Due to the toxic nature of these substances, users may develop brain damage or sudden death. Substituted cathinones can be eaten, snorted, inhaled or injected and are highly addictive. These drugs can cause severe intoxication, which results in dangerous health effects or even death.

Preventive Care Recommendations

During the summer months, many people look forward to wearing tank tops and shorts to beat the heat. Those with an IV drug addiction frequently do not wear the same clothing because they risk showing signs. They might wear long pants that reach down to their ankles and shirts with long sleeves that cover their arms even in the middle of a hot day. It’s important that you consider all the other possible signs of addiction to meth or other IV drugs. Those who use IV drugs will often wear clothing designed to hide infection sites. Additionally, certain drugs, especially those combined with heroin, are so toxic and potent that they can absorb through the skin.

First Sign of Substance Abuse: Highs and Lows

But on the other hand, stimulants such as cocaine would create a quite different impact in comparison to the depressant effects of an opioid. While there are many bacteria and even iv drug use fungi that can cause cellulitis, most cases result from group A Streptococcal bacteria. Cellulitis is one of the most common infections that affect people who use IV drugs.

• The most common risk factors include obesity, older age, proximal DVT, and a history of previous ipsilateral DVT and a supervised exercise program will improve symptoms [ ].
• Apart from marijuana, most drugs can be injected, resulting in stronger and more dangerous effects on the body.
• The sooner your loved one enters a treatment program, the faster they can safeguard their mental and physical health.
• IV drugs are injected directly into the bloodstream with a sterile syringe and hypodermic needle through veins.
• You may have concerns about opioid use disorder (OUD), but this is extremely unlikely from short-term IV opioid use.

CDC Programs

When injecting into a muscle, insert the needle in one quick stab straight into the injection site at a 90° angle to the body. You definitely want to draw your plunger back slightly to make sure no blood comes into the syringe. If blood does appear, you’ve hit a blood vessel and need to pull out and try again. The buttocks, thighs, and upper arms are the three best sites, respectively, for intramuscular injection. The best is in the deltoid, the muscle on your upper, outer arm where your shoulder and your arm meet. If injecting into the butt, mentally divide each cheek into four equal sections and inject into the top right or top left outer section of each cheek.

• Since illicit drugs are usually not created in sterile conditions, this creates the opportunity for pathogens to enter the bloodstream even if injection techniques are perfect.
• When used regularly in a crowded emergency room, the SimpliRED D-dimer assay’s poor sensitivity throws significant doubt on its ability to rule out DVT, especially in low-risk patients [103].
• When muscle-popping, it is extremely important to inject only a solution that is as particle-free as possible.
• These calls are offered at no cost to you and with no obligation to enter into treatment.
• Parents can get help from guidance counselors, primary care physicians, and drug abuse treatment providers.

What should I ask my doctor about IV opioid use?

This is a method in which the needle is injected under the skin instead of a vein. Injection drug users sometimes use long sleeves, pants, and make-up to hide track marks from others. Cocaine has a numbing effect on the veins and causes them to constrict (shrink), so if you’re shooting coke, you should be extra careful to register properly and make sure you’re in a vein before you inject your drugs. Also, chances are that if you’re shooting coke, you’ll be injecting many times in a short period of time with perhaps only several minutes between each injection.

Substance Use Treatment

And since drugs are expensive, some tend to bury themselves in a pile of loans just to sustain their drug addiction. These are round, dark bruises that go more lightly moving away along the person’s arm or poorly-healed punctured wounds. If you suspect that your family or friend is suffering from IV drug abuse, it’s important to confirm it as soon as possible for immediate action. Physical and behavioral signs of IV drug use must be considered to confirm your suspicion and save someone’s life. The government’s response to the opioid epidemic has made prescription opioids much harder to get. Many places report that it’s now cheaper and easier to get illegal heroin than getting legal prescription painkillers.