How to know if its safe to go to sleep (heroin/oxycodone) Harm Reduction

[oxyloveUK]

Want to know if it makes a difference if you stay awake or go to sleep if your breathing is slower during an intense opiate high. I've made myself stay awake having slightly shorter breaths during nods from oxycontin, methadone, H etc because of anxiety and always been fine but would like to know if it makes any difference staying awake or not because just going to sleep and not worrying would be nice in those situations

 

[Zopiclone bandit]

Want to know if it makes a difference if you stay awake or go to sleep if your breathing is slower during an intense opiate high. I've made myself stay awake having slightly shorter breaths during nods from oxycontin, methadone, H etc because of anxiety and always been fine but would like to know if it makes any difference staying awake or not because just going to sleep and not worrying would be nice in those situations

I'm still alive & many others are too. I'd say go to sleep you would know it quite damn fast if something was wrong after a crank & I am quite sure it's nearly impossible to go over from a smoke.

 

[FlyingDutchman342]

I'm also afraid of this, everytime I use a large dose. I try to stay awake most of the time.
I think the danger of inhaling your own vomit is a bigger threat than respiratory depression, so I either try to sleep in a vertical position (sitting on my couch) or lay down in the recovery position (quite comfortable, by the way)...

 

[oxyloveUK]

Yeah I often lay down in a recovery position too and with oxy theres no vomit to worry about for me unlike gear but get shallow breathing with all of them. Worrying about it ruins the high though and falling asleep on it is lovely haha. I've felt comatose from methadone many times and had to walk around the house, inject naloxone and things. I guess its always safer to have a mate around

 

[Shambles]

IME at least, if you are even aware enough to know there is possibility of being in trouble you are well short of ODing. Whenever I've gone over there was essentially zero warning and even if there had've been I was so blissed-out and beyond caring I was... beyond caring.

Potential inhalation of vomit is definitely a real concern though - especially if other drugs/drinks are involved. Having somebody somewhat more sensible than oneself is no bad idea where possible. Somebody who is equally or more reckless maybe no so much. One time I recall spending the best part of an hour slapping around my grey-blue shooting buddy before caving in to the need to at least take the edge of the w/d with that clearly frikkin' top-notch gear we'd scored... an hour or so previously. Next think I know I came around to said chap slapping the shit outta grey-blue me. Then we went to the pub cos... Harm Reduction. 8)

To be clear, that last wasn't entirely serious and is probably why most folk I knew back then are long dead. Combining depressants gets messy

 

[monstanoodle]

I'll add my 0.2 Bitcocks in here and say that, unless you are SURE of your tolerance and when you have a ball-park-guestimate on your usual safe dosage (while enjoying your experience, obviously) then it's better to be a clich? than sorry
I had to dump a whole 2 litre bottle and give a good few slaps inbetween to a lady I was with once, and if it wasn't for the Adrenaline I was able to produce via doing that, she'd not be one of the best Mums on the planet right now... that was a scary fucking moment 8(

As McShammy Shambles stated - The safest way to be... well... safe, is to have a "sitter" (as you would with Psychedelic experiences) to be there watching your back. But that really doesn't happen too often when it comes to Opioids and the company they can gravitate towards other users.... sad, but true

I just want you to try have some Naloxone on you if there is someone willing to be the Opioid-Sitter, because if you do go over the edge, then you will be very unlikely to know until the absolute last minute or so.
Smoking H is the safest way, because you will nod out before you have ANY chance of ODing= That being if you don't ingest or know the limits of any other CNS Depressants that you choose to ingest!!!!

Just be really careful mate - we do not want to lose another BL member: Especially one who has joined so recently and who can learn so much life-saving Harm Reduction from BL

 

[oxyloveUK]

The thing is doped out awareness could quickly turn into your heart stopping if you nod to sleep? thats what I'm worried about. Thank you monstanoodle x

went to the pub, harm reduction hahaha jokes

 

[Shambles]

... try have some Naloxone on you...

Good point. I forgot they dish out vials of Naloxone at DSPs these days. Got a few vials kicking about even now and it surely did save a life or three even amongst folk I knew back in the day. Definitely worth having to hand if in any doubt. Although, in all honesty, every OD I've witnessed (and there have been a few) came on so rapidly there was zero chance of catching it unless a more sober person was present to dish out the Naloxone shots and/or call 999.

went to the pub, harm reduction hahaha jokes

 

[oxyloveUK]

A while back the same syringes I got full of naloxone I later used to shoot crushed oxycontin and heroin haha. its okay to IV with an IM needle right?

 

[Zopiclone bandit]

A while back the same syringes I got full of naloxone I later used to shoot crushed oxycontin and heroin haha. its okay to IV with an IM needle right?

Jesus wept, I'd say that isn't a great idea myself. I have gone in my arm before with a 2ml but it wasn't nice, I am no preacher & tell folks what to do but that really doesn't sound a good idea to me. Veins are kinda important you know & without them you're kinda fucked, you wanna end up looking like you been on Desomorphine AKA krokodil for years which I am quite sure doing that will give you those results.

 

[F.U.B.A.R.]

A while back the same syringes I got full of naloxone I later used to shoot crushed oxycontin and heroin haha. its okay to IV with an IM needle right?

Tbh mate, there's no such thing as IV and IM needles - just different gauges. You use what you need. When I was a young speedfreak in the early 80s, we had no needle exchanges. We used what we could get - shared with every fucker under the sun (this was prior to AIDS, but not hepatitis - unfortunately) and sharpened on a matchbox if they were getting a bit blunt. I've even been known to resort to a cow needle once when I chanced upon a vial of pharmaceutical methamphetamine and that was my only option. That fucker had a larger diameter than most veins in my body, but my arm took it well. In fact, I never experienced any vein damage as a speedfreak (regardless of needle size) and was IVing 10+ times a day.

The damage hit when I started using citric acid for shooting gear. That shit is the very worst thing for your veins - use the slightest amount you can (and I mean just a couple of grains) as you only need to neutralise the solution - any excess has you shooting acid onto your veins.

So in short, it's not really the needle that's the problem, it's what you put in it...

 

[Shambles]

I would personally opt for the smallest guage possible for IV use but I may well be biased due to having appalling veins in the first place. Even before I started shooting up it'd take docs ages to hit up a vein long enough to take a few vials of blood for testing - several years after quitting pretty much all IV use and it takes literally weeks with multiple appointments for non-emergency venal access and, pretty much always, ultrasound and multi-inch needles for deep vein access for emergency situations.

Take very good care of your veins. They never, ever, get better than they are right now at this very moment.

Fubz is spot on with the citric call though. Hey, Zeus, fuck! does that stuff ruin veins severely and rapidly. Vit C powder is your friend and I'd personally go with nothing larger than standard 1ml syringes for IV use - or 0.5ml size if you don't mind paying for pins. Can't recall the guage-size offhand but these things are standard so easy to acquire at any pharmacy and/or needle exchange.