Heroin
(brown, h, gear)
Heroin is an opioid drug that is produced by processing the resin of poppy plants. In the UK, heroin is generally sold as a brown powder. It can be snorted, smoked, injected or ‘boofed’.
Effects | Advice | Minimising the risk of an overdose | Support
Effects
- Euphoria/contentment
- Pain relief
- Sedation
- Constipation
- Nausea
- Itchiness
Harm Reduction Advice
- If injecting, don’t share or reuse needles as this could increase the risk of vein injury and virus transmission. For more advice around safer injecting, testing for blood borne viruses (e.g. Hep C, B or HIV) or wound care, contact us or visit our Needle Exchange at 11 Brunswick Square, BS2 8PE.
- Mixing drugs, including alcohol, can be risky. Using heroin with other “downers” (e.g. benzos, pregabalin, alcohol, other opioids) significantly increases your risk of overdose. Click here for more information on drug combinations.
- Naloxone is a drug that reverses opioid overdoses. We recommend carrying naloxone if you, or anyone you know, uses heroin. For more information on naloxone, including training and where to access it, click here.
- The signs of overdose are unconsciousness, shallow breathing, blue/grey lips/fingers, gurgling/snoring sounds, pin-point pupils, or a faint/slow pulse. If ANY of these symptoms occur, seek immediate medical attention. You will not get in trouble for doing this. Click here to read up on drug-read up on drug-related emergencies.
- If you use heroin regularly, you will become dependent and will have withdrawal symptoms if you miss a dose/stop. These include sweating, flu-like symptoms, diarrhoea, anxiety, irritability and depression. If you would like support to make changes to reduce your heroin use/stop using, contact us.
- Methadone and Buprenorphine are two medications that are used to treat opioid dependence. Being on a script can reduce your risk of overdose and other harms associated with your use. If you think this would be helpful for you, contact your GP for a referral. If you want more information on Opioid Substitution Therapy (OST), contact us.
- We recommend you always test your drugs, for information on testing services in Bristol, click here.
Minimising the risk of an overdose
- A heroin overdose can be fatal.
- Try not to use alone, and use around people who know the signs of an overdose, who carry and are willing to use naloxone, and who will call an ambulance if something goes wrong.
- If you’re using with a group of people, try to stagger your dose so there’s always someone who’s able to respond to anyone going over.
- You’re more likely to overdose after a period of abstinence (e.g. being in prison, going to rehab, staying in hospital etc.) If you’ve had some time off, start with a smaller dose than you would have used before your break.
- Of all the ways of taking heroin (smoking, snorting, injecting, ‘boofing’), injecting has the highest risk of overdose. Smoking has the lowest risk, but you can still go over from smoking, particularly if there are other factors involved (e.g. contamination in the supply, you’ve taken other drugs, you’ve had a break).
- Overdose risk can vary by batch, for example, if a batch is stronger than what you’re used to, or is contaminated with another substance. Start with a test dose and wait to feel the full effects before you decide to take more.
- Recently drug testing has shown that some batches of heroin contain nitazenes, which are dangerous synthetic opioids with a high risk of overdose. For more information on nitazenes or to learn more about testing your drugs, contact us.
Access Support
To Access support please get in contact with BDP.
