• 💊 OTHER DRUGS 💊 Welcome Guest
    Posting Rules Bluelight Rules
    Notable Threads 1 Notable Threads 2
    Dangerous Combos Addiction Support
    Emergency Services Benzo Guide v.1
    Addiction Stories Scary Case Studies
    Biology, Pharmacology & Drugs 101
  • Select Your Topic Then Scroll Down
    Alcohol Bupe Benzos
    Cocaine Heroin Opioids
    RCs Stimulants Misc
    Harm Reduction All Topics Gabapentinoids
    Tired of your habit? Struggling to cope?
    Want to regain control or get sober?
    Visit our Recovery Support Forums

Heroin What gives heroin "legs"?

Elilrac

Elilrac

Bluelighter
Joined
Jul 23, 2009
Messages
144
From what I'm heard its somehow differences in the actual diacetylmorphine, does anyone have info on this?
 
I believe this is because of what the heroin gets broken down into. Some gets broken down into 6-monoacetylmorphine, which causes the initial rush. The "legs" occur because heroin also gets broken down into morphine, which is more of a drawn out, gentler high.

Basically, when you take heroin it's almost like you're taking two different forms of opiates.
 
i don't have any real info but street heroin can contain some of the other opium plant's alkaloids that greatly extend the high. For example look at poppy tea, morphine itself doesn't last long but poppy tea can last 12-24 hours depending on the person.

I think that probably accounts for the difference between pure heroin and the stuff you get from your local heroin salesman.
 
Can someone explain what is meant by the term "legs"? I'm a long time opiate user/addict but I never heard that term before coming on this board so I'm not quite sure what it means.
 
This is an odd question...

Every opiate has it's own subtle differences when it comes to the high.. even without factoring in ROA.

Soo... just like anything else.. the specific chemical makeup of heroin results in its own unique effects..including the duration..
 
diacetylmorphine is heroin no?

As far as i know NOBODY on this planet(at least the u.s.) has ever receieved diacetylmorphine(heroin) in a pure medicinal form(such as dilaudid HP or sterile vials of drugs) seeing as it is a schedule 1. As far as i know hospitals only use dilaudid, fent, oxy, morphine, and the occasional pethidine or some odd ball opioid.

Odds are your stuff isn't 100% pure, therefore it could be other alkaloids or the cut or a large number of substances, metabolites, etc etc. that are affecting the high and putting legs on your shit.

When you say legs you mean duration of action or overall effect?
 
Diamorph is available as a maintenance drug. Available across the Atlantic. But as for legs this is weird as I have had almost pure Diamorph and it lasted like 8 hours high as can be, and the purest tar ive had only last a couple hours (high wise). Its weird how it does, someone answer this!
 
Extra alkaloids in certain forms of h would probably be why sometimes i can snort it and be high for like 12-15 hours after the last line...its not a strong high and there is not much of an initial rush after snorting but it seems to last forever....very similar feeling to PST actually...

OP - Just curious, do you IV or snort?
 
Last edited:
Treefa said:
diacetylmorphine is heroin no?

As far as i know NOBODY on this planet(at least the u.s.) has ever receieved diacetylmorphine(heroin) in a pure medicinal form(such as dilaudid HP or sterile vials of drugs) seeing as it is a schedule 1. As far as i know hospitals only use dilaudid, fent, oxy, morphine, and the occasional pethidine or some odd ball opioid.

Odds are your stuff isn't 100% pure, therefore it could be other alkaloids or the cut or a large number of substances, metabolites, etc etc. that are affecting the high and putting legs on your shit.

When you say legs you mean duration of action or overall effect?
Click to expand...


I think it was sweden or switzerland who have a doctor office that provides 100% pure heroin to its patients. I remember seeing it on a show on the national geographic channel and it was completely clear liquid/white powder. It made me think of all the nasty stuff that must be in tar heroin if it is originally clear/white.
 
I would agree with the first poster's explanation. Heroin gets metabolized into morphine as well as a handful of other opiates. I dont think the 6-mam is responsible for the legs because that is one of the main ingredients in black tar heroin (bth for short) and from what I've been told bth has a shorter duration. I think the metabolism into 6-mam is what gives east coast powder (ecp) it's rush, and after the rush dies down the other metabolites give it it's length of action. This process is more pronounced in I.V. heroin.
 
I thought the OP was asking why some batches of street heroin seem to last longer than others. Like people will say "this dope has legs" or "this dope has no legs". Like asking if it's all heroin how come some heroin has a longer duration of effects than others.
 
down508 said:
I would agree with the first poster's explanation. Heroin gets metabolized into morphine as well as a handful of other opiates. I dont think the 6-mam is responsible for the legs because that is one of the main ingredients in black tar heroin (bth for short) and from what I've been told bth has a shorter duration. I think the metabolism into 6-mam is what gives east coast powder (ecp) it's rush, and after the rush dies down the other metabolites give it it's length of action. This process is more pronounced in I.V. heroin.
Click to expand...

This is actually what I was stating originally. The 6-mam is responsible for the initial rush, because it hits quick and fast. The drawn out high is due to what gets broken down into morphine.

Perhaps the reason why different batches have different feels is just how it's processed/ the original poppy plant used. It could be like how some weed has more sativa properties and others have more indica... Some dope gets broken down into 6-mam mostly, and others mostly get broken down into morphine...

Just a thought, not entirely positive but it makes sense to me
 
Swimmingdancer said:
I thought the OP was asking why some batches of street heroin seem to last longer than others. Like people will say "this dope has legs" or "this dope has no legs". Like asking if it's all heroin how come some heroin has a longer duration of effects than others.
Click to expand...

This was what I was asking. I IV, by the way.
 
I never implied that I get "pure diacetylmorphine" I was referring to heroin having diacetylmorphine as the primary active ingredient.
 
All street heroin is impure. I don't really think differences in duration of effects are due to "differences in the actual diacetylmorphine".

So, we have a number of types of street "heroin":

1. powder heroin hydrochloride - Diacetylmorphine salt + can contain varying amounts of impurities from manufacturing depending on whether it was properly refined + cuts.
2. tar heroin - What makes tar specific is the use of an antiquated process to make it, which produces a relatively unrefined product resulting in greater amounts of other morphine derivatives, such as 6-monoacetylmorphine (which is active) and 3-monoacetylmorphine, and perhaps some unreacted morphine (and who knows what else).
3. tar heroin that has been turned into a powder by mixing it with cut (appearance-wise can sometimes can be very hard to tell from regular powder heroin, except that tar heroin made into powder is not likely to be pure white whereas sometimes heroin hcl powder dope can be pure white)
4. base heroin (but we'll exclude this as it's rare in North America)

Potential factors:
- impurities from the manufacturing process as mentioned above
- added "inactive" cuts
- added active adulterants, such as: other opioids, drugs added to potentiate the effects/reduce the rate at which the body breaks down opioids, or other drugs added (to make it more smokable, to enhance nasal absorption, to make it more stimulating, whatever)
- potency: if you have a higher percentage of actual heroin in your dope and use the same amount by weight, that is obviously going to get you higher but the noticeable effects will also last longer.

Euphio said:
Perhaps the reason why different batches have different feels is just how it's processed/ the original poppy plant used. It could be like how some weed has more sativa properties and others have more indica...
Click to expand...
No. Whether or not it's properly processed, yes. The poppy plants used, no. There are a lot of steps between poppy and heroin, it's not like weed. Hard to explain more but think about the fact that morphine is made from poppies and it doesn't vary depending on the plants used. We're not talking about raw opium here but a drug that is synthesized from morphine :)
 
Last edited:
I get hcl /powder. So you're saying that the potency is the most likely factor in giving heroin "legs"?
 
Euphio said:
I believe this is because of what the heroin gets broken down into. Some gets broken down into 6-monoacetylmorphine, which causes the initial rush. The "legs" occur because heroin also gets broken down into morphine, which is more of a drawn out, gentler high.

Basically, when you take heroin it's almost like you're taking two different forms of opiates.
Click to expand...


This is only true for black tar, true pure heroin doesnt have ANY 6-mam
 
What other opiates are used to cut h with other than fent? Just curious...
 
Elilrac said:
I get hcl /powder. So you're saying that the potency is the most likely factor in giving heroin "legs"?
Click to expand...

Potency was just one potential factor I listed. The impurities could play a role (powder dope is not necessarily just pure diacetylmorphine + an inactive cut). And some street heroin contains potentiators, which may slow the breakdown of morphine, extending the effects.

Also how can you be sure that your dope is really mainly hcl? I live somewhere that only has white or off-white powder and never regular tar but sometimes one gets what might be tar that's made into a powder without being informed that it is such (the powder is darker, the resulting liquid is darker, it smells just like tar heroin, the effects feel different). Anyway, my point is just that you never know what is in street heroin.

filthygerms said:
This is only true for black tar, true pure heroin doesnt have ANY 6-mam
Click to expand...

They were saying that heroin (diacetylmorphine) is converted into 6-MAM in the brain after injecting it. Heroin is considered a pro-drug, heroin itself is actually a weaker opioid, its effects are mainly due to to the fact that the body converts it to 6-MAM and then to morphine.

However, as I said street "heroin" is never pure diacetylmorphine and powder "heroin" can contain stuff like 6-MAM and morphine too.

ShaunG said:
What other opiates are used to cut h with other than fent? Just curious...
Click to expand...

I have heard of people selling other opioids as heroin, for example morphine or even oxycodone (if it's a place where heroin would be more valuable/easier to sell), but I don't think it happens that often. You hear about fentanyl more often. But morphine is actually pretty hard to tell from heroin - they did some studies where users couldn't tell them apart (although the studies didn't say anything about the duration). Personally I think morphine tends to cause more pins and needles though. Morphine and its derivatives can also be present from crappy manufacturing as I mentioned above.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top