoms, and cravings.

Help Is Always Here

When dealing with depression or a heroin addiction, there is help available for you. Whether the heroin addiction came first and ended in depression or vise versa, we are here to support you. Facing the duality of both of these mental illnesses can be difficult to overcome, but with our assistance you can overcome these battles. Contact us today at DrugRehab.org.

For More Information Related to “Heroin Addiction And Depression” Be Sure To Check Out These Additional Resources From DrugRehab.org:

Sources

U.S. National Library of Medicine — Depression, Hopelessness, And Suicidal Intent Among Heroin Addicts
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration — Tips For Teens: The Truth About Heroin
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai — Molecular Basis Of Addiction And Depression

Consequences of Injecting Drugs

Posted on February 2, 2017 by dr-admin

Injecting drugs can lead to HIV, Hepatitis C, addiction, ligament amputation, substance abuse disorders, withdrawal, and death. These consequences are painful for loved ones, and the person using the drug. Though some drugs can be used by smoking and snorting, injection is the fastest way to get the effects of the drug is into the bloodstream. 12 million people inject drugs worldwide, some continue living with addiction and can die, but some choose the easier route, and seek treatment.

What Is Injecting Drugs?

Injecting drugs is the act of putting a drug, in liquid form, right into the bloodstream to achieve the effects of the drug–this is done using a hypodermic needle and syringe or another source of injection. The most common street drug used for injection, or “shooting up”, is heroin, which is an opioid drug derived from the Asian opium plant and converted to morphine once in the body. There are a variety of different drugs that can be injected to the bloodstream–some of these drugs used may not be commonly associated with addiction and injection.

What Drugs Can Be Injected?

A person using drugs can inject the following substances intravenously:

Heroin
Cocaine
Ketamine
PCP
Anabolic Steroids
Ecstasy
Suboxone
Amphetamines
Methamphetamines
MDMA
Cocaine and Heroin Mixture (Speedball)

Injecting drugs has a number of consequences and can cause death, HIV, Hepatitis C (HCV), amputation, drug withdrawal, and high blood pressure. Without proper treatment, a person addicted to a drug can be in serious danger. Sometimes there is nothing but intervention and professional medical treatment to keep a drug user safe.

Consequences Of Injecting Heroin

Injecting heroin can lead to a number of unwanted effects which are usually unavoidable by a person who chronically uses the drug. A chronic heroin user will become dependent on the drug, and their body and mind grow accustomed to its presence and the high associated with it.. Without the drug, a person will experience a withdrawal. Drug withdrawal can sometimes be the biggest fear of a person suffering from heroin addiction. Injecting heroin can lead to itching, collapsed veins, pneumonia, nausea, constipation, and infection. The initial high from heroin is what brings people back, but if a person becomes addicted, they don’t know how to stop even when they want to. Injecting heroin often leads to overdose, coma, and death.

Consequences Of Injecting Cocaine

The fastest way to get the effects of drug into the blood is to inject it into the bloodstream, and though cocaine is most commonly associated with snorting or smoking, there are some users who prefer to shoot it up. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, a person who regularly uses cocaine can experience “infection and death of bowel tissue from decreased blood flow; poor nutrition and weight loss from decreased appetite.” Cocaine is more likely to lead to death from overdose when paired with alcohol. Some of the withdrawal symptoms may include, but are not limited to, depression, slowed thinking, faster heart rate, and insomnia.

Consequences Of Injecting Ketamine

Ketamine is a drug used for veterinarian practice, but for humans it can lead to hallucinations and a dreamlike state. Though it can be used to get high, Ketamine or “Special K” can also be used as a “date rape” drug. As described by the NIDA, Ketamine can lead to health problems like loss of memory, problems moving, unconsciousness, ulcers, kidney problems, stomach pain, and slow breathing which can lead to death.

Consequences Of Injecting Anabolic Steroids

Along with the various consequences of injecting drugs (see: Health Related Issues Of Injecting Drugs), Anabolic Steroids, which are typically used for medicine, come with a large list of health consequences. Steroids can be used in medicine to cure disease or inflammation, but a person can also abuse them for speeding up the process of building muscle tissue. When used improperly, anabolic steroids can lead to delusion, stunted growth, heart attack, muscle development problems, or liver cancer. Steroids can also make a person overly aggressive. Along with these various health consequences, injecting steroids can cause unwanted side effects in both men and women:

Anabolic Steroids And Men

Infertility
Breast Development
Shrinking of Testicals
Male Pattern Baldness

Anabolic Steroids And Women

Enlargement of Clitoris
Excessive Growth of Body Hair
Male Pattern Baldness

Other Health Related Issues Of Injecting Drugs

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, habitual users of injecting drugs may experience other consequences of using the drug:

Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome NAS – when a baby is born with a drug addiction, he or she is forced to be hospitalized. If a mother uses heroin or other drugs during pregnancy, there is nothing keeping the baby safe from addiction to the drug.
Human Immunodeficiency Virus HIV – an incurable disease which can inhibit a body’s ability to fight infections. One of the most common causes of HIV is unprotected sex, but because HIV is transmitted through contact of blood and bodily fluids, it is often associated with sharing needles.
Hepatitis C HVC – is a virus associated with liver disease, which can lead to cirrhosis. HVC can be contracted in the same way as HIV, and therefore shared needles are a common cause.

More About Withdrawals From Injected Drugs

Usually, a person who suffers from addiction to the drug will be so afraid of the withdrawal symptoms (shakes, pain, restlessness, cold sweats, night terrors, anger.. etc.) from lack of the drug, that they will not seek help–the withdrawals from heroin can happen after a mere few hours without the drug. The severity of drug withdrawal can be so bad that it will bring people back to using–even if they say they are “going to stop.”

Amputations And Blood Infection From Injecting Drugs

A person who injects a drug is vulnerable to various other health consequences. Blood infections and bacterial infections can occur in the user from using dirty needles or from repeated injection of a drug. Sometimes when an inject-able drug is abused, it can block off the blood from the arm or leg and amputation is necessary.

In one study, by the National Institutes of Health, a drug user had been injecting a mixture of drugs into their artery near the foot, and within 24 hours, the blood had stopped flowing to the leg, and the only way to save the patient was to remove the leg. According to the same source, “the outcome after inadvertent injection depends on certain drug properties and the delay between injection and the beginning of therapy.”

How To Tell If A Person Is Injecting Drugs

A person who injects drugs is typically protective of their arms and legs. They almost always wear long sleeve shirts to cover up needle scars or “tracks”, but people can also shoot drugs into their feet, so this might not always be the case. A person who injects heroin might “nod out” frequently, or be in and out of consciousness. A person who abuses cocaine might seem completely delirious and overly hyper. A drug user might do things that seem strange, like always taking their jacket into the bathroom or not showering with the rest of the team.

A person suffering from drug addiction might be dangerously defensive when confronted about their problem, so it might be wise not to go it alone if you’re looking to confront them about their problem. If you’re thinking about doing an intervention for a loved one and have questions, contact us at Drugrehab.org .

Treatment For Drug Addiction

There are an estimated 12 million people worldwide who inject drugs and 1.6 million of those people are living with HIV. If you’re worried that you or a friend is untreatable and too far gone, you are mistaken. The kind professionals at Drugrehab.org can help you if you’re suffering from drug addiction, and though millions of people die or continue living with an addiction, there is treatment. To find out more about the Consequences From Injecting Drugs, contact us today!

Sources

National Institute on Drug Abuse – https://www.drugabuse.gov/drugs-abuse/commonly-abused-drugs-charts
National Institute on Drug Abuse – https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/heroin
National Institute on Drug Abuse – https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/anabolic-steroid-abuse/what-are-health-consequences-steroid-abuse
Gov.UK – https://www.gov.uk/guidance/people-who-inject-drugs-infection-risks-guidance-and-data
Averting HIV and Aids – https://www.avert.org/professionals/hiv-social-issues/key-affected-populations/people-inject-drugs

Signs Of A Heroin Overdose

Posted on January 6, 2017August 24, 2017 by dr-admin

The scope of heroin overdose is far reaching. In the U.S. alone, for instance, 10,500 people died of heroin overdose in the year 2014, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine. While the majority of people who experience overdose are suffering from addiction, some people may overdose with the first use. Further, many who abuse substances such as heroin may also abuse other substances. Combining substances such as alcohol with heroin can be dangerous and even fatal. Unfortunately, heroin abuse has become more widespread in the last decade. For these reasons, it is important to understand what heroin is, how it affects people and may cause overdose, and the signs of heroin overdose.

Heroin—What Is It?

Heroin is an illegal, opioid drug which is very addictive. Opioids are substances which alleviate pain and produce calming effects. Heroin gives the person abusing it a feeling of well-being and an immediate “rush” of pleasure. The drug appears in pure form as a white powder that is usually snorted, but can appear in other forms and be smoked or injected. Though the immediate effects wear off quickly, heroin may produce a number of short- and long-term adverse health effects.

What Side Effects Are Caused By Heroin?

Individuals affected by heroin abuse may experience a host of side effects and long-term health effects, including overdose. Some of the initial effects may include:

Dry mouth
Flushing of skin
Heavy feeling in limbs
Nausea
Severe itching
Vomiting

After the rush and primary side effects, the person may experience extreme drowsiness and have impaired thinking. Breathing and heart rate will also slow down for several hours, conditions which can lead to more severe problems.

Prolonged heroin abuse may also greatly impact a person’s health. As the National Institute on Drug Abuse states, “repeated heroin use changes the physical structure and physiology of the brain, creating long-term imbalances in neuronal and hormonal systems that are not easily reversed.” Continued abuse may also cause a breakdown of the brain’s white matter, resulting in changes to decision-making, changes in behavior (and the ability to control one’s behavior), and changes in response to stressors. Heroin can also cause “profound degrees of tolerance and physical dependence.” In other words, people affected by heroin abuse may develop a tolerance to its effects or may experience extreme withdrawal symptoms when not taking it.

Perhaps one of the most dangerous side effects of long-term heroin abuse is the risk of forming addiction. Addiction changes a person’s behavior to make the person seek and continue use of a substance, often regardless of the consequences or knowledge that the substance is harmful. Those affected by addiction may also experience cravings which are so severe, that they are often unable to do much else besides seek use of the drug. These urges are frequently what cause people to overdose, as people seek the drug more often, taking higher and more frequent doses, in an attempt to overcome a developed tolerance. This puts people affected by addiction at high risk of overdose.

What Are The Signs Of Heroin Overdose?

How many people are at risk of overdose? Anyone who abuses heroin may be at risk and those who overdose are at high risk of fatal outcomes. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that, “between 2000 and 2015, the rate of heroin-related overdose deaths more than quadrupled, and more than 12,989 people died in 2015.” The heroin epidemic is a disease which affects many, and the possibility of heroin abuse resulting in overdose must be recognized. Only with the proper recognition of symptoms and an appropriate diagnosis and care, can people receive the help they need for abuse or addiction.

If a person is undergoing overdose, he or she will display a number of alarming symptoms, which may include the following:

Constipation
Delirium
Discoloration in nails and skin (blue in appearance)
Discoloration in tongue
Disorientation
Extreme drowsiness
Fainting
Loss of consciousness
Low blood pressure
Muscle spasms
Slow to weak pulse
Small to extremely small pupils (pinpoint pupils)
Stomach or intestinal spasms
Slow or stopped breathing

In the most severe cases, an overdose may result in a coma, leading to death.

What To Do In Case Of Overdose

In case of overdose, it is best to seek professional medical help right away. Call emergency services, and if instructed, roll the person to the side to prevent choking (in case of vomit). It will be helpful to have the person’s name, age, (approximate) weight, what substance he or she took and the dosage, if possible. Once the person gets medical help, he or she may get blood or urine tests, help breathing, chest scans or x-rays, medications, such as Narcan; and all available care to help restore health.

Finding Treatment

Not everyone who experiences heroin overdose will be ready for treatment, but many need it. Finding an inpatient rehab center with supportive staff, varied treatment methods, including a medically-supervised detox; and individualized care may help a person greatly during the early days of recovery.

To learn more about good rehab facilities, or to speak about your questions and concerns, contact us today at DrugRehab.org.

For More Information Related to “Signs Of A Heroin Overdose” Be Sure To Check Out These Additional Resources From DrugRehab.org:

Sources

Centers For Disease Control and Prevention— Heroin
National Institute On Drug Abuse — Heroin
U.S. National Library Of Medicine — Heroin Overdose

What Are The Side Effects Of Heroin Use?

Posted on November 17, 2016March 22, 2017 by dr-admin

Heroin is an opiate drug that packs a powerful punch. A staggering 4.8 million people have used heroin at one point in their life. Between the ages of 12 and 49, the average user was 28. White or brownish in color, heroin can also be a sticky substance known as “black tar heroin.” The powdered form is commonly mixed with other drugs or even food products, including starch, sugar, or powdered milk.

Many users admit they first started abusing prescription opioids before using heroin. This is because many heroin users used to get a similar high with an opioid pain reliever, but because of the cost and the difficulty to access these drugs, they switched to heroin. The risk of overdose isn’t the only problem. Heroin users experience a far higher risk for diseases like HIV and hepatitis C.

What Does Heroin Do?

As heroin races to the brain, it transforms to morphine, which allows it to more readily and quickly bind to opioid receptors. Due to this, a person feels immediate and immense pleasure, or a “rush,” a feeling which varies depending on the amount of drug used. The euphoria of heroin use is often paired with other physical symptoms or risks, including:

Dry mouth
Flushed skin
Decreased pain
A weighted feeling in the extremities
Nausea
Vomiting
Intense itching
Miscarriage

Once the feelings that are listed above wane, a person may feel intensely sleepy and experience impaired cognitive function. Heroin then causes a person’s heart and breathing functions to slow down—sometimes to a life-threatening point. This slowed breathing, or respiratory depression, can be followed up by coma or overdose, leading to permanent brain damage, or even death.

Between 2000 and 2013 death rates due to heroin increased. This is due in part to the high purity of the heroin causing more users to have accidental overdoses. Due to this higher purity, and also the risk of other drugs being cut into the heroin, overdose is becoming more of a concern. Users that leave behind prescription opioids that had a set dosage and chemical composition may not be able to control the amount they use in a way they are accustomed to.

When someone has an overdose, they experience clammy skin, blue tinged lips and fingernails, slow and shallow breathing, convulsions, coma, and oftentimes death. If you witness any of these symptoms when heroin is present or suspected, seek medical attention immediately. Time matters.

Addiction And How Heroin Affects Your Brain

When a user repeatedly uses heroin, it actually changes the physical form of your brain, going so far as to even alter the brain’s physiology. NIDA confirms this, noting that research has shown a breaking down of the brain’s white matter. This has dangerous implications on your cognitive ability, as it may hinder a person’s capability of making a decision, managing their behavior, or reacting to stress.

Heroin is highly addictive and creates an intense physical dependence. When increasing amounts of the drug are needed to get the same effects, a tolerance then comes into play. With repetitive heroin use, this results in addiction. In whatever way a user puts it into their system, this drug quickly does its work to hook the user. Once addicted, the primary goal in the user’s life is to find another fix.

An addiction is also evident if a person goes into withdrawal. As the body adjusts to the drug, withdrawal symptoms happen if the usage is cut back abruptly. Some withdrawal symptoms include:

Muscle and bone pain
Restlessness and agitation
Anxiety
Diarrhea
Insomnia
Vomiting
Cold flashes with goose bumps
Sweating
Runny nose and eyes
Yawning
Leg movements

Intense withdrawal symptoms peak between 24-48 hours, and typically tone down after a week. Some users have withdrawal signs for several months. We highly recommend that you never seek to do this on your own, instead look to a program that offers a medical detox to help you safely ease these uncomfortable symptoms.

Complications Of Chronic Heroin Use

Chronic heroin users may encounter numerous medical issues, ranging from minor to serious. On the minor end, a person may find that they have trouble sleeping or using the bathroom (constipation). As a result of poor health and the respiratory depression, various lung complications come into play, including pneumonia and tuberculosis. Heroin may alter your hormonal balance. A man will often go through sexual dysfunction, while a woman’s menstrual cycle will many times become irregular. For those who snort heroin, this can damage the delicate mucosal tissues in the nose or create a hole in the septum (the tissue that separates the nasal passages).

As with most drug abuse, your brain is vastly impacted, especially your mental and emotional state. Mental disorders might flare up, specifically, as the National Institute on Drug Abuse notes, depression or antisocial personality disorder. If a person has a preexisting mental health disorder, drug use can exacerbate this or even set the stage for new ones.

Injection drug users face specific risks. Repeated injections can damage a user’s circulatory system, causing scarring or collapsed veins, vascular bacterial infections that may permeate the heart valves, and abscesses or infection of other soft-tissues.

As we’ve noted above, heroin often contains additives, which may not dissolve properly. This can clog the blood vessels which lead to critical organ systems, such as your liver, kidneys, lungs, or brain. As a result, certain cellular regions within these organs may become infected or even die. Chronic heroin use takes its toll on your immune system, specifically that your body harshly reacts to these additional substances in the heroin, which can cause rheumatologic complications, including arthritis.

Risk Of Infectious Disease

The risk of HIV, viral hepatitis, and other infectious agents skyrocket when someone is using heroin. When people inject drugs, they don’t always use clean needles. When sharing injection equipment, especially syringes, severe consequences can take place. These users are at a greater risk of contracting HIV, hepatitis C and B, with the later accounting for 20% of total infections in the United States. This is even more frightening when you consider an abuser of heroin can pass HIV over to their sexual partner or even their child at birth.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse offers a sobering fact, “Injection drug users (IDUs) are the highest-risk group for acquiring hepatitis C (HCV) infection and continue to drive the escalating HCV epidemic.” Those who inject may continue to spread the HCV epidemic, NIDA elaborates, stating that “Each IDU infected with HCV is likely to infect 20 other people.” NIDA continues to tell us that in 2010, 53% of new HCV infections were among injection drug users.

It is important to remember that these risks exist for individuals that choose to administer heroin in other ways. Even individuals that smoke or snort the drug experience a greater risk of contracting these diseases. When using heroin, many users will engage in unsafe sexual practices, exposing them to these diseases still. Further compounding this problem, is that people that are addicted to heroin may trade sex for money or drugs, thus increasing their risk even more.

Getting Treatment

The National Institute on Drug Abuse recognizes that treating the many demands of a heroin addiction can be a complicated process, asserting that “Drug use, viral hepatitis and other infectious diseases, mental illnesses, social dysfunctions, and stigma are often co-occurring conditions that affect one another, creating more complex health challenges that require comprehensive treatment plans tailored to meet all of a patient’s needs.”

Despite this, treatment is possible. Severe addictions, as are consistent with heroin, typically require inpatient drug rehab. Within this residential setting you will likely encounter a medical detox, supported by medication-assisted treatments. These medications may either be Suboxone or methadone. Various therapeutic methods may assist you in overcoming your drug use and building better coping skills. Cognitive behavioral therapy and dialectical behavioral therapy are two such examples. Being that many heroin users may experience mental health disorders, treatment for co-occurring disorders may also be integrated. Beyond this, you may receive extensive guidance in relapse prevention, which is critical for heroin users.

Find A Better Path Today

If you or a loved one is suffering from the side effects of heroin use, contact us today for even more vital information. Prevention, knowledge, and understanding is needed to help prevent the spread of these diseases and health risks. DrugRehab.org can help you find a better direction. Contact us today.

For More Information Related to “What Are The Side Effects Of Heroin Use?” Be Sure To Check Out These Additional Resources From DrugRehab.org:

Sources
MedlinePlus — Opiate and opioid withdrawal
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration — Opioids
National Institute on Drug Abuse — What are the immediate (short-term) effects of heroin use?
National Institute on Drug Abuse — What are the long-term effects of heroin use?
National Institute on Drug Abuse — What are the medical complications of chronic heroin use?