Understanding the Dangers of a Heroin Overdose

heroin overdose

Did you know that opioid drugs killed more than 68,000 people in 2020 alone? Heroin is one of the most dangerous opioid drugs a person can abuse. But what are the dangers of a heroin overdose?

What is heroin and how does it work? What should a person do during an overdose? Keep reading and learn more about how it works below.

What You Need to Know About Heroin

Heroin is an addictive street drug that is not used in any medical environment. It comes from morphine which is another opioid drug that is used in hospitals. 

Morphine is used to treat severe pain associated with cancer and other conditions. 

It may sometimes be used to help people recover from surgeries as well. Morphine is generally safe because it is only administered in a medical setting by professionals. But heroin is very different. 

While heroin is derived from morphine, it is extra dangerous since it is mixed with other ingredients. Heroin is usually made with filler ingredients such as rat poison, talcum powder, and laundry detergent.

Heroin looks like brown powder. But it may also look like a dark, sticky substance. Most people try to inject heroin since this will give them the most intense high. 

Injecting this drug is very dangerous. This is because the addict won’t know if the dose they’re taking is too much. This is why it is so easy to overdose on heroin and why so many people die from it. 

Other heroin dangers include that this drug is highly addictive. Injecting the drug gives the user a sudden and intense high. This high is so euphoric that the person will start craving more of the drug right away.

The Details

Some people also snort the drug. This will also create a very intense high. Long-term heroin use leads to many health problems. 

Heroin use will lead to heart problems such as heart attacks and heart infections. Injecting the drug is more dangerous since it increases the user’s risk of developing HIV and other bloodborne conditions. 

Another problem occurs once a person becomes used to the drug. Taking heroin regularly at the same dose will make a person habituated to it. This means that the same dose will no longer make the person high. 

The user then has to take the drug at higher doses to keep getting high. This continues until the user is taking dangerously high doses. This is when an overdose will occur. 

The user will take more heroin than they realize they can take and they may die from it. It is also difficult to quit the drug after becoming habituated. This is because the user’s brain will be used to the presence of the drug to function. 

The drug takes the place of some of the brain’s natural chemicals and neurotransmitters. Stopping the drug would create terrible withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal symptoms occur when the body and brain try to function without relying on this drug. 

But it is possible to stop this drug despite this. 

What Are the Dangers of a Heroin Overdose?

Heroin overdoses almost always happen by accident. This is because most people take more heroin than they realize. This will lead to an overdose. 

But what should you do if you find someone that has overdosed on heroin? There are several signs of heroin overdose you can look out for. Most people who overdose go unconscious. 

This is because the drug has built up to toxic levels in the person’s body. This overloads the person’s system and changes everything from heart rate to breathing and more. Heart rate and blood pressure drop along with the person’s respiratory rate. 

A large overdose may stop the person’s heart or breathing and kill them right away. It may put others into a coma. An overdose may also cause seizures or heart attacks. 

Some people may not go unconscious right away after overdosing on drugs. They may get violently ill and start throwing up. They may also be very weak and unable to move on their own. 

Their skin will be very pale and clammy. It may be impossible to wake them up if they are unconscious. These symptoms of heroin overdose are important to understand. 

If you see someone with these symptoms, you need to call 911 right away. Medical intervention is the only way you have a chance of saving that person. Medical treatment can help the person recover from the overdose and reduce the risk of death. 

What You Need to Know

Naloxone is the main drug that is used to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. It is highly effective. It is possible for you to legally give naloxone to a person who has overdosed in most states. 

You often don’t need a prescription either. But using the right dose of naloxone is important. It is often necessary to use several doses of naloxone to reverse the effects of the overdose. 

This is especially true if fentanyl is involved. Fentanyl is another dangerous drug that often is mixed with heroin. This can make the effects of heroin more dangerous and more intense. 

It is especially harmful to the respiratory system since it can make the person’s breathing very shallow. It is important to stay with the person as you wait for the ambulance to arrive. 

Try to interact with the person if they are still awake. Talking to them can help keep them conscious. Keeping them awake will also prevent their breathing from getting too shallow.

If they are not conscious, put the person on their side. Putting them on their back is dangerous because they could vomit and choke. Putting the person on their side will prevent this. 

The person will be stabilized once they reach the hospital. This will allow the drug to be removed from the person’s system. If all goes well, they should wake up and recover within a few days. 

Treatment for Heroin Addiction

Not everyone who overdoses on heroin will survive. Medical attention can help most people, but some will be too far gone before they can receive treatment. This is why it is important to seek treatment for heroin addiction before this can happen. 

Most people won’t seek addiction treatment because they don’t think they have a problem. They may think that they have everything under control. But this is never true with heroin.

Heroin is a very intense drug and an overdose could happen at any time. A person could overdose the first time they take heroin. Or it could happen the 100th time they take the drug. 

Heroin is also a hard drug to quit without any support. Quitting heroin creates strong cravings for the drug. The addict may also experience severe withdrawal effects. 

These include vomiting, chills, cramps, hallucinations, and mood swings. Some people may become violent during withdrawals. Many people also give in to cravings during this stage since the withdrawal symptoms are so strong. 

Some withdrawal symptoms can be dangerous or fatal. These include heart attacks, strokes, and seizures. But this is why it is important to opt for a drug rehab center.

What to Know

Rehab centers have medical professionals who can support addicts during their withdrawals. They will be there in case dangerous symptoms arise during the withdrawal process. 

They will be present to help the person recover fully. Rehab centers also have therapists. Therapy is a very important part of overcoming an addiction.

Many people abuse drugs without knowing why. 

But therapy can get to the root of the problem. It helps a person understand why they do what they do. It also helps a person employ better self-control so they don’t abuse drugs in the future. 

They instead learn other ways to cope with their emotions and problems. They will also learn about addiction and how it works. All this can help a person get their life back on track. 

This allows a person to live a safer and more fulfilling life without addictive and dangerous drugs. 

Understanding the Dangers of Heroin Overdose

A heroin overdose is no laughing matter. Many people die from overdosing on heroin. Trying to quit this drug is also a challenge since it is so powerful and addictive. 

But a drug rehab center can help. Having support from medical professionals and therapists is highly beneficial. It allows an addict to get control back over their life. 

To learn more about drug treatment, check out our services

50 comments
  1. I am all for this MEDICINE field use. The issue here is people always go about this OUTSIDE of that. Overdose is always trouble regardless of substance aside from vitamins for kids I suppose. How much more for HEROINE???Stay away people.

  2. This is really an educative and informative piece. I can say I know so much about heroin and anything that is needed about herion

  3. This is definitely a subject matter that deserves a whole lot more awareness. Now I can say I know and I can preach to the world on the effects of herion overdose.

  4. This information is timely. This is because the way people are taking heroin is on the high side. This would be a caution fir the concerned people. Thanks for sharing.

  5. Heroine dangers are much more dangerous than they sound. I hope people stop abusing the drugs and save their lifes

  6. I had never realized that heroin can be mixed in with other just as poisonous substances. This has been quite an eye opener for me, as now I finally understand why a heroin drug overdose is quite fatal, and the victim/addict need professional medical assistance right away.

  7. An overdose on heroin is nothing to laugh about. In many cases, a heroin overdose results in death. Given how potent and addictive this substance is, trying to stop using it is similarly difficult. However, counseling can help solve the underlying issue. It aids in the understanding of motivations for behaviour. Additionally, it aids in improving self-control so that a person won’t abuse drugs in the future.

  8. It is dangerous to overdose heroin and some of us don’t know the consequences afterwards.
    This is an informative Article.

  9. Thanks for this write-up detox. But what I can deduce here is that one should run away from heroin because it can ruin someone.

  10. Heroin is a hard drug which has received a huge campaign all over the world that people should avoid its consumption. Its overdose is a big risk that is capable of taking its victims lives.

  11. If the abuse of other drugs that are not hard are dangerous, the overdose of heroin will be a death in disguise. Thanks for this useful information.

  12. It’s just so sad that people don’t know that injecting of drug is dangerous. Maybe they know, they just don’t care. A lot of those who inject drugs into there system don’t know if the dose is too much. Im just not surprised that people die a lot from heroin overdose. Thanks for posting the dangers of drug overdose. my friends need to read your post

  13. Overdose drugs serious matter. This is because people even die from overdosing on heroin. Trying to quit this drug is always a challenge since it is so powerful and addictive.

  14. Heroine has been a thorn in the flesh of many and they are struggling to overcome it’s addiction. Thanks for always sharing informative posts.

  15. I can see how developing a high tolerance for heroin can lead to an overdose. It’s one of those drugs that should be avoided at all costs.

  16. Prevention is always better than cure. Once you identify someone suffering from a heroin addiction, it’s best to help them in good time before they overdose.

  17. Most people don’t realize how deep in they are with their heroin addiction until it’s too late. It’s these people that are most vulnerable to heroin overdoses.

  18. Thank God for rehab centers. I have seen many people who almost lost their lives to heroin but rehab gave them a second chance.

  19. It’s unbelievable that 68,000 people lost their lives to heroin overdose in 2020 alone. Those statistics are truly scary.

  20. I yearn for the day that lives will no longer be lost due to heroin addiction. So many young and promising lives have been lost to heroin addiction and it is so heartbreaking.

  21. It is of vital importance that we all understand the symptoms of heroin overdose. The information could potentially help us save someone’s life.

  22. Heroin is a fatally dangerous drug and to be by all means avoided. No one desiring a healthy long life should allow it in their space.

  23. This article is highly informative and educative. In fact, it is an open secret to everyone that dangers posed by heroin overdose are quite enormous. It is advisable that people should desist from this unwholesome habit.

  24. seizure, attacks, unconsciousness and death hearing all this a drug can cause is not av very great thing to hear we should be always out from these things.

  25. Heroin is one drug that is bad fir the body has it build up toxic levels in the person’s body. This overloads the person’s system and changes everything in the body

  26. Thank you Detax to rehab for sharing these type of stories with all of us.These stories are really very much inspirational for many people.

  27. This is an educative article, i read everything just to be well equipped when talking about heroin addiction to people around.

  28. I have now understood the dangers inherent in heroin abuse. Consequently, it is advisable to avoid this deadly and unhealthy lifestyle.

  29. I had no idea of the filler ingredients used in heroin. That combination of rat poison and laundry detergent seems like a fatal combination in itself to the body even without overdosing. Thanks for the wonderful article on the dangers of Heroin in itself.

  30. The number of people that lose their lives to heroin overdose is quite worrying. Thanks for helping create awareness about this dangerous drug.

  31. Heroin is very addictive and that result to it being hard to recover. This drug should be avoided even with the greatest effort.

  32. You did a great job explaining the dangers of heroin overdose in a clear and concise manner. Your article provided important information about the symptoms of overdose, how it affects the body, and what steps to take in case of an emergency.

  33. It’s quite alarming to know that heroin overdose is a leading cause of death among drug users. The fact that the drug is so addictive and the body develops tolerance quickly increases the risk of overdose.

  34. I didn’t know that heroin can lead to such serious conditions as heart attack or lack of breathing. It’s great that you are providing such an informative article for everyone to read.

  35. I don’t see what is there to this drugs that people will want to kill themselves over. My first time of seeing what heroine looks like, and it scares me to know that people inject this dark substance into themselves.

  36. This is such vital information. 68, 000 people is no laughing matter and a huge call for concern. The dangers of fentanyl and other substances, that the user is unaware of mean we all have to do our part in making treatment available for those that need it and having strong support systems in place. Thanks for this grave call to action.

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