Heroin: And Other Poems

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Nutt DJ, King LA, Phillips LD (November 2010). "Drug harms in the UK: a multicriteria decision analysis". Lancet. 376 (9752): 1558–65. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.690.1283. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(10)61462-6. PMID 21036393. S2CID 5667719. Toxic Substances in water". Lincoln.pps.k12.or.us. Archived from the original on 30 April 2011 . Retrieved 20 October 2010.

Yes, a person can overdose on heroin. A heroin overdose occurs when a person uses enough of the drug to produce a life-threatening reaction or death. Heroin overdoses have increased in recent years. 5 Smoking heroin refers to vaporizing it to inhale the resulting fumes, rather than burning and inhaling the smoke. It is commonly smoked in glass pipes made from glassblown Pyrex tubes and light bulbs. Heroin may be smoked from aluminium foil that is heated by a flame underneath it, with the resulting smoke inhaled through a tube of rolled up foil, a method also known as " chasing the dragon". [56] Insufflation https://www.researchgate.net/publication/318258103_Confirmation_of_recent_heroin_abuse_Accepting_the_challenge Heroin from south-west Asia may be ‘smoked’ by heating the solid on a metal foil above a small flame and inhaling the vapour. Those intending to inject this form of heroin must first solubilise it with, for example, citric acid or ascorbic acid. Heroin from south-east Asia is suitable for direct injection of a solution. A typical dose is 100 mg at street level purity. Except when used therapeutically as an analgesic drug, ingestion of diamorphine/heroin is a much less effective route of administration. It is typically injected, usually into a vein, but it can also be snorted, smoked, or inhaled. In a clinical context, the route of administration is most commonly intravenous injection; it may also be given by intramuscular or subcutaneous injection, as well as orally in the form of tablets. [11] [3] [12] [13] The onset of effects is usually rapid and lasts for a few hours. [3]Common side effects include respiratory depression (decreased breathing), dry mouth, drowsiness, impaired mental function, constipation, and addiction. [12] Use by injection can also result in abscesses, infected heart valves, blood-borne infections, and pneumonia. [12] After a history of long-term use, opioid withdrawal symptoms can begin within hours of the last use. [12] When given by injection into a vein, heroin has two to three times the effect of a similar dose of morphine. [3] It typically appears in the form of a white or brown powder. [12] Intravenous users can use a variable single dose range using a hypodermic needle. The dose of heroin used for recreational purposes is dependent on the frequency and level of use. Information sheet on opioid overdose". WHO. August 2018. Archived from the original on 21 April 2019 . Retrieved 10 December 2018.

A factor that played a role in the rise of heroin is the growing abuse of prescription painkillers such as oxycodone and hydrocodone, which are also made from the poppy plant and are chemically related to heroin. People who become dependent on or misuse these drugs may start looking for a stronger, cheaper high. Heroin is both. But it's also more dangerous. There’s no way to know what you’re taking or how strong it is. A number of European countries prescribe heroin for treatment of heroin addiction. [30] The initial Swiss HAT ( heroin-assisted treatment) trial ("PROVE" study) was conducted as a prospective cohort study with some 1,000 participants in 18 treatment centers between 1994 and 1996, at the end of 2004, 1,200 patients were enrolled in HAT in 23 treatment centers across Switzerland. [31] [32] Diamorphine may be used as a maintenance drug to assist the treatment of opiate addiction, normally in long-term chronic intravenous (IV) heroin users. It is only prescribed following exhaustive efforts at treatment via other means. It is sometimes thought that heroin users can walk into a clinic and walk out with a prescription, but the process takes many weeks before a prescription for diamorphine is issued. Though this is somewhat controversial among proponents of a zero-tolerance drug policy, it has proven superior to methadone in improving the social and health situations of addicts. [33] Schlager N, Lauer J (2001). Science and Its Times: Understanding the Social Significance of Scientific Discovery. Detroit: Gale Group. pp. 360. ISBN 078763932X. OCLC 43836551.

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In Scotland, heroin is often injected but it can also be heated on foil and smoked. Risks of mixing drugs

On 13 March 2012, Haji Bagcho, with ties to the Taliban, was convicted by a US District Court of conspiracy, distribution of heroin for importation into the United States and narco-terrorism. [142] [143] [144] [145] [146] Based on heroin production statistics [147] compiled by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, in 2006, Bagcho's activities accounted for approximately 20 percent of the world's total production for that year. [143] [144] [145] [146] Street priceRepeated heroin use changes the physical structure and physiology of the brain, creating long-term imbalances in neuronal and hormonal systems that are not easily reversed. Studies have shown some deterioration of the brain's white matter due to heroin use, [63] which may affect decision-making abilities, the ability to regulate behavior, and responses to stressful situations. Heroin also produces profound degrees of tolerance and physical dependence. Tolerance occurs when more and more of the drug is required to achieve the same effects. With physical dependence, the body adapts to the presence of the drug, and withdrawal symptoms occur if use is reduced abruptly. [61] Injection When you stop using heroin for a day or two, you get withdrawal symptoms, like diarrhea and muscle pain. Injecting heroin is very dangerous. It’s easier to overdose from injecting than from other ways of taking the drug. You also risk damaging veins and developing infections and blood clots. Sharing needles and syringes is also very dangerous as you run the risk of catching or spreading a virus, such as HIV, hepatitis B or hepatitis C. Opiate and opioid withdrawal: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia". medlineplus.gov. Archived from the original on 8 December 2019 . Retrieved 20 November 2019.

National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (2011) Caesarean section.NICE Guideline (CG132)". 23 November 2011. Archived from the original on 25 October 2015 . Retrieved 28 October 2015. Heroin overdose is usually treated with the opioid antagonist naloxone. This reverses the effects of heroin and causes an immediate return of consciousness but may result in withdrawal symptoms. The half-life of naloxone is shorter than some opioids, such that it may need to be given multiple times until the opioid has been metabolized by the body. The latex from the seed capsules of the opium poppy ( Papaver somniferum L.) is allowed to dry. This material ( opium) is dispersed in an aqueous solution of calcium hydroxide (slaked lime). The alkalinity is adjusted by adding ammonium chloride, causing morphine base to precipitate. The separated morphine is boiled with acetic anhydride. Sodium carbonate is added, causing the crude diamorphine base to separate. Depending on the region, this may be used directly, further purified or converted into the hydrochloride salt. United Nations (2006), Multilingual Dictionary of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances under International Control, United Nations, New York.In the United States, heroin is not accepted as medically useful. [3] Advertising sign from Bayer for use in US drug stores, dating from before the federal prohibition of heroin in 1924 If you're not ready to stop, you can still get help with staying safe and healthy. How to get treatment for heroin Heroin is classified as a hard drug in terms of drug harmfulness. Like most opioids, unadulterated heroin may lead to adverse effects. The purity of street heroin varies greatly, leading to overdoses when the purity is higher than expected. [59] Short-term effects Short-term effects of usage [60] Breecher E. "The Consumers Union Report on Licit and Illicit Drugs". Archived from the original on 8 February 2007. Unlike hydromorphone and oxymorphone, however, administered intravenously, heroin creates a larger histamine release, similar to morphine, resulting in the feeling of a greater subjective "body high" to some, but also instances of pruritus (itching) when they first start using. [78] [79]