Heroin Overdose Signs and Causes

Heroin works on the central nervous system. It slows down the heartbeat. Breathing is dramatically slowed as well. Consciousness may be lost. Any of these effects can be fatal if the dose is too high.

Depending on purity and the user, a lethal dose of heroin may range from 200 to 500mg, but hardened addicts have survived doses of 1800mg and over.

However, with street heroin there is no absolutely certain "safe dosage". It depends on tolerance, amount and purity taken.

tolerance

Overdose can occur when a dose taken is greater than what the user is used to. A tolerable dose for an addict could be fatal to a first-time user.

Take a little to begin with and wait.

Tolerance to heroin in particular is quickly acquired. Even occasional weekend users need to take more to get the same effect over time.

Remember - tolerance can drop. Some users have overdosed on their 'regular dose', after just a few weeks' break.

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purity

Making and selling illegal drugs is not a precise science. Often drugs from the same dealer and batch have varying strengths. The active ingredient need not necessarily be evenly mixed in. If it's a powder, chop it through. If it's in a bottle, shake it thoroughly.

Even experienced users can be caught out by a different level of purity in a sample and accidentally overdose.

lessen the risk of overdose

There is clear evidence that death from heroin-related overdose is rarely instantaneous and therefore an overdose is not automatically fatal.

Precautions can lessen the chances of a fatal OD, and there are steps that can be taken to help someone who's OD'ing.

* never use heroin when you're alone, particularly behind a locked door

* never mix heroin with any other drugs

Now with all this information, you might say that, "So you say I shouldn't use, but you provide tips. Why?"

The simple reason is that drug users are not often persuaded from doing something by reading a web page. Our goal is to provide information about the effects and addiction risks of heroin, and heroin addiction treatment options that are useful to those in need, and our tips are merely here to help keep those set on using from succumbing to common pitfalls and dangers of usage.

Related Pages

• Mixing
• Addiction
• Heroin Dangers
• Heroin Effects
• Basics
• Heroin Legalities
• Overdose
• Questions and Answers
• Drug Tests