Harm Reduction Slammin' Dope in Your Neck

[J.Tweezy]

Ok so I always under the impression that when you shoot up you want the needle pointed towards your heart. However when i see people shooting into their neck they always have the needle pointed up towards their head. While it seems a lot easier to hit yourself in the neck when the needle is facing up, in theory shouldn't the needle be pointing down?

 

[tricomb]

IMO, if you're resorting to hitting your jugular veins which carry blood from your brain to your heart, it would be time to quit intravenous drug abuse.

 

[Jabberwocky]

they're following the the direction their circulatory system. you don't shoot against the flow of your blood.

 

[xxxyyy]

yep, the throat is an area where nothing pointy or sharp has any right to be.

 

[tricomb]

A missed shot, abscess in the neck would most likely prove fatal, the swelling would be extremely problematic not to mention the infection. I don't even want to think about what that would do to the nerves in your neck. The human body can endure a lot of abuse but this is one thing that really tests the limits.

I would highly recommend you realize the gravity of your situation and consider options like quitting or maintenance drugs like methadone.

 

[HYDRO_CHRONIC]

i have always wondered if sombody accidently hit the corotid (sp) artery and what would happen

 

[Hiltoniano]

^whatever would happen... It would not be pretty. Very likely fatal. Anyone shooting into their neck has some serious thinking to do about their actions, but will most likely be past the point of thinking at all... It's quite sad TBH how depraved people can become.

 

[J.Tweezy]

I appreciate everyones concern for me but as stated before im not the one who is IV'ing into their neck. Since we have gotten away from my original question I'll try and break it down for you guys. Which way does the blood flow in the jugular vein? Is it flowing towards your heart or towards your brain? Because you would want the needle pointed in the direction of the blood flow, correct?

 

[Znegative]

You would be pointing the tip of the syringe towards your head if you were to shoot into your jugular. That being said, this is an incredibly dangerous way to use drugs as a miss can be fatal. I know a lot of people claim that shooting into your jugular creates a stronger rush or a more potent high, but that's not true. Like everyone else said, if you have to do this, you should try smoking or plugging your gear as your life is worth more than a shot of heroin.

 

[Jabberwocky]

I know a lot of people claim that shooting into your jugular creates a stronger rush or a more potent high, but that's not true.

not arguing for the sake of it and i can't speak for myself but i've fixed a friend up in the neck a few times and he said it definitely gave him a more intense rush.

 

[Swimmingdancer]

Of course there are many reasons to never inject yourself in the neck, but in answer to the OP's question:

Ok so I always under the impression that when you shoot up you want the needle pointed towards your heart. However when i see people shooting into their neck they always have the needle pointed up towards their head. While it seems a lot easier to hit yourself in the neck when the needle is facing up, in theory shouldn't the needle be pointing down?

It's true that you want the needle pointed in the direction that the blood flows towards your heart. If a person was injecting into the jugular vein in the neck, then they should be pointing the needle down towards the heart. The blood from the jugular collects the blood from the smaller veins in the brain and face and then flows down to the heart to be recirculated through the arteries.

Here is a diagram:

You would be pointing the tip of the syringe towards your head if you were to shoot into your jugular. That being said, this is an incredibly dangerous way to use drugs as a miss can be fatal. I know a lot of people claim that shooting into your jugular creates a stronger rush or a more potent high, but that's not true. Like everyone else said, if you have to do this, you should try smoking or plugging your gear as your life is worth more than a shot of heroin.

Znegative, why would the needle be pointed towards the head? Am I missing something?

 

[J.Tweezy]

Of course there are many reasons to never inject yourself in the neck, but in answer to the OP's question:


It's true that you want the needle pointed in the direction that the blood flows towards your heart. If a person was injecting into the jugular vein in the neck, then they should be pointing the needle down towards the heart. The blood from the jugular collects the blood from the smaller veins in the brain and face and then flows down to the heart to be recirculated through the arteries.

Here is a diagram:

Znegative, why would the needle be pointed towards the head? Am I missing something?

Thank you for actually answering my question

 

[Trigeminal]

Venous blood always goes toward the heart, arterial blood away from it.

So the external jugular vein that people shoot up in, blood flows down.

The common carotid artery in your neck, blood flows up.

To whomever asked about hitting the common carotid--that would be pretty damn hard to do with just a syringe, the carotid is deep in the neck.

 

[Znegative]

not arguing for the sake of it and i can't speak for myself but i've fixed a friend up in the neck a few times and he said it definitely gave him a more intense rush.

Right, I was hesitant to make that statement as I've never shot into my jugular personally, but even if it does produce a slightly more intense rush, the high would be exactly the same, and the rush could not be worth the risks of missing the vein.

 

[rob5482]

Venous blood always goes toward the heart, arterial blood away from it.

So the external jugular vein that people shoot up in, blood flows down.

The common carotid artery in your neck, blood flows up.

To whomever asked about hitting the common carotid--that would be pretty damn hard to do with just a syringe, the carotid is deep in the neck.

You are correct in everything except hitting the carotid. Being a paramedic in my past life, while trying to start an iv in the jugular I have hit the carotid artery. An iv catheter is no longer then your normal 22g syringe. Granted if he was using a diabetic needle (as most of the HR users do) then yes it would be very hard.

And you can inject the opposite way the blood flows though not recommended. Then again I wouldn't recommend using a needle to any one, too many risks, when there are other safer? ways.

 

[Tommyboy]

I think that most people that hit in their neck do so with the syringe pointed upward (at least in all the junkie videos I have seen) which makes it even more dangerous since it is the wrong way.

 

[Trigeminal]

You are correct in everything except hitting the carotid. Being a paramedic in my past life, while trying to start an iv in the jugular I have hit the carotid artery. An iv catheter is no longer then your normal 22g syringe. Granted if he was using a diabetic needle (as most of the HR users do) then yes it would be very hard.

And you can inject the opposite way the blood flows though not recommended. Then again I wouldn't recommend using a needle to any one, too many risks, when there are other safer? ways.

Ah, yea, I was thinking of diabetic syringes, but that is interesting about the 22 gauge (or IV cath) being able to hit the carotid--I honestly would have thought that one would be iffy.

Sometimes practical knowledge > book knowledge.

 

[SpaceYourBassAgain]

why the fuck would you want to bang your jugular vein dumbass

Why the fuck would you want to display your ignorance? Of course your question was rhetorical, but who was it for? Everyone else pretty much said that IVing in the neck is terrible and/or answered the question. The OP just wanted a question answered for the sake of curiosity - Why do junkies shoot upwards in the neck when logically they should be shooting downwards (and which way is correct)? This is a valid question, so why do you chime-in calling people dumbasses?

Here is a video of the correct *direction* to IV in the neck - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgyUDcwIY_U - which is downwards towards the heart. Notice the screw-ups though, which the description explains. They never actually hit the vein.

Here's a video where they actually hit the jugular correctly - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoLgMnDOBpY&feature=fvwrel

I think that junkies sometimes point up because it is an easier maneuver. Here is a video of an addict injecting upwards in the neck - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eA7ZEjYmhOI

People are going to shoot-up (or down) in their necks whether we like it or not. The least we can do at BL is reveal which direction to point the needle.

 

[tricomb]

Please refrain from personal attacks on fellow members, provocative posts were UA'd.

The consensus, don't shoot into your neck the risks are too huge, the direction of the needle is not going to prevent serious life threatening consequences although you should always inject in the direction of the bloodflow.