The Short-Term and Long-Term Effects of Heroin

The Short-Term and Long-Term Effects of Heroin

Heroin is an extremely potent opiate substance that has severe short-term and long-term mental, physical and psychological effects on both the body of individuals who use it. In most cases, the health of heroin addicts deteriorates fast and such individuals are forced into a state of anxiety and confusion. The only way of rescuing the victims is through enrolling them in the New Jersey heroin outpatient program for rehabilitation.

If you know a family member or friend who is using heroin, then you need to be aware of the dangers they are involved in each time they consume the substance. You can then talk to them about the dangers and maybe convince them to quit using the substance. The effects of heroin use can be categorized into two: the immediate effects and the long-term effects. 

What are the Immediate Effects of Heroin Abuse?

The immediate effects of abusing heroin usually set in swiftly but sometimes it depends on the manner of delivery of the substance into the body. If it’s through injection, it will only take five minutes for the inter-muscular heroin treatment to become active while it may take 10 minutes to notice these effects if the victim introduced the substance into their body smoking or snorting.

Experts at the New Jersey Heroin Outpatient Program say that once the substance is introduced into the body, it changes into morphine. The morphine then combines with the opioid receptors in the brain allowing the victim’s body to feel a mixture of pain and pleasure. It’s the sudden disruption of the opioid receptors that cause the victims to experience the excitement that they want.

The victims usually experience a spontaneous rush of excitement if the drug is administered through an injection. After this rush of excitement, they start experiencing an alternating period of nodding off and being awake accompanied by drowsiness. Heroin overdose results in slowing down of the basic mental acuity which makes those under the effects of this drug making very awkward decisions.

What are the Long-Term Effects of Heroin?

The impacts of heroin stemming from continued use are very destructive. In most cases, frequent injections usually result in collapsed veins which can easily lead to infections of the heart valves and other blood vessels. Arthritis and Tuberculosis are the most common long-term results of heroin addiction. In many cases where the addicts are sharing needles, the result is the transmission of AIDS plus other contagious infections.

The other long-term effects of heroin addiction include weakening of the immune system, loss of memory and intellectual performance, depression, cold sweats, respiratory problems, menstrual disturbance in females and reduced sexual capacity or impotence in men.

Categories: Health

About Author