SI drugs that damage


	Drugs that damage veins There are a number of substances that are known to cause more damage to veins if injected. The main ones are: Benzodiazepines Cocaine Methadone Pills and capsules. The reasons why there are particular problems with these substances are outlined below. Benzodiazepines When injected, temazepam always irritates and causes swelling to the lining of the vein. This can lead to rapid vein collpase. Benzodiazepines are also risky because they get people so ‘out of it’ that they are more likely to take risks in terms of: Damaging their veins through poor injecting technique Sharing injecting equipment (sometimes because they can’t remember whose syringesare whose) Getting involved in crime or violence Sexual behaviour Accidentally overdosing because they cannot remember (or work out) what they’ve taken. Cocaine Cocaine is a very powerful local painkiller. This can cause big problems because once even a small amount has been injected, bad injecting technique causes no pain. Also, it is a very short-acting drug. This can result in lots of injections - and a huge amount of damage - being done in a short period of time. Like amphetamine, cocaine can also make you less likely to worry about: HIV and hepatitis Injecting technique and vein damage Sexual risks of HIV and hepatitis. Methadone Oral methadone is not meant for injecting. The amount of liquid that has to be injected to get any sort of hit is enough to cause vein damage. There are also additives in oral methadone - such as sorbitol - which can be dangerous when injected. Pills and capsules Pills and capsules contain lots of added substances to make the pill hard, solid and the right size and colour. In this mixture will be a relatively small amount of the drug. This is why there is always powder left in the spoon. Injecting anything solid into your veins is going to speed up the process of them collapsing. If you are going to inject a tablet, try to draw up as little of the powder as possible into the syringe. Acidifiers Although pharmaceutical heroin dissolves easily in water, something acidic usually has to be added to make street heroin dissolve. Most people use citric acid - this is usually OK but using too much can cause vein damage. If you use ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) make sure it is a pure powder and not mixed with other things to make it into a tablet or something that tastes nice. Sometimes when they haven't got ascorbic or citric acid people use lemon juice. This is risky as it is possible for fungal infections which can cause blindness to live in lemon juice. Bacterial infections can also be caught from vinegar. TOP \| PREVIOUS \| INDEX \| NEXT