海洛因

海洛因

海洛因 is an opioid drug made from a natural substance taken from the seed pod of the various opium poppy plants grown in Southeast and Southwest Asia, Mexico, and 哥伦比亚. 海洛因 can be a white or brown powder, or a black sticky substance known 就像黑焦油海洛因.

海洛因 enters the brain rapidly and binds to opioid receptors on cells located in many areas, especially those involved in feelings of pain and pleasure and in controlling heart rate, sleeping, and breathing.

短期效应

People who use heroin report feeling a "rush" (a surge of pleasure, or euphoria). However, there are other common effects, including:

• 口干
• warm flushing of the skin
• heavy feeling in the arms and legs
• 恶心和呕吐
• 严重的瘙痒
• clouded mental functioning
• 走在路上 nod," a back-and-forth state of being conscious and semiconscious

长期影响

• 失眠
• collapsed veins for people who inject the drug
• 损害d tissue inside the nose for people who sniff or snort it
• infection of the heart lining and valves
• abscesses (swollen tissue filled with pus)
• constipation and stomach cramping
• liver and kidney disease
• lung complications, including pneumonia
• mental disorders such as depression and antisocial personality disorder
• sexual dysfunction for men
• irregular menstrual cycles for women

其他影响

海洛因 often contains additives, such as sugar, starch, or powdered milk, that can clog blood vessels leading to the lungs, liver, kidneys, or brain, causing permanent 损害. Also, sharing drug injection equipment and having impaired judgment from drug use can increase the risk of contracting infectious diseases such as HIV and hepatitis (see "Injection Drug Use, HIV, and Hepatitis").

海洛因 is regularly mixed with fentanyl or carfentanyl to increase potency.  由于 improper and inexpert mixing, the amount of fentanyl per heroin dose can vary widely from hardly any to a fatal dose.  

上瘾

海洛因 is highly addiction.  Users develop tolerance quickly, necessitating larger doses to get the same effect.  Substance use disorder can occur when a user continues to take the drug despite negative health or social consequences.  

Those addicted to heroin who stop abruptly may have severe withdrawal.  症状 begin as early as a few hours after the last dose and can include:

• 不安
• severe muscle and bone pain
• 睡眠问题
• 腹泻和呕吐
• cold flashes with goose bumps ("cold turkey")
• uncontrollable leg movements ("kicking the habit")
• severe heroin cravings

Researchers are studying the long-term effects of opioid addiction on the brain. 研究 have shown some loss of the brain’s white matter associated with heroin use, which may affect decision-making, behavior control, and responses to stressful situations.

海洛因 addiction is a treatable medical condition.  Medications can be given to reduce withdrawal symptoms and improve comfort while psychological therapy can help with cravings, anxiety, and depression.

过量

A heroin overdose occurs when a person uses enough of the drug to produce a life-threatening 反应或死亡. 海洛因 overdoses have increased in recent years.

When people overdose on heroin, their breathing often slows or stops. 这可以减少 the amount of oxygen that reaches the brain, a condition called 缺氧. Hypoxia can have short- and long-term mental effects and effects on the nervous system, including coma and permanent brain 损害.

Naloxone is a medicine that can treat an opioid overdose when given right away. It works by rapidly binding to opioid receptors and blocking the effects of heroin and 其他阿片类药物. Sometimes more than one dose may be needed to help a person start breathing again, which is why it’s important to get the person to an emergency department or a doctor to receive additional support if needed. 

California has passed laws that allow pharmacists to dispense naloxone without a prescription from a person’s personal doctor.