What You Need to Know About a Heroin Overdose
One of the biggest problems with an illegal street drug such as heroin is that there is a possibility of overdose. Now many people who overdose will actually do so not due to taking too much pure heroin, but more often from taking too much of the drug when it has been cut with other unknown drugs, or by combining it with other drugs or alcohol. At any rate, overdoses can and do occur all the time, so I wanted to touch on them and provide some information about them.
Heroin is made from morphine which comes from the poppy plant. It is illegal, but sold on the streets, which causes problems with purity and creates unknown variances in strength. It has been banned from hospitals or from any other kind of legal medicinal purposes because of its highly addictive nature. Heroin addiction causes many adverse health problems, not the least of which is collapsed veins (due to continued use of needles to inject the drug). Additives to heroin on the street can cause infections that damage major organs; these additives do not always dissolve in the system and so can cause clogging of the blood vessels. Continued poor health in a user can cause pneumonia as well. Using heroin on a long-term basis causes the user to work up a tolerance to it, creating a need for more.
Heroin Overdose Symptoms
Warning signs of a heroin overdose can be overlooked at first glance, if the observer does not realize that the symptoms of overdose are far more intense and serious than the actual immediate affects of the drug. It is ironic (and very unfortunate) that the overdose symptoms of the drug produce the pain that the user was trying to avoid in the first place by continuing use. “Normal” use of the drug creates many of the same symptoms as overdose. For instance, the user will normally experience a slowing of their breathing, dry mouth, a lowering of their blood pressure, slowing of movement, and dreaminess. Part of the appeal of heroin is the “rush” it creates and then the state of elation or pleasure. In an overdose, however; breathing may become difficult and much slower. There is a weak pulse, not just a low blood pressure. An observer should also notice in an overdose that the tongue becomes discolored and the pupils become very constricted. The fingernails and lips turn blue. They may have muscle spasms. The person can experience hallucination, disorientation, and sleepiness, or can go into a coma if not treated immediately.
Heroin Overdose Treatment
As a matter of course, an observer who witnesses any overdose should call 911 or a poison control center immediately and should not induce vomiting unless told to do so by a health care professional. Although the obvious solution to avoid overdose on any drug is abstinence from the drug itself, overdose on heroin is not always fatal if the user is caught right away; so a user should not use the drug when alone, in a locked room. He or she should not mix heroin with any other drugs. In addition, buying the drug from the same dealer each time helps prevent discrepancies in purity. The treatment of an overdose involves the use of a drug called Naloxone. It is given intravenously, if possible, and counteracts the effects of overdose almost immediately. It can also be given intramuscular or subcutaneously if necessary. Although the drug in the form of an injection in an emergency kit is provided to heroin addicts in some states, it is best to use in a clinical setting. Sometimes the drug is so effective at reversing the symptoms that the user can go immediately into withdrawal. For this reason, dispersing of the drug should be monitored.
Now if you are interested in avoiding an overdose then you might consider getting some form of treatment. The starting point of most treatment is heroin detox, where you will likely be supervised in a medical setting and probably given some sort of synthetic opiate or other medications to help control your withdrawal symptoms. After approximately 3 to 5 days of detox, you will probably go into residential treatment where you might attend various groups and lectures so you can learn how to live without using heroin every day. This is the brief outline of heroin treatment and will generally work for most any addict provided they really want to change their life. Without a great deal of personal motivation from the individual addict they are not likely to succeed and will probably relapse shortly after leaving treatment.
Effective Emergency Procedures for Treatment of Heroin Overdoses
Respiratory failure and pulmonary edema resulting in coma or death may occur without effective emergency procedures for heroin overdoses. Heroin, a synthetic opiate, was originally derived from the white liquid from the opium poppy plant. In its pure form heroin is a white powder substance with a bitter taste. Street heroin is usually laced with unknown filler substances and is approximately ten times more toxic than morphine when administered through intravenous injection, the preferred method of delivery. Heroin users quickly develop tolerance and require higher amounts to achieve the desired euphoric effect. Most overdoses occur accidentally and can be immediately reversed through emergency medical treatment. Symptoms of overdose include respiratory distress, small pupils, low blood pressure, weak pulse, disorientation, drowsiness and seizures. Death can occur as a result of depressed breathing, cardiovascular complications and the inability to immediately clear airway obstructions due to vomit or fluid.
In severe heroin overdose cases resulting in coma, emergency procedures may include endotracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation for rapid oxygen delivery. Laboratory tests may be performed for analyses of arterial blood gas, metabolic and creatine levels. Liver and renal function tests may be performed. Comatose patients may require pulmonary artery catherization or lumbar puncture. Chest imaging studies including CT scans and MRI scans are useful in assessing pulmonary complications. Brain scans may be performed to diagnose potential brain and central nervous system damage. Benzodiazepine therapy is often used to control seizures or convulsions.
Emergency medical treatment is vital in saving the lives of many overdose patients. Death often results due to unavailability of emergency care.
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I’ve just lost my husband to what is to believe to be an overdose but not sure until the inquest he was also a drinker i heared that he had taken it but was not sure what hurts the most is the fact i didn’t even know he was on it only found out when others told me that drug things was found in his room where he was waiting to go into detox for his drink he wasn’t a drug user. So how can these people who are there to help him let him turn to drugs i throught that they was helping him now at the age of 29 with two young kids left alone and he’s never coming back home.
Dear Carmen, you need to talk with your family, they love you unconditionally like no one ever will…you know you need help, there is a world full of people willing to listen and help please seek them out, I pray in JESUS name that you are made free of this burden , pray to HIM and He will bring you answers, ask specifically for your needs, may HE bring you peace and love and healing xoxo
I just had the most scariest moment in my life walking in on my boyfriend laying on the bathroom floor , face blue, having siezers. i had to call 911 for the first time in my life! The paramedic told me 10 more minutes he would of been dead! He is now in the hospital. Heroin leads to nothing but pain and anger.
All of these comments hit so close to home. 34 year old son addicted to heroin. He’ tried so many times to beat this drug, but the drug keeps beating him. He’s od’d twice. He’s been in rehab four times. I’m scared, I live in fear of the fatal phone call. Many prayers have been said by all, but I feel frozen in my tracks unable to help him.
I see so many little children, six – seven-eight being diagnosed with ADD Impulsivity and being put on meds. Most are still getting labelled in school. Low self-esteem. This is where it started for my son. So many years later, the same pattern is being used. I wish I hadn’t started my son on meds, increased meds, changed meds. I would tell parents to pursue other alternatives, get you child involved in sports, swimming. Feed them positive comments, find the right school that has a structured program with increased “exercise” time for the kids. Don’t be afraid to monitor their friends – don’t be afraid to say NO to some of their friends.
I lost my 23 year old niece to a heroin overdose last Wednesday Aug 10, 2011. She was with my 22 year old son at the time who rushed her to the hospital but it was too late. My son had admitted to me he has used 2 times in the past 2 months, I’m holding an intervention for him this Sunday Aug 21st at my home, our entire family and our friends will be there, please pray for a successful outcome, thank you .
People need to keep naltrexone, or naloxone in a medical bag in case an opiate overdose happens, they can give this medication to them and they will immediately come out of it.
Hi im 18 yrs old and me nd m y fiance had been doing herion every once in awhile for the past two months we only did it like 5 times but we injected it 2 he used to be n addict but hadnt used in a year on october 13th 2011 he jus passed away from overdose he was fine all night then we both nodded off nd i woke up a couple hours later wiped his face thought he was sleeping then relized he was all pale i called 911 but i knew he was already gone they got a faint pulse in his feet rushed him to the hospital but i beilive he must have been gone for to long
My boyfriend just had an overdose last night. The only difference from the norm is that he survived. I have been with him for over 3 years, and he does not understand why I am breaking up with him at a time like this and leaving. I can no longer be a crutch. I had no idea wither that he even TRIED heroin. The nurse told me assuming I heard already saying he came in with an overdose of heroin… It was like someone punched me in the chest with a sledge hammer. You could of knocked me over with a feather. It’s like the person you spend all your time with has this dark dark secret. The guy who gave it to him said they had not done it in a year… But everything was going so great ( I thought) Why he would take it, I’ll never know…
i am a 28 y/o heroin addict
i hav 2 beautiful kids good job and a deep secret that i inject heroin up to 10 times a day. i luv my kids but that is about the only thing i luv. a part of me cant wait to fall outt but i kno thats jus the sick depressed me. i read all of these heartfelt pleas from fam n friends but it just doesnt win ovr the battle in my mind. i hate heroin i feel like a slave. i need help. bc i can t stop it seeems
i need help.28 y/o heroin addict two beautiful kids lost soul who is so sad n sick
but jus so u understand i do luv my kids n people r prob disgustef 2 kids good job… heroin??? i do luv my kids mayb i dont luv my self sticking a needle in my arm before i cook dinner hug my babies.. do anything. a part of me cantwait to drop dead but i kno thats the sad sick side the othr is afraid to livei am scared my 7 y/o will b tellin the story how se found mommy dead on the floor… but i also cant let go of this drug. my love hate my answer n destruction.. help me im so sick
Hi I have a sister who just recently admitted she was using heroin for 6 months now. I had an idea that she might have been but thought it was just meth use. I am extremely worried about her and shocked by all of the graphic pictures I have seen of heroin overdoses. She’s been clean for almost a month, but I need more advice on how to communicate to her. She’s 20 years old with a 4 year old daughter. Please offer me some advice.
All you youngsters that are doing heroin need to get help do it while you can…I just went thru it with my little cousin almost dying on my garage floor and there is nothing you can do on your own to make them snap out of it…its the most scariest ordeal to ever have to deal with..
@ annonymous
I too am struggling with this terrible addiction, and have been for years now. It is incredibly difficult to quit this drug, I’ve tried so many times but just cannot seem to let go. At times it seems impossible to ever live a clean and sober life. Just think of your children and all your loved ones, and how devastated they would be if they lost you to this terrible drug. We all have the power to get clean….you just need to find the strength and determination to do so. There are so many options and opportunities for you to get help, you just need to seek it! I have tried detox, inpatient and outpatient rehabs, church and support groups, suboxone treatments, etc…. Unfortunately, like many others, I failed to stay clean despite all the love and support I had. If you feel the same way, maybe an alternative opiate may help you, such as methadone treatments. I’ve started these treatments and so far it has been a huge help for me, although I do admit I am still struggling with the addiction, and often relapse. However, it is slowly decreasing my addiction. Everyday I try and remember all the loved ones I lost to heroin overdoses, and those I almost lost in front of my eyes. Be strong, for yourself and your children, and seek help wherever you feel comfortable, whether it be spiritually, physically such as rehab or sober living, or even medicinally through alternative treatments.
hi i,m james used ta drink alot and get in trouble wit d garuds an jail an stuff den tryed heroin it would keep me calm an out off trouble i was hm al d time wit d woman an children ever thing was a ok nw 2 yrs later an its a nightmare need ta have it jus to have a normal shit an get up go do stuff den when ya dont have it ya b stuck in d coner rattlen wit d cold ya wouldnt b albe ta move even if d rats wer eat n ya hw i miss my beer an one day hangover but one day soon i,ll have a hit lol wel my advsie is dont start have a life cause u,ll have notting wit it
I just encountered a woman who nearly died from a heroin overdose, in my grocery store parking lot. She was just 23 years old. She was unconscious, her lips and the skin around her eyes was very blue, and her face was gray. She was barely breathing. Just as we were about to give her CPR, the fire department came to the rescue. She survived, THANK GOD. I just ordered a CPR mask from amazon, too. It makes me sad that so many people are addicted to this stuff, and die from it at such a young age. I tried to tell her brother, who was totally freaked out, about Narcotics Anonymous.
im 18 and i overdosed on heroin 2 days ago. i have been using off and on for about a year and had only been back on with it for 2-3 weeks, been clean for 3 months and i hadnt shot up any more than i normally would. i went outside to smoke a cig with my sis and thats the last thing i remember. she said my lips turned purple then my face and body started too and i fell out of the bench i was sitting on. scariest thing ive ever experienced. the hospital is luckily right down the block from my house so the ambulance was there almost immediately and they shot me up with that stuff that makes u come back. just dont ever start doing heroin.. .definitely hard to quit and not go back to it
My sister is 23 yrs old and we found her unconscious in her apt 2 days she laid there they said a few more hours and she would’ve been dead. Honestly it would’ve been better had we found her dead. Because she has now been in a coma for 25 days and the doctor’s say she has massive brain damage. Kills me to see her like that she was my bestfriend. My parents refuse to end her suffering believing in a miracle. I have read too much and have heard what the doctor’s say. Even if she would come back to us her level of functioning would only be 10%. Sad for someone that was so young & vibrant. Now she lays there and has to be cleaned 5-6 times a day and needs to be turned every 2-3 hours. That is not a life that is just existing. She had overdosed on heroine. She has battled that addiction for the last 2 1/2 years and it all started when she was in a car accident and they put her on pain killers. She had many incidents where she OD in the past. I thought she was doing so good and the thing is that’s baffling is instead of shooting up because she didn’t want an injection site she smoked it from a homemade foil pipe.. Mainly the damage was done from what the doctor’s call “chasing the dragon” the chasing part is chasing that high the dragon part is that when what ever the heroine is cut with interacts with the compounds that foil is made from it creates a dangerous chemical toxicity which can cause slow brain damage, slurred speech, confusion , paralysis and eventually death. There is a criminal investigation at the moment because we have witnesses that saw a friend of hers trying to get her out of their car and it took over 20 min and that my sister did not look good then. So these druggies had no problem getting her high, taking her money, and dumping her in her apt to die while they ran off like cowards. Anyways.. fair warning stay away from this Drug!!
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