Opioids Collapsed veins

[TotalTotalness]

What is your experience with collapsed veins? Looks like I fucked my main ones, although they still seem to work, but if I don't stop using them, they are going to seize function. So when you stop, before its too late, how long was it till the vein gets back to normal and is this even possible? I plan to stop IV use for a couple of months at least and see how this will end. Any tips and tricks for helping reverse the damage, except of course, abstaining of the use of needles, will be appreciated.

P.S. Also, is anyone aware if there is some kind of medical examination, which can find out if there are already collapsed veins in the hands/body?

 

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

Collapsed veins never recover. However, other veins often step up to the mark to take over from the ones you lost.

But they are very rarely sustainable. When you start losing veins, give up.

It can take decades to seemingly regain what you lost, but they will blow like a condom in a chav's knickers.

Sometimes you need to know when to call it a day ..

 

[TotalTotalness]

Yeah, I guess collapsed veins don't ever recover, but if they still function, isn't there a possibility of recovery at least to some degree, if not fully? Last year, when I made a break of 2 months I saw how the vein in the crook of my arm, which was almost out of the game, went back almost to normal for those two months.

 

[GetMeOutOfThisCRAP]

It's really important that you find another route of administration asap.

If you aren't ready to get clean yet--to be honest I don't blame anyone lately. It's just IV'ing pills is a fast way to go down. Even with the proper tools and energy to break the pills down as much as one can, there's only so many times shooting up pills is worth it before reaching this point.

Snorty snort or eaty eat?

 

[jhjhsdi]

I think with this (from experience) its either the bad news, or the bad news.

 

[JessFR]

If a vein collapses and is damaged enough, it won't recover. But often a vein can collapse and stop working temporally until the swelling in the area goes down.

I've had the latter appear to happen, but fortunately I've lost no veins permanently yet.

Id love to say it's cause of my awesome needle skills, but that's crap. I think it's more that the heroin here is very mild on veins and I simply don't shoot any other drugs that often.

In my experience when a vein stops working temporarily it takes at least a few days to a few weeks to become reliable again. It's best to lay off it a few weeks if you can.

You don't wanna lose all your good veins.

The only way I know to reverse the damage, the damage that is actually reversible that is, is to leave them alone for a while.

Veins can also be get scar tissue around them that can make things a bit harder, even if they otherwise still work. While none of my veins have collapsed permanently, my most used ones do have some scar tissue around them. As well as cosmetic track marks.

So yea, basically follow the usual rules. Give veins a break when you can, especially if they aren't working. Rotate sites as much as possible. Use new needles every time if you can (I've never found this realistic, but it's good advice).

Take care.

 

[UK Warrior]

Collapsed veins aren't good I'm sure you know that, I have been in and out of hospital a lot over the last 6 or so months and many times they have had to use an ultrasound to find a deeper vein. It kind of seems like a contest between the nurses when I explain it's hard to find a vein, you always get a few saying they can before they say something like "I've never seen this before" and they bring the ultrasound.

I have found that new, smaller veins sometimes pop up on places like my hand, but apparently you should NOT hit these as it is your body repairing and if they go there may be no more. Reduced blood supply is not good.

Once an anaesthetist did manage to get a vein I thought was collapsed, no idea why but she told me to cough as she put the cannula in each push.

 

[Sertürner]

I have ruined most of my veins. I have resorted to using tiny veins in very uncomfortable spots such as my knuckles and along my fingers and anywhere I can find something that i think can hold a 31g needle.

Once a vein is used too much, it will scerlose (become hard and inflamed due to scar tissue formation). This prevents adequate blood flow through the vein and so the vein will "collapse". Essentially blood that would travel through that vein is rerouted to other smaller veins in the body, and IIRC new veins (albeit smaller ones) can form to compensate for the loss of the one that has lost function.

It actually takes quite a while for a vein to truly collapse. Most of the time if you give that vein a few weeks to a couple months, it can begin functioning again. But if you start feeling your veins turn into a hard, cord-like structure, then stop using that vein and find a new spot to IV for a while.

You will know it has collapsed when it is not popping up anymore and it seems like there may never have been a vein there in the first place; a collapsed vein just disappears in a sense.

Practicing good IV technique and etiquette will make your veins last a long long time.

Hope this helps and if you have anymore questions I can 100% help you out on this topic. I know a lot about IV technique and HR when IVing. I'm an expert on this topic so feel free to reach out.

 

[Deru]

So when you stop, before its too late, how long was it till the vein gets back to normal and is this even possible?

Permanently collapsed veins (if they feel like strings of steel) almost for sure will be gone forever, your body will regrow small tiny spider veins to try to compensate for the loss of the portion of vein that's collapsed. I'm a little over four years and veins I thought I'd never see again are popping back up, I actually was able to get blood drawn today for the first time in years without ultrasound to use a deep vein, which leads me to...

P.S. Also, is anyone aware if there is some kind of medical examination, which can find out if there are already collapsed veins in the hands/body?

Ultrasound would be able to tell if the vein is full of scar tissue or collapsed. The only issue with that, is permanently collapsed veins eventually get absorbed into your body and there won't be anything to see besides the spider and varicose veins that regrow in it's place. So, I suppose ultrasound would show the absence of major superficial vessels for long ago permanently collapsed major superficial veins, for anything else, it would be like they never existed.

 

[ChinaGroove]

It's been almost six years since I shot up regularly with a few other sporadic times thrown in since that time.
My go to vein, the "up-down" vein in the bend of my arm, opposite my elbow. No matter how careful I was and how often I rotated sites, it is still heavily damaged and very difficult to draw blood from. One of the last times I shot, I used that particular vein and there was no blood in the syring barrel. I KNEW I was in the right spot from doing it what must be close to the 1000th time. Plus the slight little "pop" sound you hear when you're in. So I pushed down on the plunger, no resistance and sure enough I felt the rush 10 seconds after. That was probably back in 2017 or so.
Then in 2019 I had bloodwork done. The first vein the nurse used was the one mentioned above. It took her forever to fill her first tube. So much so that when it was time to fill the second tube, she tried a different vein (the left right vein on the inner bend of the arm). This vein wasn't perfect either but worked alot better than the other vein.
So yeah, once vein function is diminished, it is very very difficult to restore. Mind you I don't drink, I am reasonably active and always stay hyderated (a must working in a kitchen).

 

[shive]

Fuck this man was taking my blood I asked several time to take the blood from the right he goes to the left crock after me telling him it's nearly dead anyway "he says no problem he got" after 30 seconds of taking blood from the left crook makes this gushing sound and just looking at it he fucked it he like " this never happened to me before " I didn't have a tens machine at the time which I think I could have saved it

 

[Juniper Bruhmomentius]

Stimulants are hardest on the veins. Ofc using citric and some shit is too but atleast here, stimulants fuck up your veins not opiates. (for the most part)

 

[jhjhsdi]

Stimulants are hardest on the veins. Ofc using citric and some shit is too but atleast here, stimulants fuck up your veins not opiates. (for the most part)

Ive found crystal k to be pretty savage too, unless you reallllly water it down.
@Gaffy made a good post before about testing ph balance of all shots and if its above a certain number then add more water to dilute it because itll be hard on veins otherwise

 

[jhjhsdi]

I didn't have a tens machine at the time which I think I could have saved it

Whats that and how does it help?