About:
- Heroin is a semi-synthetic opiate made from morphine. When injected it crosses the blood-brain barrier faster than other drugs, potentially causing more of a "rush". Evidence suggests it may also be more addicting than other opiates. It is about twice the potency of morphine.
- Studies have shown that when given equivalent doses, users can't tell the difference between heroin and morphine. Some drug users dispute this.
- In most countries heroin is not available by prescription and is illegal. Its chemical name is diamorphine.
- Street heroin frequently contains other chemicals which may be dangerous. Its purity can vary massively, which may cause erratic usage (potentially reinforcing addiction) and increasing the chance of overdose. Intravenous usage is especially common in heroin users, though smoking heroin (called "Chasing the dragon") is also common. Heroin can also be sniffed. The safest route of consumption is orally.
- Heroin has a short life in the blood stream, meaning users need to dose up to several times per day.
- Heroin is the opiate most associated with poor health outcomes, all of which are the result of its illicit status (being unable to obtain a medical grade product), and also due to uneducated and irresponsible usage.
- Two opiates can be used to stabilize a heroin addiction: Buprenorphine and methadone. Both help stabilize the addiction due to the fact they only have to be taken once per day.
Dosage:
- The recommended starting dosage for an opiate naive person with access to medical grade heroin is 15-20mg orally.
- For street heroin a small amount should be sampled to gauge the potential potency of any given batch.
Side Effects:
- Side effects are similar to other opiates, though with street heroin additional side effects may occur as a result of other chemicals present in the mixture. For a complete list of opiate side effects see General Opiate Side Effects.
Addiction Potential
- Used frequently intravenous usage of heroin is highly addictive. Studies indicate that in some people dependence may start to occur after as little as 3 days of constant usage.