Heroin Addiction, Health Effects, Withdrawal, & Treatment
What Is Heroin?
Heroin is a highly addictive opioid drug made from morphine, a substance that comes from the seed pod of the poppy plant. Heroin comes in the form of a white or brown powder often cut with other inactive ingredients like sugars, starch, powdered milk, or quinine, or it’s found as a black sticky substance called “black tar” heroin.1
Heroin binds to opioid receptors located in areas of the brain associated with pain and reward, as well as the brain stem, which controls vital processes like blood pressure and breathing. It also stimulates the brain’s production of dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with both reward and reinforcement.2
How Is Heroin Used?
Heroin is used in a few different ways, all of which cause the drug to enter the brain quickly. These methods of use include:2,3
- Smoking, which involves applying heat to heroin and inhaling the vapors.
- Snorting, which involves sniffing powdered heroin into the nose.
- Injecting, which involves dissolving and diluting heroin before injecting it into a vein, muscle, or under the skin.
All methods of heroin use, including injecting, smoking, and snorting, carry a risk of overdose. Injecting and smoking tend to have a faster onset of effects and a particularly elevated overdose risk.1,3,4
People typically use heroin because it causes an initial rush of euphoria. It also reduces feelings of pain and induces a sense of sleepiness and relaxation.1,4
The Opioid Epidemic
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services declared a public health emergency for the country’s opioid epidemic in 2017.13
Opioid-related addiction—specifically misuse of prescription opioid drugs—began to increase in the 1990s. Heroin use and overdose deaths began to rise in 2010, as it was and is typically cheaper and sometimes easier to obtain than prescription opioids.14
In 2017, the Department of Health and Human Services announced a 5-pronged strategy for combating the increase of opioid use and overdose, including improving access to treatment, promoting the use of overdose-reversing drugs, better understanding the epidemic with better public health surveillance, supporting research, and advancing better pain management practices.
In 2023, an estimated 660,000 Americans aged 12 or older (0.2%) used heroin at some point in the past year.15
Effects of Heroin
Heroin can have many negative effects on the body and mind. Immediate or short-term effects of heroin use may include:5
- Dry mouth.
- Flushed skin.
- Heavy feeling of extremities.
- Nausea.
- Vomiting.
- Itching.
Other symptoms may be more delayed, including:5
- Feeling drowsy and tired.
- Confusion or foggy mental state.
- Slowed breathing.
- Slowed heart rate.
- Alternating periods of being awake and asleep, referred to as nodding.
Long-Term Effects of Heroin
Repeated use or misuse of heroin, painkillers, and other opioids can have many long-term effects, including tolerance, dependence. Chronic heroin use may also cause deterioration of the brain’s white matter, which negatively impacts decision-making and self-control.4
All of these factors can contribute to the development of heroin addiction.4
Other long-term effects of heroin may include:6,7
- Constipation.
- Stomach cramping.
- Insomnia.
- Pneumonia and other lung complications.
- Liver or kidney disease.
- Mental health disorders, such as depression and antisocial personality disorder.
- Sexual dysfunction for men.
- Irregular menstrual cycles for women.
Certain methods of heroin administration pose other long-term negative health effects. Injecting heroin carries a high risk of contracting transmittable diseases, including HIV and hepatitis C (HCV).7,8
Injecting heroin intravenously can also cause heart damage and lead to collapsed veins, abscesses, and other skin infections. Adulterants found in heroin can clog blood vessels, causing permanent damage to vital organs.7
Snorting heroin can cause damage and death to the mucosal tissues inside the nose (called necrosis), as well as permanently damage the intranasal structure (in the form of a perforated septum).7,9
Signs of Heroin Overdose
A heroin overdose is a life-threatening emergency. If you think someone is experiencing an overdose, call 911 immediately.
The signs of a heroin or other opioid overdose are:10
- Unconsciousness or inability to awaken.
- Slow or shallow breathing or difficulty breathing. (This may sound like choking, gurgling, or snoring.)
- Fingernails or lips turning bluish purple. In darker complexions, fingernails and lips may turn pale, grayish, or ashen.)
- Pinpointed pupils or pupils that don’t react to light.
The drug naloxone may help reverse the effects of a heroin overdose and restore breathing. Naloxone is a life-saving medication that is available over the counter in most states, including Mississippi.10,11
Signs of Heroin Addiction
Medical and clinical professionals use criteria from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition: DSM-5 to diagnose an opioid use disorder (OUD). If a person exhibits two or more of the signs of addiction in a year, they will likely be diagnosed with an OUD.12
- Using heroin for longer periods or in larger amounts than originally intended.
- Failing in attempts to cut back or stop using heroin.
- Spending a lot of time getting, using, or recovering from the effects of heroin.
- Reducing or quitting important activities because of heroin.
- Experiencing strong cravings for heroin or other opioids.
- Being unable to quit using heroin even after it has caused or worsened physical or psychological issues.
- Continuing to use heroin despite its negative effect on personal relationships.
- Struggling to complete tasks at work, home, or school because of heroin use.
- Using in situations that can be dangerous, such as while driving.
- Needing more heroin to get high or experiencing a diminished effect from their usual dose (tolerance).
- Experiencing withdrawal symptoms when reducing use or taking opioids for the purpose of avoiding withdrawal (dependence).
Heroin Withdrawal
With repeated heroin use, individuals will become physically dependent on heroin, and will experience withdrawal symptoms when they stop using the drug. Heroin withdrawal is the period of time during which the body adjusts to the absence of the drug, and it may occur as soon as a few hours after stopping use.4
Heroin Withdrawal Symptoms
The signs and symptoms of heroin withdrawal may include:4,10
- Severe anxiety.
- Weepy eyes and runny nose.
- Muscle and bone pain.
- Diarrhea.
- Vomiting.
- Sweating.
- Difficulty sleeping or insomnia.
- Cold flashes with goose bumps.
- Uncontrollable leg movements.
Opioid withdrawal can be very uncomfortable and unpleasant, but it is seldom life-threatening. Very rarely, people may experience complications that require medical intervention.10
Heroin Addiction Treatment
Although addiction is a chronic and relapsing disease, it can be treated. Most successful treatment programs involve a continuum of care, often including:16
- Detoxification (i.e., medically managed withdrawal).
- Behavioral counseling.
- Medication, where necessary.
- Treatment for co-occurring mental health disorders.
- Long-term follow-up care to help prevent relapse.
Heroin Treatment Medications
Heroin addiction can be treated in part with medications. Medications may be used during detox to help manage heroin withdrawal symptoms, as well as throughout treatment to encourage sobriety and reduce cravings.
The FDA has approved three medications for the treatment of opioid use disorders: methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone. Lofexidine (Lucemrya) may also be used to manage opioid withdrawal symptoms.17
Methadone lessens symptoms of withdrawal and prevents cravings by imitating the effects of illicit opioid drugs like heroin. This medication, a powerful full opioid agonist, may be used only during detox, or as a maintenance drug throughout the course of medication-assisted treatment.18
While methadone has been used for several decades for drug rehabilitation, it is still a very carefully controlled substance. As a result, it is often only administered to patients in a licensed methadone clinic.18
Buprenorphine is another medication that treats cravings and withdrawal from heroin by mirroring the effects of opiates within the brain. This medication differs from methadone in that it is only a partial opioid agonist and carries with it a lower misuse potential and a lower risk of overdose. This makes it more likely to be prescribed by physicians in an outpatient setting.19
Naltrexone works differently than methadone and buprenorphine. Instead of mimicking the effects of heroin, this drug is an opioid antagonist, which means it blocks opioid receptors in the brain, stopping the drugs from producing the rush of euphoria or having any effect.20
Therapy for Heroin Addiction
There are several different kinds of behavioral therapies that can be used in the treatment of opioid use disorder. Two therapy approaches often used for the treatment of heroin addiction include:17
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which focuses on negative thought and behavior patterns that contribute to addiction. The individual in treatment learns to identify these patterns and replace them with new, healthy patterns instead.
Contingency management (CM), which creates positive associations with treatment, to encourage the individual to engage in the treatment process and maintain sobriety. Positive reinforcement is used to support certain behaviors, like reaching goals or abstaining from drug use.
Get Help for Heroin Addiction in Mississippi
Addiction treatment facilities like Oxford Treatment Center offer these evidence-based approaches to recovery and so much more. If you or a loved one is ready to get help for your opioid use disorder or heroin use, we’re here for you.
At Oxford, our inpatient rehab in Mississippi offers various levels of addiction treatment and personalized treatment plans designed to meet the individual needs of each patient.
Call to learn more about our programs and treatment options. Our compassionate and knowledgeable admissions navigators are available around the clock to answer any questions you may have about paying for rehab, using insurance to pay for rehab, and the rehab admissions process.
Don’t live with the devastating effects of heroin addiction for one more minute. Reach out to us and begin the path to recovery today.