Dangers and Complications

 

In contrast to legal drugs such as tobacco and alcohol, heroin itself does not damage any major organ (including the brain) when pure, although health problems can arise from the impurities in the gear.  However injecting can lead to serious (preventable) health problems. The most obvious danger is that of overdose, which is most likely to occur with intravenous use and often occurs because the user happened to get a higher quality of heroin than usual (less adulterated with other substances). The symptoms include: blue lips; decreased respiration (shallow breathing); clammy skin; pinpoint pupils; pulmonary edema (excessive fluid in the lungs) characterized by rattling respiration’s; cardiac arrhythmia’s (irregular heat beat) particularly with proporyphere (Darvon, meperidine (Demerol) or Codeine). Death generally results from the decreased (or absent) respiration’s and/or pulmonary edema. People with asthma should take care if breathing problems arise after heroin use, as the use of a nebulizer machine could cause cardiac arrest.

 

With intravenous drug use many additional health dangers exist: HIV/AIDS infection; Hepatitis B & Hepatitis C (which may progress to cirrhosis); septicaemia; abscesses and other infections of the veins, skin and muscle; Endocarditic (infection of the inner lining of the heart and heart valves) which may lead to rupture of the valves, stroke, heart failure and death; bone and joint infections; Pneumonia; kidney failure from infections and/or adulterants in the drug; injury to the retina of the eyes from adulterants in the drug; asthma-like wheezing and spasm, particularly common from inhaling the fumes of the heated drug ("chasing the dragon, tooting"); impaired immunity to disease. Click on the link for more on the diseases that can arise from drug use and the symptoms to look out for. 

 

Many other life problems can occur such as: loss of family, employment, friends and self respect, as well as arrest and incarceration. Also many females work as prostitutes and therefore have the added danger not only arrest but of being attacked, murdered, etc. The social problems mainly stem from it's illegality which keeps the drug expensive and encourages users to stay within a criminalized heroin-using social circle.

 

There is also the risk of a number of complications, such as:

 

  • Scarred and/or collapsed veins

  • Damage to the nose

  • Malnutrition, skin and hair problems

  • Abscesses (boils) and other soft-tissue infections

  • Bacterial infections of the blood vessels and heart valves

  • Death from overdose

  • Menstrual problems in women (see Women’s Page)

  • Liver or kidney disease

  • Lung complications (including various types of pneumonia and tuberculosis) resulting from the poor health of the abuser as well as from heroin's depressing effects on respiration

  • Additives in street heroin may include substances that do not readily dissolve and result in clogging the blood vessels that lead to the lungs, liver, kidneys, or brain – which can cause infection or even death of small patches of cells in vital organs

  • Immune reactions to these or other contaminants can cause arthritis or other rheumatologic problems.

  • Sharing of needles leading to - Hepatitis B and C, HIV, and a host of other blood-borne viruses

  • Serious complications during pregnancy, including miscarriage and going into premature labour. Children born to addicted mothers are at greater risk of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome)

  • Spontaneous abortion or premature labour

 

The picture below shows a complication that can occur from skin popping. The white circular and irregular scars are from "skin popping" or subcutaneous injection of drugs. Complications include abscess formation, skin necrosis, and possible pneumothorax if an injection site over the thorax is used.

 

 

The next picture shows a subcutaneous hemorrhage in the antecubital fossa. This is evidence that this was an injection site for drugs.

 

 

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Last updated: 26 February 2007