A man was at the top of the world. He and his wonderful wife had everything from the kids to the house in Florida. He always gave her the world. That was until he went to a work party one night. His colleague told him taking heroin was the best thing for all his everyday stresses. Now, he comes home wanting to use heroin every day, but the heroin side effects that he experiences make him hate himself.
The kids have begun to distance themselves from him, and his wife wants him to change his ways. The husband and wife feel like they are in a no-win situation and that their relationship is about to break. He feels like he would lose his job if he got help, so he doesn’t want to do it – even if it means saving his family.
Does this story sound familiar to you? In 2021, there were 105 non-fatal heroin-involved overdoses in the Tampa area. Here at Tranquil Shores, we know that work still needs to get done even while treating your heroin use disorder. You can keep your computer and phone to manage your important job and recovery as you stay at our facility. But why do you need treatment? What heroin side effects are affecting you the most? Let’s dive into this further.
Heroin Use Disorder: What Are the Side Effects?
Heroin is a 100% illegal synthetic substance, and it can come with several side effects. These side effects can range from mild to severe. Heroin, especially when combined with other substances such as fentanyl, can lead to overdose.
Short-Term Effects
People who take heroin often experience a sense of pleasure. This pleasure is temporary – described as a rush – and is often enough to encourage people to continue to take it. Besides this pleasure, there are some other short-term side effects of heroin. These include a warm feeling in your skin or a heavy feeling in your arms or legs. You might even experience vomiting or itching. There are also some short-term mental effects that you could experience. These include clouded mental functioning and slipping in and out of consciousness known as “on the nod.”
Long-Term Effects
As you continue to take heroin over an extended period, you could experience some more long-term side effects. These might include symptoms such as:
- Insomnia
- Depression
- Antisocial personality disorder
- Abscesses or collapsed veins caused by Injecting heroin
- HIV or hepatitis C caused by sharing needles
- Damaged nose tissue caused by sniffing or snorting heroin
- Constipation or stomach cramping
- Liver or kidney disease
- Infection of the heart lining and valves
- Irregular menstruation in women
- Sexual dysfunction in men
Heroin and the Brain
Your brain is an important organ responsible for everything the rest of your body does from moving your limbs to breathing. As heroin enters the brain, it attaches to its natural opioid receptors. These receptors are involved in the pain and reward systems. They also influence the brain’s control over breathing, arousal, and blood pressure. It impacts how the brain regulates pain, feelings of well-being, and hormones. They normally release endorphins to provide pain relief and pleasure.
When heroin is taken, these receptors encourage you to take more because the feeling gives the rest of your body a rush of pleasure. However, this can become dangerous because it can halt your breathing and heart rate. Combined with other substances such as alcohol, it can accelerate the process and cause an overdose sooner rather than later.
Heroin and the Body
Those who have a heroin use disorder will typically experience withdrawal symptoms. This is because the body has become dependent on heroin. These symptoms might include hot and cold flashes, insomnia, anxiety, and vomiting. The body experiences these within the first 12 hours of your last use and is at its worst within 72 hours. This is because the body is signaling more heroin to activate the receptors. When this activation does not occur, neurotransmitters in the brain become unstable, causing withdrawal symptoms. This uncomfortable process leads many people to shy away from getting treatment in the first place.
Heroin by itself can also cause problems to the heart and circulatory system. This includes collapsed veins and infections of the heart. You may also experience liver, kidney, and pulmonary complications. Heroin can clog blood vessels which leads to damage to vital organs.
For pregnant women, taking heroin might result in poor nutrition, low birth weight, and developmental delay in the baby. The baby could also be born with a dependency on heroin and experience withdrawal symptoms that could lead to medical complications. Some symptoms of a baby born with a dependency on heroin include irritability, slow weight gain, tremors, and possibly death.
Heroin and Your Life
Heroin can impact your home, work, or school life. Many places of employment have drug-free policies. Using heroin might cause your family or close friends to drift away as every thought you have involves heroin. You also might be more likely to participate in illegal actions such as theft because heroin is already 100% illegal. Because of this, you might run into legal troubles. You might also start to lie to your loved ones.
If your loved ones start to pull away, it is not because they don’t love you anymore. They are trying to protect themselves and don’t know what else to do.
If your loved one is using heroin, the best thing you can do is open up the conversation about getting treatment, even if it’s the 10th time they have tried. Let them know that recovery is still possible and that you will support them through the recovery process. If they are unwilling to listen, know that it is okay to seek help and safety for yourself whatever that means for you.
Overdose: Is Your Life in Your Hands?
It is possible to overdose on heroin—your chances of overdosing on heroin increase when other substances such as fentanyl are added. When fentanyl is added to heroin, you often will not know. It does not have any smell, taste, or defining characteristics.
The only way to know if fentanyl is added to other substances is through test strips, now legal in Florida as of early July 2023. Fentanyl is 50-100 times stronger than pure heroin, and the effects of heroin cut with fentanyl can increase the chances of overdose. Dealers will cut heroin with fentanyl to increase their supply and make the product cheaper while maintaining similar effects.
Some signs of overdose include:
- An appearance of lethargy or unconsciousness
- Flushed skin
- Shallow breathing (approximately 4-6 breaths per minute)
- Wheezing
- Vomiting
- Anxiety
- Agitation
- Hallucinations
If your loved one regularly consumes heroin, you can get naloxone without a prescription from any pharmacy in the state of Florida. You should keep naloxone nearby as it reverses the effects of opioids like heroin to counteract an overdose. If you notice someone experiencing an overdose, it is imperative to call for medical help immediately.
Getting Treatment for Heroin Use Disorder in Florida
Knowing you need treatment for a heroin use disorder might make you feel weak, but the truth is that it is the bravest decision you can make for yourself. It can be easy to think to yourself, “I can do this on my own. I am a successful businessman. I’ve worked this hard in my life on my own already. I can overcome this on my own too.” The truth of the matter is that overcoming heroin use is difficult. Leaving heroin behind can seem impossible, but recovery is possible by seeking treatment and surrounding yourself with like-minded peers. Learning life skills from therapists ensures that your recovery from heroin addiction is successful and fulfilling.
Participating in individual therapy, weekly doctor visits, accelerated resolution therapy (ART), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), and family therapy can easily prevent a return to use. DBT helps teach you how to manage your emotions, and ART helps lessen the effects of trauma.
Tranquil Shores is located on the beach in Madeira Beach, Florida. We aim to help you through the process of reclaiming your life. Our 3:1 client-to-counselor ratio allows us to focus directly on you and your recovery. For more information on heroin use treatment, call us at 727-591-4119 today!
