The Health Dangers of IV Drug Use

Bacteria from poorly sanitized needles can also lead to endocarditis. Left untreated, endocarditis can damage or destroy heart valves and can lead to life-threatening complications. Practitioners may suspect problems with drug use when they notice changes in mood or behavior in a person.

Some long-term intravenous drug users will get a swollen hand after shooting up. It is usually the result of a skin infection and can range in severity. In this paper, we describe the epidemiology, presentation, diagnosis and management of infections in IDUs who may present to acute physicians and the management of drug dependency on acute medical wards.

Signs of IV Drug Abuse

While acute hepatitis C symptoms typically occur within a few weeks, chronic hepatitis C symptoms often take several months or even years to develop. Those with HIV may not develop symptoms immediately or assume they may just have a cold or flu. As HIV progresses, it may cause irritated, flakey skin, shingles, oral thrush and significant weight loss.

However, if IV drug use is continued in the same injection site, permanent vein collapse can occur. One of the most common symptoms of vein collapse is cold hands or feet due to reduced circulation. Once the drugs are dissolved, a small syringe (usually 0.5 or 1 cc) is used to draw the solution through a filter, usually cotton from a cigarette filter or cotton swab (cotton bud). „Tuberculin“ syringes and types of syringes used to inject insulin are commonly used. Commonly used syringes usually have a built-in 28 gauge (or thereabouts) needle typically 1/2 or 5/8 inches long. Injecting drugs, also known as “intravenous drug use” or “IV drug use,” is a common way to use illicit drugs or misuse legal prescription drugs.

Clearbrook Manor – Pennsylvania Drug and Alcohol Treatment Center

Local infection in the skin results in the body’s immune system trying to defend itself from the infection by sending white blood cells to the infected area. The immune system causes swelling to develop, and pus is created from the combination of white blood cells, germs and damaged tissues. In recreational-use drug culture, preparation may include mixing the powdered drug with water to create an aqueous solution, and then the solution is injected. Whether a short-term drug detox, a month-long rehab program, or a long-term addiction treatment is right for you, patients can remain in personalized treatment for the length of time that works best for them. Each drug use is a distinct experience with unique circumstances. If someone is using after a period of sobriety, they are at greater risk of overdose death.

During the summer months, many people look forward to wearing tank tops and shorts to beat the heat. Those with an IV drug addiction frequently do not wear the same clothing because https://ecosoberhouse.com/article/iv-drug-use-and-potential-complications/ they risk showing signs. They might wear long pants that reach down to their ankles and shirts with long sleeves that cover their arms even in the middle of a hot day.

Can You Inject Heroin?

If someone you love uses one of these drugs, it’s helpful to know the signs of shooting up and the dangers of addiction. IV drug use is a relatively recent phenomenon arising from the invention of re-usable syringes and the synthesis of chemically pure morphine and cocaine. Hepatitis doesn’t cause sepsis, but the virus can cause damage to your liver, which puts you at higher risk for infections. Due to the nature of physical therapy, therapists often spend more time treating and getting to know patients than other healthcare professionals.

He or she may stop answering the phone and may ignore anyone who knocks on the door. You may worry to the point of calling the police and asking them to perform a wellness check. The highs that occur during a drug binge can make a close friend seem like an entirely different person. A person during a binge can act in erratic ways and have a hard time listening. Those who take prescription drugs intravenously often do so because they want to feel the full effects of the drug as quickly as possible.

A virtual support community designed for the millions of people affected by sepsis. Would you like to share your story about sepsis or read about others who have had sepsis? Please visit Faces of Sepsis, where you will find hundreds of stories from survivors and tributes to those who died from sepsis.

• Although HIV transmission is relatively rare, it remains a significant risk in environments where intravenous drug use is common.
• However, there is so much more that needs to be done to eliminate this problem.
• More than 1 million people in the U.S. have HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
• If you become addicted to intravenous drugs, it’s important to understand how serious this problem is.
• When drugs are injected, their effects may occur more quickly, be stronger, or both.

While necrotizing fasciitis is rare, it is a serious and life-threatening complication from intravenous drug use. Necrotizing fasciitis can occur at an injection site and appear as red, irritated or inflamed skin that is often tender and painful. Those who inject IV drugs are at a higher risk of developing wound botulism, which can be life-threatening. While wound botulism is a less common illness, it is very serious and can develop when a germ known as Clostridium botulinum enters a wound or injection site and creates a toxin. When the body’s nerves are targeted, it can cause difficulty breathing and general muscle weakness. The hypodermic needle and syringe in its current form was invented by the French scientist Charles Pravaz in 1851, and became especially known during the wars of that and the subsequent decade.