Substance use disorders negatively affect every aspect of a person’s life. Addiction destroys relationships, careers, and health. How do you keep this from happening? In fact, entering a heroin addiction treatment program is the first step to a happier, healthier life. With the right medical care and support, many heroin effects on the body can be reversed or, at the very least, minimized.
As most people realize, heroin is a highly addictive substance. Stopping or reducing use if you have developed a physical dependence on the substance can be dangerous without medical supervision. Call Promises at 844.875.5609 for information about our treatment options.
The Short-Term Effects of Heroin
The most dangerous effect of heroin is fatal overdose. The risk of overdose increases the longer a person continues with the drug, but overdose can happen even the first time an individual tries heroin. Like all substances, heroin has short- and long-term effects on a person’s health.
Short-term effects include:
- Drowsiness
- Itchy skin
- Dry mouth
- Nausea
- Decreased mental function
- Vomiting
- Slowed heart rate and slowed breathing
- Limbs that feel heavy or weighed down
- Inability to stay awake (nodding)
People continue with heroin despite the unpleasant side effects because of the euphoric rush the drug provides. However, the “pleasure” provided by heroin is short-lived compared to the long-lasting damage it can cause to your life.
The Long-Term Effects of Heroin
Repeated experimentation with heroin changes the function and structure of the brain. It can cause hormonal and neurochemical imbalances that affect a person’s ability to regulate emotions and behaviors and make sound decisions.
Research has shown that long-term heroin use can deteriorate the brain’s white matter, which is located deep in the brain and is responsible for connecting different areas of the brain and coordinating brain function.
Some of the long-term effects of heroin include:
- Infections of the heart valves and heart lining
- Co-occurring mental health disorders like depression
- Abscesses
- Respiratory problems such as pneumonia and lung damage
- Sexual dysfunction in males
- Irregular menstrual cycles in women
- Liver and kidney disease
- Brain damage
- Damage to veins and blood vessels
- Chronic and severe constipation
Additionally, sharing injection needles increases a person’s risk of contracting hepatitis C and HIV. Snorting the drug can cause the tissues inside the nose to erode.
How Overdose Affects the Body
Not every overdose is fatal, and some people with heroin use disorder overdose several times before getting treatment. Because it’s a depressant, heroin slows the respiratory system, sometimes stopping a person’s breathing.
When the brain and other tissues don’t get adequate amounts of oxygen, it causes hypoxia, which can lead to irreversible brain damage, coma, and death. Each time a person overdoses on heroin, they are potentially damaging brain cells that cannot be replaced.
Every person who injects, smokes, or snorts heroin is risking an overdose, no matter how long or how frequently they have been taking the drug. The strength of heroin differs from batch to batch, and different additives, such as fentanyl, can make the drug far more dangerous.
Mixing heroin with alcohol or other drugs, especially other depressants, increases the risk of overdose. If you suspect someone has overdosed, call 911 and stay with them until help arrives.
Begin Heroin Addiction Treatment at Promises Today
Many people begin experimenting with heroin to self-medicate their chronic pain or co-occurring mental health conditions. It may bring momentary relief, but heroin only makes other conditions worse in the long run while creating a host of other problems as well.
Some of the long-term heroin effects on the body are irreversible. However, the sooner a person enters treatment, the better their chance of full recovery. If you or someone you care about is struggling with heroin use disorder, we can help. Call Promises today at 844.875.5609 or complete our online contact form to start the path to recovery in our treatment programs.