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Sudden
Death
Sudden
death can be caused by many things, overdose being one of the least common. You
can reduce the risk of it happening but as long as you use heroin, it will
always be one of the risks that you take – no matter how you use your heroin.
The
things that can cause sudden death are:
-
Overdose
– having too high a dose of heroin in your system which will cause
respiratory depression and the user will suffocate.
-
Alcohol
– this is the most common cause along with barbiturates. You can die
from taking a small amount of heroin when the alcohol in your blood is
high, so be very careful. I once had been drinking all night as I didn’t
have any gear and I injected a very weak solution made up from putting
water on some old filters I had. I collapsed with the needle still in my
arm and had a very funny feeling when I woke a minute later, that I had
been spinning round in circles on the floor like break dancers do! Never
take heroin with alcohol. Don’t think that you are safe if you are not
injecting as the effect can be the same.
-
Cocaine
– many people take a mixture of cocaine and heroin, known as a
speedball. This is dangerous due to the effect that cocaine has on blood
pressure and can cause a heart attack.
-
Fentanyl
– is often sold as heroin although it is a synthetic opioid and is ten
times stronger. This leads to a true overdose, as you end up doing much
more than you thought.
-
Quinine
– is often used to cut heroin with and if your gear has been cut too
much, you can die from a quinine overdose. The lungs fill with fluid and
the user effectively drowns (called pulmonary edema).
Avoiding
Sudden Death
Sudden
death can only be totally avoided by not doing heroin at all. But remember these
rules and they will help reduce the risk that you are taking:
-
Test
any new batch of heroin – always try out a small amount first, even
if it is off the same dealer. Supply changes all the time, so you cant
ensure that it is the same strength or quality. Doing it this way could
save you from overdosing and also, if the gear is stronger, you’ll have
more left over to use later when you come down.
-
Don’t
use alcohol - this is the most important thing you can do to avoid
sudden death.
-
Don’t
mix heroin with other drugs – remember the dangers involved and if
you have to do it, only use a small amount.
-
Don't
use alone – at least if something happens you will have help on
hand. You don’t want to be alone when things go wrong.
-
Always
filter your drugs – not everything can be filtered out, but take
care to do this to reduce other risks from impurities such as brick dust
etc.
If
you are using with others and someone gets into difficulty, remember that
immediate help can save them. Don’t sit around thinking of what to do and
especially don’t run away - always call for the emergency services. If you
don’t feel you can stay when the police and ambulance arrive, make sure that
you have given the correct address on the phone and that they will be able to
get in, always inform the operator of what the person has taken and place them
into the recovery position before leaving. Remember that the drugs may be impure
and take particular care if you have purchased from the same dealer, as you
could be next.
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