Author: Charles Frank

Heroin: Effects, Addiction & Treatment Options

However, the right treatment center can alleviate stress and place the focus on getting better. A rehab facility that provides holistic care covering all aspects of a person’s well-being is likely the answer. Those experiencing addiction usually want to be off to themselves a lot of the time. They may simply be trying to hide certain behaviors or physical changes from others. Alternatively, they may also feel sadness, fear, embarrassment, or anger over their situation.

The U.S. opioid overdose death rate rose nearly 400% between 2010 and 2017. Some of these deaths happen because heroin is laced with other drugs, such as the powerful painkiller fentanyl. Fentanyl has become one of the leading contributors to overdose deaths in the U.S. The information on this site should not be used as a substitute for professional medical care or advice. Contact a health care provider if you have questions about your health.

It can look like a white or brown powder, or a sticky black “tar.” It’s also called horse, smack, junk, and brown sugar, among other names. This happens when a person uses so much heroin that it causes a life-threatening reaction or death. All heroin users are at risk of an overdose because they never know the actual strength of the drug they are taking or what may have been added to it. And people often use heroin along with other drugs or alcohol. Repeated use of heroin often leads to heroin use disorder, sometimes called addiction. When someone has it, they continue to use heroin even though it causes problems in their life.

Right after you take heroin, you get a rush of good feelings and happiness. Then, for several hours, you feel as if the world has slowed down. No matter how you take it, heroin gets to your brain quickly. Even after you use it just one or two times, it can be hard to stop yourself from using again.

Heroin Overdose

If naloxone is available, you can administer it yourself to someone who is overdosing. Often, heroin addicts will share needles, which can lead to infection with dangerous germs like hepatitis B, hepatitis C, or HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. The number of people in the United States who use heroin has risen steadily since 2007.

They may also have severe itching, nausea, and vomiting. After these first effects, they will usually be drowsy for several hours, and their breathing will slow down. People who are under the influence of addictive substances like heroin don’t always make the best decisions.

These are just a few of the short and long-term smack drug effects that can occur. Anytime you suspect a possible issue with substance abuse, it’s worth your while to investigate the matter further. The chronic use of heroin will eventually change the structure and functioning of the brain, leading to tolerance and dependence.

Smack, crack, and score: two decades of NIDA-funded drugs and crime research at NDRI 1974-1994

Oral ingestion does not usually lead to a “rush”, but use in suppository form may have intense euphoric effects. Heroin provides a burst or rush of good feelings, and users feel “high” and relaxed. Someone who’s overdosing may need more than one dose of naloxone or further medical care. After you give them a dose of naloxone, call 911 or get them to the ER right away. Beginning to walk the path toward recovery can be one of the most frightening experiences that a person may go through.

These feelings of paranoia may include the delusion that someone is constantly out to get him. Signs of an opioid overdose include extreme drowsiness, blue lips and fingernails, slow or halted breathing, pinpoint pupils, slow heart rate, coma, death. It’s reported that over 50 million people worldwide use heroin, cocaine, and other synthetic drugs on a usual basis. In 2011, 4.2 million Americans over the age of 12 reported having used heroin at least once in their lifetime, which is 1.6% of the population. Additionally, it has been estimated that approximately 23% of individuals who have used heroin have become dependent upon it. Taking an overdose of heroin can cause a person to stop breathing and die.

1. And then they may feel other effects, such as a warm flushing of the skin, dry mouth, and a heavy feeling in the arms and legs.
2. Read the directions on administering the naloxone before an emergency occurs.
3. Drug treatments for detoxification and long-term maintenance are most effective when combined with a medication compliance program and behavioral or “talk” therapy.
4. There are thousands of substance abuse facilities in the US to access treatment for opioid use disorder.
5. It exhibits euphoric (“rush”), anti-anxiety and pain-relieving properties.

Medications can make it easier to wean your body off heroin and reduce cravings. Buprenorphine and methadone work in a similar way to heroin, binding to cells in your brain called opioid receptors. These medicines are safer and longer-lasting than heroin. Naltrexone blocks those receptors so opioids like heroin don’t have any effect.

Data sources include Micromedex (updated 3 Mar 2024), Cerner Multum™ (updated 4 Mar 2024), ASHP (updated 12 Feb 2024) and others. Drug treatments for detoxification and long-term maintenance are most effective when combined with a medication compliance program and behavioral or “talk” therapy. These medications can relieve opioid cravings without producing the “high” or dangerous side effects of other opioids. While either one can be used individually, the risk for relapse is high when used alone.

What Else Is Heroin Called?

Heroin is classified as a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act of 1970, carries stiff criminal penalties, and has no acceptable medical use in the U.S. In Nov. 2020, the state of Oregon voted in Measure 110 to decriminalize use of all drugs, including heroin. The sale of drugs such as heroin or cocaine will still be illegal. Many people start using heroin to deal with anxiety, worries, and other stressors. One study found that 75% of users had mental health issues such as depression, ADHD, or bipolar disorder. When people overdose on heroin, their heart rate and breathing slow down.

Signs and symptoms of heroin addiction

This means he may not be aware of his surroundings at any given time. He also may even think he is in a completely different time or place. Chronic injectors may develop collapsed veins, infection of the heart lining and valves, abscesses, and liver or kidney disease. Heroin poses special problems because of the transmission of HIV and other diseases that can occur from sharing needles or other injection equipment. For use in the community, naloxone comes as a nasal spray (Narcan Nasal).

Heroin overdose is a medical emergency that requires treatment with naloxone. Call 911 for an emergency transport in the US and Canada. Other effects can include respiratory depression, constricted (“pinpoint”) pupils and nausea. Effects of overdose may include slow and shallow breathing, hypotension, blue lips and nails, muscle spasms, convulsions, coma, and possible death. Heroin is a very addictive drug and many people find it extremely difficult to stop using it — even after using it for just the first or second time. People who use heroin over the long term may develop many different health problems.

This is because this drug can negatively impact the part of the brain responsible for judgment. As a result, he may regularly engage in dangerous or self-injurious actions. Lung problems, including various types of pneumonia, may result from the poor health of the user as well as from heroin’s depressing effects on respiration. All three methods of administering Heroin can lead to addiction and other severe health problems. Relapse, which is the continued use of opioids after opioid withdrawal, is a serious event. Relapse can occur in up to 90% of patients within the first 2 months unless treated with medications for maintenance, like MAT.