Heroin How can you tell if you've overdosed?

[Bomb319]

If you haven't passed out, obviously. I've been using for 7 years now, but I have always tried to be very cautious so I have never overdosed, felt sick or anything from too much. I even have a vial of naloxone and IM syringe handy. However it occurs to me that I would have no idea if and when to use it! I mean I'm assuming if I pass out before I can even tell, I'm dead anyway..but otherwise I have absolutely no clue what symptoms to watch out for with respiratory depression. Now that I'm taking a high dose of methadone (125 mg daily maintenance), I really try hard to avoid heroin or pills and mostly I succeed. I've had a lot of sinus pain lately though and I have tried to shoot through my methadone using around 0.2-0.3 grams of heroin.

I know this is not ideal, but I need to know what to expect if or when I do it again. My pupils are still very large regardless of how I feel so I don't know if that's showing my high tolerance and safety or if it just is no longer affected. When I just used 0.3 g, I felt it come on suddenly and my vision seemed to get brighter and overcome me for several seconds and then faded, but felt no other effects at all during or after that. Thanks for the help. Mods: I really need to be careful and know what I'm doing here, so..please don't close this, ok??? I can't think of any more pertinent harm reduction content than this. Thank you.

 

[BlueHues]

^Ha....well, the problem with a heroin overdose is: The person who's ODing is usually the last to know, if they ever have the privilege of being able to be told at all, if you get what I'm saying!

A lot of people aim to get high to the point that they're nodding off. The problem with that, is that the dose that it takes to "make you nod" isn't really all that far off from the dose that makes you completely lose consciousness and go into respiratory depression, so you have a lot of heroin users routinely doing amounts of heroin that are right on the line of what they can handle.

If you happen to have done too much, but you're up and about walking in public or something, the signs that you'd be aware of would be:

Inability to keep your eyes open, struggling to stay conscious, disorientation and probably vomiting. There's not much more than that....A heroin overdose is your body shutting down, and pretty much usually involves unconsciousness...So, being around other people to administer the naloxone, and being extremely cautious and conservative when using by yourself, is really the only defense.

 

[Bomb319]

Pretty much what I figured. All the more reason to stay clean. I'm lucky in that methadone seems to be very efficient at taking away my cravings and allowing me to function without having to pick up constantly. Thanks for the reply

 

[Mr.Scagnattie]

Naloxone is more supposed to be kept around to use on other people, or have someone use it on you... if you OD on heroin.. you're not going to be able to give it to yourself.. because if you were at the point where you needed naloxone, you'd be unconscious..

Ha.

 

[pinpoint]

you'd be unconscious..

Basically this. I've freaked out a few times and thought I was OD'ing, but the fact that I was still conscious was a good indication that I was going to be okay. Technically using any opiate to get high is classified as an OD, but it sounds like you're asking a question akin to 'how do I know I'm asleep?' You won't know until you are, lol.

 

[BlueHues]

Yup…..