As a highly addictive and dangerous drug, recognising the signs and symptoms of a heroin overdose can mean saving a loved one’s life. Or, at the very least, it can put them on the path to getting the help they need.
Made from morphine, heroin is categorised as an opioid drug. In its natural form, it is taken from the seed pod of varying opium poppy plants grown in South America, Southeast and Southwest Asia.
If you’re unsure if your loved one is using heroin, look out for hidden bags of white or brown powder or even a black sticky substance (black tar heroin). [i]
As overdose refers to when the body ingests more of a specific substance than it can physically handle. An overdose can range from highly uncomfortable to fatal, with the side effects varying based on several factors.
However, a heroin overdose is likely to occur when users consume more of the drug than their bodies can process. This consumption produces a life-threatening reaction.[ii]
An overdose is often an error in judgement and not planned, but the consequences are equally dangerous.
With Public Health England (PHE) issuing solid warnings against the recent and sharp spike in drug overdoses linked to heroin, it’s evident that the UK has a problem. [iii]
What’s more, in 2020, the Office for National Statistics concluded that nearly 50% of all drug poisonings continue to involve opiates such as heroin, with a 4.8% rise from 2019.
Even more worryingly, 2020 saw 23.4 heroin or morphine-related deaths per million people.[iv]
Always remember that heroin overdoses have the genuine potential to be fatal. Furthermore, an extra layer of danger is added for those at higher risk of suffering an overdose.
These occasions include:
It can be confusing to tell if a person is experiencing an extreme high from heroin consumption or an overdose. But it’s essential to know the signs and symptoms of an imminent heroin overdose.
Excessive heroin consumption lowers the heart rate and reduces breathing to the extent that immediate medical care is needed to survive.
This effect means that one of the most prominent signs of a heroin overdose is being unresponsive or losing consciousness.
If they appear to be sleeping, and you cannot wake them either by yelling or shaking them, this is likely a clear sign of an overdose.
Other apparent symptoms of a heroin overdose can include:
If you’re ever unsure, always treat the situation like an overdose and seek medical help immediately. You might just be saving someone’s life.
Again, because it is so difficult to tell if a person is ‘high’ from excessive heroin ingestion or is experiencing an overdose, watch out for the below signs;
There’s no cut and the dry amount that a user needs to take to experience a heroin overdose. Even so, the number of people suffering and dying from opioid overdose yearly is concerning.
The World Health Organisation estimates that in 2017 around 115,000 died of opioid overdose.[vi]
But heroin’s main dangers involve tolerance and dependence. With continued use, your tolerance builds and with it a dangerous dependence. As heroin no longer has the same effect, you need to ingest more to achieve the desired effect.
Ingesting higher amounts of heroin can lead to overdose as your body consumes more than it can handle.
Other factors that can affect how much heroin is needed for an overdose include:
Recognising the signs of a heroin overdose puts you much closer to knowing what to do. As a result, you can be prepared to potentially save a life.
You may only need to wait as little as ten minutes after the individual has ingested heroin for signs of a heroin overdose to appear. However, if you are unsure if heroin addiction is occurring or that they may be high, never leave them alone.
If the individual is still conscious and responsive, try to keep them awake and walk them around while monitoring their breathing and other potential overdose symptoms.
Because the potential for death is so high with heroin overdose, you must seek medical attention if you are worried at all. Don’t delay. As soon as you see any of the symptoms listed above, call 999.
Other ways to help with a suspected heroin overdose include;
When the paramedics arrive, they will provide whatever emergency care is necessary to the individual experiencing the overdose.
They will then most likely take them to Accident and Emergency for further investigations and treatment.
Medical professionals will then be likely to provide Naloxone and other methods, such as induced vomiting or IV fluids, to stabilise the person. To avoid deadly consequences, treatment should never be conducted at home.
The person may then spend several days in the hospital to recover from the heroin overdose.
Although out of service for several years, Naloxone has recently been approved by many states in the United States as an approved treatment drug for heroin addiction.[vii] It may also be possible for carers to undergo training to use Naloxone.
Naloxone is used as a prescribed medicine to rapidly reverse heroin and other opioid overdoses. As an opioid antagonist, it attaches to the opioid receptors, reversing and blocking the effects of the opioid.
If a person’s breathing has stopped or slowed as an effect of the overdose, Naloxone can quickly restore regular breathing. But, because Naloxone only works by temporarily displacing the heroin in a person’s brain via a shorter shelf-life than heroin, it cannot wholly halt an overdose.
Naloxone will operate long enough for the heroin user to reach Accident and Emergency and receive further emergency medical treatment. Although an effective tool for overcoming addiction, you should never self-medicate with Naloxone instead of proper medical treatment.[viii]
Yes, a purposeful or accidental overdose can indicate that professional treatment is needed on many occasions. However, this is not always the case, as individuals can be unlucky enough to suffer an overdose during their first time using heroin.
In that case, the individual may not fit the criteria for heroin addiction or substance use disorder.
However, medical professionals will, at the minimum, need to educate the person on the dangers of substance abuse, even if the overdose itself is likely to deter future heroin use.
When a person regularly uses heroin and fits the criteria for substance abuse or addiction, inpatient or outpatient treatment is likely needed through heroin rehab.
Treatment for heroin addiction comes in many forms, all of which can suit the individual when utilising private rehab. However, medically managed drug detox is often needed as a safe way to withdraw from rehab.
Doing so removes the likelihood of any dangerous or uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms.
Co-occurring mental health conditions are often a common problem with heroin addiction. But, through rehab, you can benefit from a dual diagnosis and treatment for both your heroin addiction and mental health problems.
Once you have gone through detox and received a complete diagnosis, you will benefit from a range of essential treatments, including individual counselling, couples and family counselling, group therapy and holistic therapies.
If you are concerned about yourself or a loved one’s heroin addiction, the friendly staff at Rehab 4 Addiction can answer any questions you may have and work out a treatment plan to suit you or your loved one.
Don’t hesitate to call us today.
[1] What is heroin?
https://nida.nih.gov/publications/drugfacts/heroin#:~:text=Heroin%20is%20an%20opioid%20drug,known%20as%20black%20tar%20heroin
[1] What is heroin? https://nida.nih.gov/publications/drugfacts/heroin#:~:text=Heroin%20is%20an%20opioid%20drug,known%20as%20black%20tar%20heroin
[1] Drug users urged to be extra careful following a high number of likely heroin overdoses
[1] Deaths related to drug poisoning in England and Wales: 2020 registrations
[1] Opioid overdose
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/opioid-overdose
[1] Opioid overdose
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/opioid-overdose
[1] The Emergency Department as an Opportunity for Naloxone Distribution https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6225944/
Boris is our editor-in-chief at Rehab 4 Addiction. Boris is an addiction expert with more than 20 years in the field. His expertise covers a broad of topics relating to addiction, rehab and recovery. Boris is an addiction therapist and assists in the alcohol detox and rehab process. Boris has been featured on a variety of websites, including the BBC, Verywell Mind and Healthline. You can connect with Boris online at LinkedIn or X.com.
