Many users don’t know about the purity of the heroin they use, which increases the risk of serious heroin side effects, overdose, and death. Heroin is a dangerous, illegal opiate drug that is incredibly potent, and it’s 50 times stronger than morphine. It is also a depressant, affecting the brain’s pleasure and reward system. Some users report getting hooked after one single use. It’s absolutely necessary to find a safe, reliable detox program to help you recover from heroin addiction.
Most people use heroin for the high it produces. Those physically addicted to heroin may develop a tolerance that leads them to use more and more. Over time, the body becomes used to the drug and no longer feels its effects. Once this happens, most people continue to take it to avoid a painful withdrawal. Users can snort, smoke, or inject heroin, and the side effects may depend on factors, including the route of administration. Other factors include body chemistry, metabolizing the drug, and the amount and frequency of heroin intake.
Short and Long Term Heroin Side Effects
Heroin has a reputation for creating a severe withdrawal once physical dependence sets in. This withdrawal can cause physical and mental anguish that usually does not subside unless you take the drug.
Short-term heroin side effects can include the following:
- abnormal skin sensations such as “crawling” or itching
- slurred speech
- twitching
- trembling
- constipation
- nausea
- vomiting
- dry mouth
- pupil constriction
- sleepiness and nodding off
- slowing of heart and breathing rates
- mental cloudiness
In addition, more serious side effects could develop, including:
- nightmares
- hallucinations
- convulsions
- mood swings
- mental instability
- impaired vision
- severe constipation
- menstrual problems
- liver disease
- fertility issues
- diminished sex drive
- risk of heart problems
- infections of the skin, heart, and lungs
- pneumonia
- respiratory depression
- abscesses
- collapsed veins
- risk of contracting HIV/AIDS, viral hepatitis, and tetanus.
Heroin could also lead to illness and injury because it interferes with the brain’s ability to perceive pain. Upon first use of heroin, people experience an immediate rush followed by flushing the skin, dry mouth, and heaviness of the extremities. This happens soon after a dose and subsides within a few hours. Most users then alternate between states of wakefulness and drowsiness. Taking too much can lead to a fatal overdose.
Waismann Method ® Offers Opiate Free, Accelerated Heroin Detox.
Generally, heroin addiction is nearly impossible to kick without professional help. Many treatment protocols use opiate replacement therapy, essentially swapping one addiction for another. The use of Methadone and Suboxone may help wean some users from heroin but may cause a second addiction and the need for another detox. On the contrary, the Waismann Method doesn’t use opiate replacements. Instead, we offer a world-renowned rapid detox that virtually eliminates withdrawal. Patients sleep lightly under deep sedation for less than two hours while medication cleanses the heroin from patients’ opiate receptors. Heroin use can ruin lives, but it doesn’t have to. The Waismann Method offers safe, responsible, and confidential treatment that is humane and effective.
