Heroin Use – A Primer for Families

 

Written by and for people with Lived Experience

Today’s Learning Moment – 10 04 20 Issue:

Heroin Use – A Primer for Families:

When we think of the worst of illicit drugs, most people’s minds instantly go to Heroin. There’s a good reason for that. Heroin has been around for a long time. Before synthesised drugs like Meth, Heroin was the main illicit drug of choice. Things have changed. People with substance illness have many more choices in today’s world. In fact, there is a reverse stigma attached to Heroin use. Many people with substance illness will take all kinds of drugs and resist Heroin because the thinking is, “I’m not really addicted if I’m not using Heroin”

Sadly, recreational drug use is only one of the roads to Heroin use. In today’s world, people are more likely to be introduced to Opioids (like morphine) through prescription pain medications. Often even short periods of prescription-based opioids can lead people to seek out street opioids like Heroin to replace the sudden stop of pain lessening prescriptions by physicians.

There can be a natural progression of recreational use. People try cocaine, meth, or a whole host of other substances. Eventually, someone will offer Heroin, often added for an additional “kick” to drugs they’re already using. Heroin is very prevalent on the streets and exceptionally cheap.

Once people get over their initial reluctance to be labelled a “Heroin User”, the damage is done.

Heroin is in simple terms, refined from the Poppy plant flower. Milky sap-like Opium is taken from the Poppy pod, Opium is refined into morphine. Morphine is refined into Heroin. Heroin can be found in a white or brown powder. Sometimes it will be in a black sticky form called Black Tar Heroin. Street grade Heroin gets its colour from what the drug is “cut” or mixed with. Sellers mix baking soda, starch, talc powder, powdered milk, and other substances, all to maximize profit, by increasing the volume of the Heroin and charging the same as if it were pure.

All Heroin today is also cut with Fentanyl. Fentanyl is extremely cheap and allows a much greater profit margin for the seller. Heroin on the street can be anywhere from 3% to 99% pure depending on how much the seller cuts their product. This makes using Heroin (all street drugs) extremely unpredictable and dangerous.   

Heroin is referred to on the streets by various names including,  “H”, smack, hell dust, dope, skag, snow, down, horse, brown, beast, china white or hero to name just a few.

People use Heroin by snorting it, smoking it or injection. Almost always, people start with smoking and snorting and then move to injections. Once addicted, injection becomes the preferred method, because of the instant “rush” that injection causes.

Injection requires that water be added to the drug and then the mixture be heated so that the drug will dissolve. Only then can it be injected. Often some of the material used to cut the product like starch or talc powder can resolidify in veins causing many complications for people who inject Heroin.

Also, HIV, hepatitis and other diseases can be transferred when people share needles.

Many people end up being introduced to Heroin because it’s often combined with other drugs. Not knowing that they’re also taking Heroin can end up with them being addicted to a drug they didn’t even know was added to the drug of their normal choice. Here are some common combinations and what they’re called on the street:

·         Dynamite: heroin and cocaine

·         Primo or dragon rock: heroin and crack

·         Screwball: heroin and meth

·         H-bomb: heroin and ecstasy

·         Neon nod: heroin and LSD (acid)

·         Chocolate bars: heroin and Benzodiazepines

·         Atom bomb or A-bomb: heroin and marijuana

·         El diablo: heroin, cocaine, and marijuana

·         LBJ: heroin, LSD, and PCP

Many of these combinations can be extremely dangerous as they either contradict each other or are additive in the effect on the person who takes them. As an example, If you think you’re only taking a benzodiazepine (a downer) and it also has Heroin cut with Fentaynal (both downers) the cocktail can be deadly.

People who take Heroin soon become dependent not only on the euphoric feeling the drug gives them but also become physically addicted. Stopping the use of the drug causes severe physical withdrawal symptoms. The combination of both the emotional and physical dependency makes Heroin (all opioid drugs) extremely difficult for most people to stop taking them.

Withdrawal symptoms usually start within eight to twenty-four hours of the last dose of Heroin. Withdrawal symptoms can last from four to twelve days. Most people who have become dependant on Heroin will do almost ANYTHING to prevent going into withdrawal. It’s that bad!

Symptoms include general feeling of being sick, stomach cramps, nausea and vomiting, yawning, anxiety, insomnia, hot and cold flushes, (goosebumps which coined the term “cold turkey”)  perspiration, muscle cramps – more in the large muscles like the legs. This causes the patient to “kick” their legs, which is where the term “kicking the habit” comes from, watery discharge from eyes and nose and diarrhea.

How do you know if your loved one is using Heroin? Sadly, people using Heroin are very good at hiding their use. Most of the time, your suspicions will develop over time. You may find the residue of the drug or begin to notice mild withdrawal symptoms develop between their doses of Heroin. Often they will become anxious, irritable, complaining of being sick and driven to “go out” because they need to find their supplier and source their next dose of the drug. You may notice their eyes become watery or they get a runny nose.

Besides the ever-present chance of overdose/death, there are some serious medical complications from prolonged use of Heroin. They include unable to sleep, damage to sinus tissue for those who snort Heroin, liver and kidney disease, lung problems including pneumonia – caused by respiratory depression while under the influence of the drug. Damaged veins from multi injections. constipation, erectile dysfunction in men, menstrual problems in women, depression and personality disorders.

The preferred treatment for people dependent on Heroin is Buprenorphine. Should a patient be unable to tolerate Buprenorphine, maintenance doses of Methadone can be tried.

Author: Ron Merk
Ron is a person with lived experience. He advocates for families living with members suffering from mental health and substance illness.

Resource Links:

https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/heroin
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK310652/

Families Helping Families is an initiative of the Port Alberni Community Action Team. We send out “Learning Moment” articles regularly to help folks understand substance illness. Knowledge is vital in understanding the illness of our family members. You may copy, distribute or share our articles as long as you retain the attribution. You can be added to our distribution list by dropping us a note to - albernihelp@gmail.com