Harm Reduction Injection; IV Complications and Info MEGATHREAD & FAQ III Vs I Want Blood

[Zerrr]

Okay so I've always had horrible veins even before I became an iv user... I've really never ived anything other than Suboxone... The doctors could hardly hit me before I ever picked up the needle myself.

Anyways... My arms are fucked, my feet are fucked, hands, wrists etc. so I was starting to use my finger veins. Well I ived a half a quarter of sub 3 nights ago in the top of my index finger no problem. So the next morning I went to go in the same spot.

Anyways. Blood came in it the whole time checked it probably 4 times and it kept burning so I just pulled it out and said fuck it. So it wasn't the WHOLE shot but about 75% of it. Ugh. I've had 5 abcesses in the passed 5 months. I'm scared.

I started taking 500mg of cephalexin 3 times that day because of course my finger began to swell. I'm hoping these could possibly stop an infection from forming ??? Anyone know ?

The finger has began to get a little bigger but my hand went down after about 48hrs. Any advice would be great. Or any support. I'm wanting to stop so bad and honestly don't know how... It scares me.

I'm so torn and it seems to be such a worry anymore. I wanna just say fuck it and stop but I'm sure you all know how that is. I'm having to go like kinda in my hip bones right now. I HATE THIS. I need some advice

simple advice is stop IV subs. I still do not understand why people feel the need to IV this medication. IMO you should get professional help. See a Physician + Psychologist or at least try detox, rehab.

http://www.bluelight.org/vb/threads/445570-Case-Studies-(It-could-happen-to-YOU-)

Hi, I read a lot of forums on people talking about missed shots and what to do. ...however, I don't know if the same "advice" applies to me since most people were saying what to do immediately after missing (they either use hot water/ hot compress and/or cold ice pack).
It's on my forearm like a few inches above my Palm and I knew that the kid missed when he did it, but I wasn't home I didn't take care of it...and then it really started bothering me badly but still was hoping it would just go down. Now it's a big red hard bump that I just noticed got warm which I believe means infection. ..so I'm worried.

Basically I wrote a whole novel...sorry .it was all just to say: that I was too irresponsible to take care of a missed shot right away and now almost 2 days later I'm not sure what to do since it's hurting and warm big and red. Usually these things go away by me...but not always. ...
Help anyone? Please.

Ps. This was my 1st post ever so please forgive my rambling. ..I'll get better at this

Status update? Yes, apply warm/hot compress after miss. (you can run a wash cloth under hot water than keep on the site for like 15-20 mins per hour, for the next few hours)

If it's not getting any better only safe answer I can give is go to ER.

 

[RedLightBlueLight]

"Injecting magnesium sulfate as an antiarrhythmic agent. Thoughts?"

"Has anyone ever tried or would they inject Magnesium Sulfate if they felt they were at risk of a heart attack or stroke due to an overdose of stimulants?"

Magnesium sulfate injection is used in the ER as an antiarrhythmic agent, anticonvulsant and to lower blood presure. I have started taking it orally and from day one I have found it to be effective. But this is much more specific. IV users are either smart or morons. It's perfectly safe to inject magnesum sulfate, but would we do it if our choices were to either call an ambulance which might not get to us in time, ask the nearest person if they could drive you to the hospital because you have overdosed on drugs and don't want to die or grab a (prepared in advance) barrel that just might save our life?

I've included a few references, but I want feedback. Criticise, insult, offer an opinion or suggest an alternative or perhaps an improvement, I don't care. Give it to me.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnesium_sulfate

http://www.webmd.com/drugs/2/drug-1467/magnesium-sulfate-injection/details/list-conditions

http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/diet-and-nutrition/medicines/magnesium-sulphate-injection.html

http://reference.medscape.com/drug/mgso4-magnesium-sulfate-344444#10


I look forward to your response,

RLBL

 

[not_the_droids]

Has anyone ever ran into the situation where is feels like the vein above the injection site is swollen and hard. At first I though it was just the tissue around the vein from an infiltration (missed shot), but since the swelling has gone down some I can feel the vein its-self is swollen and hard. Never ran into this before, anyone have any thoughts?

 

[Bill]

^ Usually from a little bit of a miss while going in or out or re using the same rig ime
If it get's worse later through the day you should want to seek medical advice but I wouldn't be worried though

 

[red22]

Scott, Jenny. Laboratory study of the effectiveness of filters used by heroin injectors. Journal of Substance Use, Oct 2005, 10(5): 293–301

 

[missed]

missed shot

So I tried to IV myself first and last time as I pulled back, saw red, pushed slow, felt no pain, and at first I thought I did things right, but then a really slow onset and swelling developed. I guess I poked all the way through or something. It hurts around the swelling as well as the bottom edge of my hand under the base of the thumb.

It's been a good hour or so and the pain level is around 2 unless I hold my arm straight where it is four. How long should I wait for the pain to go away before worrying?

 

[baggerr]

I'm using a 1.5 inch needle, I think that may be the problem. I just missed on my other arm.. it registered, and then I think when I push down the plunger I accidentally pierce through the other side at some point. There was a small lump but went away mostly within 10 minutes.

However, the original shot I made the post for (my left arm) still feels sore/tight when its either fully extended or fully bent in. Theres very little (faded) redness on it, and it hurts when I press down on it. Thoughts? I think its been around 24 hours.. It's not swollen or any bumps - just soreness, light redness and a little bruising and hurts with pressure.

Should I get it checked out? If need be my mother is a nurse and she knows what I do. I'd rather not, but if need be I'd rather come to her before facing medical bills. Or should I wait another day?

Overall.. I'm staying away from needles for a while now. It's not even for worthy substances (bupe).. its just the ritual and a sense of control for at least my own body .

1.5" is way too long imo. Even a 1" is long but it also depends on your body. I prefer .5 inch that way you dont usually go too far which can happen with longer ones. With 1.5" even at a 45* angle thats too deep, the veins you want are on the surface so .5" should do you. Blood flows like this, fresh blood goes down the center of your extremities from main arteries to smaller capillaries and from inside out, then outside in from small capillaries to main arteries. One of the reasons you hit the return veins is for the drug to go directly to your head without travelling through the whole body first, its also why you direct the rig towards you, to go with the flow of returning blood.

 

[pete1891]

That post is some scary shit. I have been injecting Heroin for about 5 years. I have tried to quit a few times, but I go back. I often times do more than I should, then get really paranoid that I am going to overdose. I usually call my Mom when this happens and talk to her, she tells me that if I had od'd It would be pretty well as soon as I do the shot. Is this correct? Gennerally Heroin gives me energy rather than downing me. I really freak out when this happens, my heart rate goes up, and I panic. So my question is were I to overdose would it usually be right after I shoot, or could it happen an hour later? This is an old thread, but I did not want to get in trouble for starting a thread in the wrong spot, or a covered subject. Thank you.

 

[lazylazyjoe]

^ Just talking about that in another thread. Almost every OD I've either had, or seen, happened within a minute of the shot(or immediately) with almost no ability to realize an overdose was imminent. I've seen people take there shot and fall flat on there face, needle in arm.

One OD my friend had, she had done several doses over an hour. She was awake for about 5 to 10 minutes after her last shot before she stopped breathing; however afterward she had no memory of it so if she were to have been by herself, she wouldn't have been aware of it happening and be able to alert anyone.

 

[pete1891]

So if I am still ok to talk say 20 min later, I should be fine? I rarely nod, and when I do enough that I do, I get really scared that I won't wake up. I am however a n extrmely paranoid person. Thank you

 

[WeedDxm]

Guys I think I might have an abscess. 3 days ago, I shot up heroin. I'm pretty sure I didn't miss the shot. The next day I noticed some redness on my arm. Now it's 3 days later, and the redness has not gone away, and I have a lump on my arm. It is painful to touch, and is hard underneath. Do I need to see a doctor? When I move my arm in certain ways it becomes very painful.

 

[pete1891]

If you are worried you should go to walk in clinic. I have lumps all over my arms though, and they have never cuased a problem, sometimes they take a year to go away. I have also dealt with abscess at home. I like to video tape it when they finally come to a head. I am not a doctor. Don't lose an arm over what some junkie on the internet tells you, you will know if you need to go in, I would think.

 

[pete1891]

If you are worried you should go to walk in clinic. I have lumps all over my arms though, and they have never cuased a problem, sometimes they take a year to go away. I have also dealt with abscess at home. I like to video tape it when they finally come to a head. I am not a doctor. Don't lose an arm over what some junkie on the internet tells you, you will know if you need to go in, I would think.

 

[lazylazyjoe]

^ If it's not swollen and warm to the touch, it's probably cellulitis.

Don't inject near it and try to get some antibiotics and NSAIDs. Read the first post in this thread, there is lots more info.

 

[crOOk]

^ If it's not swollen and warm to the touch, it's probably cellulitis.

Don't inject near it and try to get some antibiotics and NSAIDs. Read the first post in this thread, there is lots more info.

Cellulitis is an acute subcutaneous baceterial infection and indeed presents with swelling and local warmth. Like most profound bacterial infections it is a very dangerous condition and kills ten thousands of people every year. The mortality is around 5% due to the infection becoming systemic. This figure based on hospital admissions in Spain. Keep in mind that it doesn't include those cases whose victims never seek a hospital, either due to the infection being very mild, resolving spontaneously or them not having access to health care (the latter group usually has a significantly worse prognosis, the former two obviously have a much better one).

These are the general signs of an infection, but they include autoimmune processes which usually aren't a threat to your life:
-rubor (redness)
-tumor (swelling)
-calor (warmth)
-dolor (pain)
-functio laesa (impaired function)

Cellulitis is not the only type of localized infection like that and it is hard to impossible to tell apart from some other conditions by mere inspection. Most notably these would be stasis dermatitis and thrombosis, but there also are a number of specific types of cellulitis that are caused by specific pathogenic organisms, not all of them being bacteria.

So whenever you recognize these symptoms underneith your skin, it is time to see a doctor. If you absolutely do not have the means to see one, then at least treat yourself with broadband antibiotics. This doesn't guarantee remission or even survival, but it will still improve your prognosis. You would not be the first one to end up with an amputated arm (2% of admissions) because you waited a couple of day to see how things progress before going to a clinic/praxis. Be especially alarmed when there is a delay of at least half a day for these symptoms to show up after a possible contamination of your tissue with pathogenic organisms. Any swelling presenting immediately post injection should from that point on resolve, no matter how quickly this happens. If whatever space-occupying process underneith your skin worsens, it is not a direct cause of the mechanical damage the needle did, but more likely to be an inflammatory process, possibly involving living pathogens or virii.

Is the information you are referring to found in the original post? That needs to be fixed as soon as possible if it is.

Wikipedia, people, wikipedia. Always double check your facts before releasing them into the world.

 

[missed]

Missed dilaidid shot

About two-three days ago I missed a shot I made with two 2 mg dilly roche generics. While it is not red our anything it is still swollen and is painful when I press on it. Should I worry? If not will the swelling go away? How long? I'm hoping it is not something severe, but I'm just asking as it does not seem severe enough to bring up to a doctor although it is irritating.

So any ideas why I feel a small hard area by the missed shot under the swelling? It seems to be getting better, but dunno. If anyone has recommendations on what to do I'd appreciate it too

 

[Sick Minded]

Occasional horrible reaction from IV pill use. Please advise

I've been an opiate addict for about 12 years now...with the obligatory clean spells (the longest of which being over a year). Although I've only ever taken the roxy 30's via IV (due to their absurdly low BA from other routes), i had always been an insufflation/oral route kinda guy. That is up until a few months ago when my marriage, career, and my life in general crumbled around me. Since then I've been strictly slammin'. Mostly Opanas, Roxy's and dilaudids. Tried dope and hated it, was a real "dirty" high, not my thing I guess.
Now that you have my backstory, here's my question/concern: since I've started with the needles almost exclusively, I've been experiencing these horrible "episodes". Usually they happen after I go pretty hard for a couple days, basically what happens is that I'll get EXTREMELY cold. I'll shiver uncontrollably, almost to the point of convulsing. I'll then get hit with severe body pains and basically what feels like acute wd's. Problem is that it almost never happens when I should be getting sick. In fact, today, was definitely the worst episode I've had, and it began less than an hour after I just had a shot! It's beginning to concern me a great deal, not because I value my life at all, but because it's fuckin HORRIBLE!!! I went through it today, and it wiped me OUT! I was shot the rest of the day, even tho I had done more than enough shots to get right, during and afterward. My one buddy gets the same thing, but neither of us can make heads or tails of it. Can someone PLEASE help with this?? A name for it? An explanation? A remedy or way to stop it from occurring? ANYTHING???

 

[Bearlove]

Hey there - I read your post but I really have no idea about the drugs you are using. Didn't wan't you to think people were looking at your post and ignoring your (there not)

Bear

 

[Been there...]

Wait a bit...

Just wait it out a couple more days.
If it gets RED and HOT then you have a problem. Missed shots hurt...but rarely abscess.
A warm washcloth may make it dissipate faster.
If it does get red, hot, or your hand gets numb or swollen, run, don't walk to the nearest urgent care center.

 

[Missed]

thanks

I appreciate the clear answer. It seems to be shrinking just slowly. The time frame and symptoms of abscess helped me the most.Thank you again