Heroin is an illicit opiate drug synthesized from morphine, a naturally occurring substance extracted from the seed pod of certain varieties of poppy plants. Morphine is one of the world’s oldest drugs, and for centuries it has been used both recreationally and as a medical analgesic in clinical settings.
What Makes Heroin So Addictive?
One of the main reasons why everyone should be concerned about using heroin is because of its addictive properties. People who start using heroin may quickly find themselves addicted–and, in turn, unable to stop without help. Heroin itself is an opiate, which means it can be highly addictive due to its morphine-like effects such as analgesia and euphoria.
One of the ways heroin achieves this result is by mimicking natural endorphins in your body–which are neurotransmitters that inhibit pain signals and increase feelings of well-being. When you take heroin, it attaches to these same receptors and essentially fills them up–making your brain unable to receive any sort of pleasure from the real thing again. At that point, most people will go to extreme lengths just to feel normal again–running the risk of becoming physically dependent on a drug they used only once before, possibly with deadly consequences!
What Are Some Of The Effects Of Using Heroin?
As mentioned above, right after using heroin in the “high” or euphoric phase, you may experience feelings of well-being and happiness. During this time, your heart rate and breathing will decrease as your body enters a state of relaxation and numbness. Some people often describe the high as feeling like you are floating. Of course, these intoxicating effects quickly become dependent over time as you start to need higher doses just to feel normal again. According to The National Institute on Drug Abuse ( NIDA ), after using heroin for an extended period of time, the pleasurable effects decrease, and instead, people may experience:
Stomach cramps/nausea
Cramps or nausea in the stomach that comes days after using heroin are commonly experienced because the drug was probably taken intravenously, which can be extremely dangerous. During this time, your blood pressure drops, and you might not be taking in enough fluids, which leads to dehydration, causing dry mouth and increased thirst.
Constipation
After stopping or missing several doses of drugs like heroin, it is common practice for many people to experience constipation as the body’s way of reacting to decreased levels of chemicals that tell their digestive system when they need to go. This is another possible side effect during withdrawal.
Insomnia
Since much of what makes up heroin is synthetic byproducts carefully mixed together, these chemicals often interfere with natural sleep patterns, thus overstimulating the central nervous system. This can lead to insomnia or other sleep disorders that can be seen during withdrawal.
Lung Diseases/Infections
People who use heroin in conjunction with other drugs are at much greater risk for lung disease and infections. That’s because when you take heroin, it gets metabolized in your liver which produces a toxic byproduct called monoacetylmorphine that is overly irritating to lung tissues when inhaled or ingested. For this reason, these individuals are more likely to experience shortness of breath, coughing, chest pain, night sweats, sore throat, and fever when using heroin.
Overdose And Death
One of the most deadly effects of using heroin comes from its ability to depress breathing–which happens right after ingestion. That’s why people who use heroin are always at risk of overdosing, and in fact, this is one of the leading causes of death among opiate addicts (overdose). This is especially true for first-time users because tolerance develops rapidly after only a few times taking the drug.
Constricted pupils
One of the ways heroin is identified in the field is by its “pinpoint” pupil effect that develops within a few minutes after injection or inhalation. This happens because heroin stimulates the parasympathetic part of your autonomic nervous system, which contracts muscles around your pupils, making them smaller and more challenging to see clearly with the naked eye.
Lack of energy/letdown
Many people report feeling weak and exhausted on heroin. This is because the drug slows down your body’s natural production of hormones such as adrenaline, cortisol, and testosterone, which produce energy in your body. Also, heroin suppresses your appetite, meaning you are probably not taking in enough nutrition to maintain healthy bodily function.
If you are a heroin addict struggling with heroin addiction, please get help so you can detox safely and avoid withdrawal symptoms. You can also get help from a rehabilitation center with doctors and counselors who specialize in treating addictions. Ready to get started? Call us today on 844-844-3463. We have a team who will talk with you about your entire treatment history and give you the best advice on what to do next.