Heroin Addiction: Signs & Treatments

Heroin users can also develop liver, kidney and lung disease and arthritis and other musculoskeletal diseases. Because most heroin users inject the drug intravenously, they are also at a higher risk of contracting bloodborne infectious diseases such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIV/AIDS. Effects can also increase if heroin is taken with other drugs.

How to get support

To achieve long-term recovery, people also need to address the underlying reasons for their addiction and the mental devastation that it can cause. Heroin is a highly addictive drug that can quickly lead to dependence. While it is unlikely that you will become addicted to heroin after using it just once, that first experience can be the start of a compulsive cycle that quickly leads to addiction. Heroin addiction impacts people from all backgrounds and walks of life; it can affect you, your friends, your family members and your loved ones. If you want to support those you care about when they need it the most, it’s important to understand the dangers surrounding this drug and the types of life-saving treatment available. The dangers of heroin use range from behavioral changes to health risks.

Body went undiscovered for weeks

When an addict is snorting or smoking heroin, there are certain physical symptoms that will manifest. Someone who is smoking heroin will have sores on their nostrils or lips because they have burned and then irritated the skin in those areas. If a person has been snorting heroin, they will quite often get a lot of nosebleeds. For those who inject, they will have needle marks somewhere on their arms or legs which will be small bruises or little dots. If the heroin addict in your life is smart enough, they will never let you see this side in them. If you do happen to notice a sequence of euphoria, followed by incoherence, this is an obvious sign of heroin use.

• At the time, morphine was the latest and greatest cough-suppressing medicine for people with asthma.
• Prescription opioid abuse often starts about two years before a person turns to heroin.
• Some studies suggest gabapentin can help treat some anxiety disorders.
• If you or someone you know is living with addiction, you may feel overwhelmed and out of control.
• Though it may be difficult, having a conversation about heroin addiction can potentially be lifesaving.

Long-term effects

Generally speaking, the detection window tends to be shorter if you inject heroin than if you snort or smoke it. Detection windows also tend to be shorter if you use heroin infrequently, compared with chronic or frequent use. Injection is one of the most common methods, but you have to dissolve the product before drawing it up into a syringe. Depending on the type of heroin, you may need to heat it to dissolve it.

The best way to prevent an addiction to a drug is not to take the drug at all. If your health care provider prescribes a drug with the potential for addiction, use care when taking the drug and follow instructions. Examples include methylenedioxymethamphetamine, also called MDMA, ecstasy or molly, and gamma-hydroxybutyric acid, known as GHB. Other examples include ketamine and flunitrazepam or Rohypnol — a brand used outside the U.S. — also called roofie. These drugs are not all in the same category, but they share some similar effects and dangers, including long-term harmful effects. The risk of addiction and how fast you become addicted varies by drug.

Skin picking is something a heroin addict will do when they’re high or withdrawing. Heroin withdrawal causes anxiety and restlessness which can cause self-mutilation. They will often feel as though they are crawling out of their skin. When a person starts to become addicted to heroin, signs and symptoms often start to emerge.

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This is because heroin lowers your blood pressure and heart rate. Skin doesn’t receive the maximum amount of blood supply it should so instead of it looking radiant, it will appear yellow and aged. The new heroin user will quickly start spending a great deal of money. They will probably ask to borrow money from you or start selling their things. If you are not in a life-threatening situation, you can call a heroin hotline or helpline when you are ready to start your journey to recovery.

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• After someone injects or snorts heroin, they typically experience an initial euphoric rush that may be accompanied by nausea and vomiting and flushing of the skin.
• Even so, the immediate and long-term effects of heroin are often apparent to the bystander.
• Gabapentin has been reported to be used by patients in substance use disorder treatment programs, as it is not typically screened for during treatment.

Admitting to yourself and to others that you’ve used heroin again but want to return to abstinence may be a helpful first step to getting back on track. You then need to figure out what went wrong—maybe you left treatment too soon or became heroin addiction treatment overconfident and put yourself in too many trigger situations. You will not be starting from scratch as you address these issues and resume treatment; the tools and knowledge you previously acquired are still there to help your recovery.