Suncoast Rehab Discusses the Dangers of Shooting Up

7 Apr 2014

Some of the many people we help at Suncoast Rehab used drugs by shooting up.  This is an extremely dangerous action – but yet it’s one that many people participate in.  An estimated 14 million people across the globe inject (shoot up) drugs. Shooting up

The type of drug injected isn’t just limited to heroin.  Many drugs like methamphetamine, prescription medications, and cocaine can all be crushed, mixed with a liquid and injected.  When an individual experiments with drugs – and specifically with injecting drugs – their risk of fatal overdose is much higher.  This is because the drug is getting right into the blood and straight to the brain with no real attempt by their body to digest the drug and isolate its poisonous nature.

The most common danger one hears about when it comes to injecting drugs is contraction of HIV/AIDS.  There are clean needle programs available to stop this infection from spreading – but that really isn’t the only danger when it comes to injection.  Here are some of the additional dangers:

    • The drug may not be dissolved completely.  When a user injects a tablet, they aren’t just dissolving the drug.  They are dissolving the tablet itself and anything used to “cut” the drug to make it less potent.  Not everything dissolves well – and this can cause an extremely dangerous health problem.  Particles can build up in the veins and block them, lead to kidney problems, and cause other extremely painful and dangerous issues.
    • There are drugs like temazepam (Restoril) which come in gel form.  It will dissolve when heated, but actually re-solidifies when it cools to body temperature.  This can cause severe blockage in the veins leading to amputation and even death.
    • Repeated injections in places with fine blood vessels or with major arteries can cause damage to the skin, make veins collapse, and increase the possibility of death due to injection into a major artery or hitting nerves.
    • HIV/AIDS isn’t the only disease which can be caused by injection.  If the injection site isn’t clean and sterile, any number of diseases and toxins which your skin is blocking from the rest of your body will get directly into your veins.  This means any number of viruses or bacterial infections can get into the user’s body during the injection processes.

Additionally, sharing needles can give a user HIV/AIDS along with many other nasty, blood-borne diseases.  These include hepatitis, STDs, tuberculosis, Human T-lymphotopic virus (a virus that causes cancer), strep bacteria (the cause of strep throat and other conditions), TSP (a paralyzing disease), and endocarditis (heart inflammation).

  • All drugs themselves are poisons.  Many of those on the street are often created in uncontrolled illegal laboratories.  This means that bacteria, other poisons, and toxins may be in the batch the user is injecting him or herself with.  One example of this occurring was in the year 2000 when just one batch of heroin was infected with bacteria in the UK – causing an estimated 40 deaths.
  • The liquid in which the drug is dissolved may also be infected.  Lemon juice – a common dissolving agent for brown heroin – is associated with thrush and other fungal infections which can lead to heart conditions and vision loss.
  • Missing a vein when injecting can lead to major damage in the area.  Gangrene (localized death and decomposition of bodily tissue) can set in and – if left untreated – may require amputation.  The infection requiring the removal of Harry’s arm in Requiem for a Dream really does happen – and this problem is not limited to heroin users.  Just look at our recent article on Krokodil.

 

The best way to avoid all of the above issues with injecting drugs is to stop the habit in the first place.  At Suncoast Rehabilitation Center, we have a program that works for any type of drug user.

Contact us today at (877) 850-7355.  We can help any drug user become completely drug-free.

Refs: WHO.int, DrugWarFacts.org, AIDS.gov, CDC.gov, Dan247.org.uk, RightDiagnosis.com

NARCONON SUNCOAST

DRUG EDUCATION AND REHABILITATION