How to Tell if Someone is Shooting Up
Signs of IV Drug Abuse
How to Tell if Someone is Shooting Up
Signs of IV Drug Abuse
Introduction
Intravenous (IV) drugs are those injected directly into the body. While you might think that track marks will be easily visible on a friend’s or loved one’s arm, many people are able to hide the marks connected to this type of substance use. Some people hide marks in the skin between the toes and in other areas of the body that you can’t see.
Can You Inject Meth?
Yes, meth can be abused in this manner. It’s one of the most common ways to take the drug due to the development of a dependence on meth. Many people start by snorting meth, move up to smoking, and then end up injecting it. Injecting the drug provides the fastest and most powerful effects.1
Can You Inject Heroin?
Yes, you can inject heroin. Injecting heroin is the most common methods of taking the drug. More than 50% of people who reported using heroin said they injected it, as opposed to snorting, ingesting, or smoking.1
Looking for the Signs
If someone you love uses one of these drugs, it’s helpful to know the signs of shooting up and the dangers of addiction.
First Sign of Substance Abuse: Highs and Lows
A common sign that someone you know uses IV drugs is when that person experiences frequent highs and lows. You can think of this in the same you would the crash associated with caffeine or sugar. When you drink several cups of coffee or bottles of soda a day, the sugar and caffeine can leave you feeling wiry and jittery. Once those substances leave your system, though, you’ll feel a crushing sensation that might make you feel tired and worn out.
IV drugs can result in feeling and acting the same way through highs and lows. Some prefer injecting drugs to smoking or snorting substances because injecting produces a faster reaction. As the drugs go directly into the bloodstream, the substances effects are felt much faster. This method can also produce a faster crash period because as the drugs leave, the pleasurable symptoms dissipate quickly too. Some of the signs you might notice during the crash period, also known as the cooling period, include:
Trouble concentrating or thinking
Issues with making decisions
Head nodding
Falling asleep in any spot or position
Irritability any mood swings
Physical Symptoms of IV Drug Use
Injection Locations
Unless you have given yourself an injection before, you may have no idea what an injection site looks like. It’s possible to inject heroin and other drugs into different areas of the body, including the crook of an elbow, the sole of a foot, the vein that runs along the arm, and even in the leg or between the toes.
Signs of an Injection Site
An injection site will typically have a small bruise that changes color over time. You may also see track marks in people who regularly use IV drugs. These marks will look like dark veins along the arm. You may see a darker area around the site of the injection, and then more lightly colored marks moving down the arm.
Collapsed Veins
Another physical sign of intravenous drug use is one or more collapsed veins. The veins of the human body transport blood from one area to the next to keep the body healthy. If an individual keeps injecting substances into the same vein, that vein may eventually collapse and stop doing its necessary function of transporting blood. Though a collapsed vein is hard to see because it sits below the surface of the skin, a close look at the area should help you find it.
Skin Infections
If you do not properly care for an injury, it can become infected. This is especially true in cases of ongoing IV drug use. As the same injection spot is used repeatedly, physical damage to the skin and veins occurs. Something as simple as wearing the same shirt or pants for several days in a row can cause an infection. The fabric rubbing against the skin and the bacteria on that fabric can also worsen the injection. Infections are also more likely to occur due to decreased personal hygiene like not showering or bathing regularly.
Skin Popping
In addition to skin infections, IV drug use may also result in skin popping, but this only occurs among those who inject drugs into muscles rather than veins. Injections into the muscles cause lumps to form in the tissue beneath the skin. Those lumps will build up as scar tissue builds. The condition makes the lumps appear to pop or to puff out the skin. You can sometimes see these lumps on the arms and legs.
Soot Tattoos
You might notice soot beneath the skin too. Officially called a soot tattoo, the discoloration occurs because a flame is placed below the needle before injecting in order to cleanse it before putting it in the skin. The soot that forms on the needle goes directly into the body and can leave behind a dark marks that becomes even darker over time. Some people get professional or amateur tattoos done as a way to hide those marks.
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Video: Spotting Signs of IV Drug Use
Other Possible Signs of IV Drug Use
It’s important that you consider all the other possible signs of addiction to meth or other IV drugs. Those who use IV drugs will often wear clothing designed to hide infection sites.
Unseasonable Clothing
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 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.
Sudden Weight Loss
Sudden and quick weight loss is another sign of IV drug use. Drugs such as meth and heroin provide more energy than normal, resulting in staying up for hours and even days at a time during a binge. The extra energy received from the drugs burns calories resulting in losing a significant amount of weight. You might find that a close friend or family member suddenly lost a large amount of weight within a few months. Sometimes the weight loss can result in people looking like skin and bones and/or have heads that appear too large for their bodies.
Routine Changes
Another sign to look for is a change in appetite, which often goes along with a change in sleep patterns. Drugs can cause major changes in eating, drinking and sleeping patterns. They may only want to watch television or spend time with other people who also use. Addiction can also result in spending long hours awake and alert.
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What Does Shooting Up Meth Feel Like?
Shooting up meth gets the drug to the bloodstream and brain very quickly. The person abusing meth feels a rush, also known as a flash. Many describe the flash as an intense chill going through the whole body with a cough if the drug is injected correctly. The chill and cough are followed by an extreme euphoria.
This is described as feeling much more intense than snorting meth. The flash usually lasts only five minutes; then there is a crash. This leads to a binge and crash pattern that quickly leads to addiction.2
Is There a Difference Between Meth and Crystal Meth?
Crystal meth is the purest form of methamphetamine. It’s known as “ice” and is a popular club drug. The high from shooting crystal meth is intense, and people have reported addiction after shooting up crystal meth one time.3
Because abusing crystal meth in this manner is so addictive, it is one of the hardest drugs to recover from. If you have been shooting up crystal meth, find medical help at a professional rehab facility.
What Does Shooting Up Heroin Feel Like?
Shooting up heroin gives the person an immediate feeling of euphoria. Along with this, most people will feel warm, have a dry mouth, and feel like their arms and legs are heavy.4
Heroin can provide a false sense of safety and well-being. People that are stuck in unsafe situations will turn to heroin as a temporary escape. Heroin is also reported as easing emotional trauma.5
Heroin for Pain Relief
Heroin does relieve physical pain, just like prescription opioids. One recent study concluded that 80% of people who report having an addiction to heroin began by taking prescription painkillers.6
The government’s response to the opioid epidemic has made prescription opioids much harder to get. So, more people are turning to heroin for pain relief. Many places report that it’s now cheaper and easier to get illegal heroin than getting legal prescription painkillers.
Other Drugs That Are Injected
Although meth and heroin are among the more commonly abused injected drugs, they are far from the only ones. Some use cocaine in the form of crack cocaine or morphine. Some people also mix heroin with cocaine to make a substance called a speedball. Some of the other drugs taken intravenously include:
- Bath salts
- Steroids
- Prescription drugs
- PCP
- Ketamine
Injecting Prescription Drugs
Those who take prescription drugs intravenously often do so because they want to feel the full effects of the drug as quickly as possible. In the same way that doctors often recommend that patients take a prescription painkiller before they experience any pain because it can take up to an hour or more for the effects to kick in, shooting up the drug helps it kick in quickly and provides both pain reduction and a euphoric feeling.
Oxycodone, including both the name brand and the generic, is a common IV drug. Some also use ADHD medications as an injection, including Ritalin.
Some of the common signs of drug use include a loss of interest in activities and hobbies, a change in personality, constant thoughts of using and abusing drugs, and physical changes.
When IV drug use occurs, you might notice that the eyes appear sunken and that bones show through the skin. It’s often hard to admit that there is a problem. Recognizing that an addiction is present is the first step on the road to recovery.
Drug Binges
More than 13 million people around the world use and abuse IV drugs and a large portion engages in something called a drug binge. A binge can last anywhere from a few days to a week. During drug binges, it’s common to stay awake the entire time. While some like to sit down and watch television or movies during a binge, others prefer to be physically active and to do things around the house. Some prefer to be alone and locked in their homes or apartments, and others like being around people.
During a drug binge, you may not see your loved one or have any way to contact that person. 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.
Health Risks and Dangers
Engaging in IV drug use results in an increased risk of developing other conditions later. It’s common for people to be more willing to take risks while in the middle of a drug binge. HIV diagnosis are more common among this population due to this, and dirty needles.
A dirty needle is one that is shared by two or more people. If someone who is HIV positive shares a needle with someone who does not have HIV, that person can contract the disease.
Anyone who uses drugs intravenously also has an increased risk of developing other conditions and diseases. One danger is that the drugs can cause memory problems. In fact, drugs can impact short-term and long-term memories. They may cause issues with remembering simple things, such as when to pick a child up from school or when to go to the grocery store. Long-term memory problems can result in forgetting the names of close friends.
In addition to HIV and sexually transmitted diseases, there is also a chance that IV drug use spreads other diseases as well. There are some clean needle exchanges available for anyone who needs them. This is to ensure that clean or new needles are available to avoid infections.
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Video: How to Help a Loved One
What to Do if Someone is Shooting Up
If you worry that someone you love has an addiction to an IV drug such as heroin or meth, you should look for the physical signs of addiction. You may want to look around the house for other signs as well. They may have hidden paraphernalia around the house, including the small plastic bags and glass vials that once held the drugs. You may find dirty needles or the orange caps that sit on the ends of the needles around the house.
When it comes time to help a loved one, you may want to stage an intervention with other family members and friends. You can all talk about addiction and how it has impacted your lives. A treatment center can help too. Both inpatient and outpatient programs offer plans that include helping with detox and taking the first steps toward recovery. If you want to help a loved one struggling with a IV drug addiction, talking to a treatment center is your best course of action.
Resources
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3225003/
- https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/methamphetamine/how-methamphetamine-misused
- https://www.drugfreeworld.org/drugfacts/crystalmeth.html
- https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/heroin/what-are-immediate-short-term-effects-heroin-use
- https://www.drugpolicy.org/drug-facts/what-is-heroin
- https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/DR006/DR006/nonmedical-pain-reliever-use-2013.htm
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