Side Effect of Heroin

Heroin is one of the most dangerous drugs available on the street. Despite it being illegal, hundreds of thousands of people abuse it every year. One of the main reasons is because it’s cheap. However, the worst side effect of heroin ends up costing a lot more than just money.

Firstly, people need to know that there are short-term and long-term effects of heroin use. Also, abusing heroin can lead to some chronic diseases. For these reasons, people must seek treatment for heroin abuse.

Short-Term Side Effect of Heroin

People feel the main short-term side effect of heroin right away. As soon as the drug enters the body, the body breaks it down into morphine. Then, the drug travels into the brain and binds to opioid receptors.

At first, the short-term side effects of heroin are pleasurable. When people first take the drug, they report feeling a rush of intense pleasure. However, they experience dry mouth, a heavy feeling in all of their extremities, and flush skin.

Also, it’s not uncommon for people to experience nausea, vomiting, severe itchiness, and mental cloudiness. After the initial rush, they often remain drowsy for hours.

In some cases, though, the short-term effects are life-threatening. The reason is that the drug can slow down breathing and heart rate. In fact, slow breathing can lead to permanent brain damage or even a coma.

Long-Term Side Effect of Heroin

The main long-term side effect of heroin is much more severe, which is addiction. People start to crave heroin and don’t feel normal without it. Also, the drug starts to mess with their minds, which impairs their ability to make decisions.

As people continue to abuse heroin, their tolerance levels rise. To get a similar high, they have to use more and more heroin. Eventually, having such a high tolerance leads to overdose, which can cause coma, brain damage, or death.

Also, people experience withdrawal symptoms when they stop taking heroin after a long period of use. While these symptoms aren’t usually life-threatening, they’re extremely painful. Doctors typically lump them in with the long-term effects of heroin use. The withdrawal symptoms from heroin can last up to a week. Some common symptoms include:

Furthermore, heroin can cause long-term complications, such as respiratory problems and sexual dysfunction. When people inject heroin, it causes blood vessels all over their bodies to collapse. This is why when someone using heroin decides to enter treatment they need medically supervised detox. Doing so ensures their health and well-being as medically trained professionals monitor the individual to prevent any complications from the withdrawal symptoms. Once successfully detoxed, an individual is poised to enter treatment to face the psychological aspects of their addiction.

Take Your Life Back at Victory Bay

Are you ready to take your life back from heroin or another addictive drug? If so, it’s time to seek a heroin addiction treatment center South Jersey offers. At Victory Bay, we create custom treatment plans to overcome heroin addiction. A few of the services that we offer include:

• Family therapy program
• Intensive outpatient rehab
• Co-occurring disorder treatment
• Individual therapy program

Fight back against drug addiction with the support of our caring staff members. Learn more about the side effect of heroin. Don’t wait any longer to contact us at [Direct] for information about what we can do for you and your family.