Liquid Heroin and "Cheese"

Considering the recent posts on heroin I feel compelled to address two new trends to heroin addiction and deaths due to heroin, those being "liquid heroin" and "cheese".

There was a recent news article about the death of a 17 year old girl in Texas who overdosed on "cheese", which is a street name for heroin. Cheese is more specifically heroin that has been cut with tylenol. It is usually found in a powder from and typically snorted. Because this drug is cut with tylenol and may be snorted instead of injected many users think it is not as dangerous or as addictive, some are not even aware that it is a form of heroin. But, it IS heroin and heroin is very dangerous and very addictive whether you are injecting it or snorting it, and you can die from it either way. Heroin is a tolerance drug, meaning your body builds up a tolerance requiring you to use more and more each time in order to achieve the same high.

The second trend is "liquid heroin". Many agencies and hospitals are reporting an increase in arrests and hospitalizations of high school and college students who have been using liquid heroin. Liquid heroin is a watered down version of heroin. Students keep the heroin in an eyedropper or a 1 inch tall glass containers with a dropper(about the width of a marker). Even though kids may view using this as less harmful it is still using drugs. The symptoms of someone who is using liquid heroin are very similar to other forms of heroin (constricted pupils, droopy eyelids, slow speech, slow reflexes, facial itching, dry mouth and lower blood pressure). Liquid heroin is also addictive and the body will grow more tolerant requiring the user to use more of the drug and possibly more often in order to get the same effect. Because it is addictive that means there are also withdrawal symptoms. Many of these students do not even recognize that they are becoming addicted or experiencing withdrawal symptoms because they did not view liquid heroin as addictive. They feel their muscles getting sore and their body aching. They knew when they took more liquid heroin it made it feel better but did not associate that as addiction or withdrawals. Heroin IS heroin, no matter how it is disguised. Because heroin is so addictive and because the withdrawal process can be so severe most people who struggle with heroin addiction have to enter a drug rehab in order to overcome this addiction.

Heroin Treatment

In our previous posts we have covered what heroin is, the effects of heroin use/abuse, and withdrawal from heroin use. Now, let's discover how to get help and treatment for heroin addiction.
Half a million people may not seem like many in the overall scheme of things but if you are one of the people who has become addicted to heroin, or have a loved one who is addicted to heroin abuse problem this number may mean something different. If you are the user or a loved one, ONE user is too many!
Heroin not only has serious effects on the body, mind, and health, it can result in death. There are also a number of effects on family, loved ones, and society we will not even get into. The important thing is if you or someone you know is using heroin that you know there is help!
Some substance abuse problems can be treated without the use of pharmaceuticals. But, most health professionals agree some sort of pharmacological intervention is needed in order to treat heroin substance abuse. There are two main drugs prescribed to treat heroin addiction: methadone and buprenorphine.
Methadone: Became more widely used in the 1980s and early 1990s by methadone clinics treating heroin addicts. Methadone is a synthetic opiate - made by humans. This medication blocks heroin effects for about 24 hours. Because the body builds resistance to heroin (another opiate) it takes a high dosage of methadone to treat someone with a heroin abuse problem.
Methadone may be used in pregnant heroin users to limit the effects on the fetus. Because methadone is also an opiate it may also be addictive. When administered properly methadone can be very effective part of treating heroin addiction.
Buprenorphine: This drug is also used to treat addiction to other opiates. (Some people treated for heroin substance abuse will become addicted to and then have that treated by buprenorphine.) Buprenorphine is less addictive than methadone. The dosage needed is to treat heroin addiction is not as large as methadone.
Residential treatment facilities are very common for heroin users because they can get supportive medical treatment as well as behavioral treatment. Withdrawal symptoms can be severe physically and emotionally because of that a residential treatment facility is a good choice because they have medical and mental health care available around the clock to help you through detox. These facilities also offer support from others you can relate to because they are going through the same things.
Behavioral treatment is also necessary for recovery. Some behavioral treatments reward you for attending meeting or being a support to others, which reinforces your sobriety. Other behavioral treatment programs teach you how to re-focus, change your thinking, and learn to cope with addiction, and the stress that goes along with it.
Overcoming heroin substance abuse is not easy. However, it is possible to move on from heroin addiction. But it does require integrated treatment - and support from friends and family.

Heroin Withdrawal Symptoms

Heroin is highly addictive and the most fast acting of all the drugs available, which is one of the reasons it can create such a strong desire in users. According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 338,000 people have used heroin in the last month.
Some of the effects of heroin include the following:

• Overdose (can result in death).
• Addiction (can lead to mental and physical problems).
• Slowed breathing.
• Dramatically lower blood pressure.
• Feeling of being flushed.
• Infections (including HIV/AIDS and hepatitis) from dirty needles.
• Pregnancy problems (low birth weight, birth defects, and/or spontaneous abortion.)
  

Despite these dangers, it is very difficult to overcome heroin substance abuse. There are severe withdrawal symptoms when someone quits using the heroin, which is an opiate.
When heroin is used a lot or on a regular basis, the body builds up a tolerance. The body becomes used to the effects of the heroin. As the body becomes more tolerant of the drug, it takes higher and higher doses of heroin to get the same effects as before. In some cases, heroin becomes necessary for the body to function.
Once a tolerance to heroin develops it is more difficult to break the cycle of addiction, because one will experience withdrawal symptoms when the drug is no longer used. Withdrawal symptoms are of the body's reaction to no longer having the drug. It is the body's way of letting the user know it wants the drug. The body has become dependent on the heroin making it especially difficult to end a heroin substance abuse problem.
Withdrawal symptoms from heroin abuse can start within just a few hours after the last dose. First, the body will experience cravings for the drug. Cravings are one of the reasons it is so difficult for heroin addicts to stop. Most addicts will require help from pharmacological and/or psychological treatment programs. Other symptoms of heroin withdrawal include:

• Pain in the bones and in the muscles.
• Restlessness and anxiety.
• Cold flashes.
• Muscle spasms (especially kicking motions).
• Vomiting.
• Diarrhea.
  

Most heroin users undergo the worst of their withdrawal symptoms between two and three days from their last dose. However, withdrawal symptoms can last a little more than a week and typically a certain level of craving for the heroin never completely goes away. Even months after someone feels completely in control of their heroin addiction a craving can be triggered.

Withdrawal symptoms rarely causes death, but may if a heavy user in poor health suddenly stops taking the drug. There are many drug rehabs that specialize in heroin addiction/withdrawal across the country. In the next post we will discuss heroin treatment.