Heroin is one of the most consumed drugs in the world, and also one of the most dangerous. Not only because of its addictive potential, but also because of the consequences it generates both physiologically and psychologically. Today we tell you about the health risks involved in heroin use.
What is Heroin?
Heroin is classified as an opiate drug, meaning it is a narcotic derived from opium. Its main ingredient is morphine, a naturally occurring substance with a very high addictive potential. Regarding its preparation, it is usually distributed as a white or brown powder, or as a black substance known as “black tar.”
Furthermore, due to the great popularity and consumption of heroin around the world, it is also known by many other names. For example, H, devil, horse, queen and black sugar, big H, horse, hell dust, or smack.
How Heroin Affects the Body
There are multiple routes of heroin administration into the body. However, the most common and widely used are snorting (sniffing lines) and injecting the drug intravenously. Each of these has its own risks and entails incalculable dangers and health damage.
Once a person consumes heroin, it circulates throughout the body until it reaches the brain. When it accesses this part, it binds to brain receptors known as opioid receptors. These cells are responsible for managing physical sensations, in addition to other vital tasks, such as the experience of pain, pleasure, heart rate variation, the onset of sleep, and breathing control.
When heroin interacts with opioid receptors, it alters their normal functioning. As a result, the person’s physical and psychological stability is modified due to this external phenomenon. Sensations increase in magnitude, fatigue disappears, heart rate increases, among other characteristics. All these facts are caused by the drug and are what is known as the effects of heroin on the body.
Consequences of Heroin Use
Initially, individuals who use heroin experience a very pronounced sensation of euphoria. They are overcome by a state of extreme pleasure and have a large amount of energy that they need to expend to return to a “normal” state. This phenomenon is also known as a rush.
Despite the pleasant sensations it produces, heroin use also entails serious health consequences. Its impact and severity are determined by certain variables, such as the number of doses consumed, frequency, method of consumption, duration of addiction, etc. All the effects of the drug are classified into short-term effects and long-term effects.
Short-Term Effects of Heroin
Among its most common consequences after use, heroin can cause:
- Dry mouth
- Increased body temperature
- Skin flushing
- Sensation of heaviness in the arms and legs
- Dizziness, nausea, and vomiting
- Impairment of mental faculties
- Confusion from alternating between a state of wakefulness and a semi-conscious state
Long-Term Effects of Heroin
When a person consumes heroin for a long time, they are considered to have an addiction or dependence on that drug. Then, the body begins to experience the long-term effects of the narcotic. The body gradually adapts to this foreign substance and creates a new biological need.
- Episodes of insomnia
- Vein collapse due to excessive injected drug
- Damage to the nasal system when the drug is snorted or inhaled
- Appearance of infections in the pericardium and heart valves
- Tissue inflammation and pus discharge
- Stomach discomfort and constipation
- Probability of suffering from liver and kidney diseases
- Probability of suffering from lung damage, in addition to pneumonia
- Mental disorders based on depression, anxiety, antisocial behavior, and other factors
- Erectile dysfunction in male addicts
- Menstrual cycle irregularity in female addicts
Overdose
Heroin is one of the drugs with the highest capacity to cause an overdose. This occurs when the individual consumes a larger amount of the substance than the body can process in a short time. If it occurs and is not stopped in time, it can cause death.
When experiencing a heroin overdose, the person’s breathing significantly decreases, and can even stop. Consequently, the phenomenon known as hypoxia occurs. The brain stops receiving the minimum necessary amount of oxygen to function, thus causing severe damage to the body. These include the possibility of falling into a coma and permanent brain damage.
Withdrawal Syndrome
Consuming drugs in any quantity and for a long period of time is bad for health and puts a person’s life at risk. But so is quitting drugs abruptly. When an addiction appears, appropriate measures must be taken to avoid causing unnecessary harm to the body. Otherwise, withdrawal syndrome may appear. This is a disorder that generates physical and psychological effects in the person due to stopping the consumption of a toxic substance that has become necessary for the body’s normal functioning.
The effects of heroin withdrawal syndrome are:
- Constant restlessness
- Severe pain in the muscular system and bones
- Difficulty falling asleep
- Vomiting and diarrhea
- Loss of body heat and the “goosebumps” effect
- Spasms and uncontrolled leg movements
- Cravings for renewed use and possibility of relapse
CCAdicciones is an addiction treatment center that helps people recover from a disorder or dependence. Contact our addiction therapists and we will help you start rehabilitation.
