Intravenous Drug Use: Risks, Signs & Treatment Options

Arteries carry blood rich in oxygen from the lungs and heart to all the other parts of the body. Arteries are located deeper in the body than veins and so are not visible as many of your veins are. The following is a breakdown of possible intravenous injection sites, beginning with the safest options and moving toward the least safe ones.

Our team takes a compassionate approach to treatments and is there to help patients along their sobriety journeys. Antibiotics are often needed to treat septic thrombophlebitis effectively. If you have symptoms of septic thrombophlebitis, you should seek immediate medical attention. An early diagnosis can increase the chance of effective treatment and minimize the potential for possible medical complications.

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Massaging the area lightly for a few minutes will help the drug absorb and reduce the pain. Because speed is often cut with such dangerous chemicals, it is very important not to miss your shot. Skin-popping speed can be very painful, may cause an abscess, and will take a long time for the body to absorb. If you get the shakes after doing a few shots, it may be helpful to have a friend inject you if you are not using alone. Because the quality of speed varies so dramatically, a tester shot is a good idea. IV drugs are often preferred over oral capsules because intravenous injection gets the desired substance to the brain much faster.

The rest of the catheter is tunneled through your body, with the other end coming out through your skin. We believe in treating each person on a physical, emotional and social level to adderall xr amphetamine dextroamphetamine mixed salts help them make positive lifelong changes. Professional medical addiction treatments can empower those misusing substances to embark on a journey of recovery and lifelong sobriety.

1. A 2019 research review found that phlebitis occurred in 31 percent of patients.
2. Skin discoloration around an ulcer is normal, with inflammation and a feeling of warmth developing.
3. If you have symptoms of septic thrombophlebitis, you should seek immediate medical attention.
4. Oral drug use requires waiting for the substance to be digested and absorbed in the intestines before the effects can be felt in the brain.
5. Only a professional can diagnose a substance use disorder and prescribe medication that may encourage long-term healing.

Those with damaged or artificial heart valves may be at a higher risk of developing endocarditis. Sharing needles, syringes, or other equipment (works) to inject drugs puts people at high risk for getting or transmitting HIV and other infections. People who inject drugs account for about 1 in 10 HIV diagnoses in the United States. Syringe services programs (SSPs) can play a role in preventing HIV and other health problems among PWID, by providing access to sterile syringes.

Always be careful to avoid nerves, blood vessels, or bones, and rotate injection sites to avoid bruising, abscess formation, and the like. It is not uncommon for your muscle to be sore for a few days after an injection. People who inject drugs often have one or two favorite places to inject—sites that feel the most comfortable, are easy to access, and where you almost always get a clean hit on your first try. While it may seem awkward at first, it is important to learn how to inject in other places that may not seem as comfortable or accessible on your first couple of tries. Try to use a new site for each new injection and go back to sites you’ve already used only after they’ve had time to rest and repair themselves. Hopefully, there are things in this manual that will be new and helpful even to those of us who have been injecting for a long time.

Injection Drug Use

An overdose can cause serious medical complications and can result in permanent damage or even death in the most severe cases. In most cases, skin ulcers appear as a round open wound or sore on the skin. Sometimes, the border of a skin ulcer may appear thicker or have a raised texture.

Intravenous injection (mainlining), or injecting a substance directly into the bloodstream through a vein, is one of the fastest ways to deliver a drug into your system. It is also the riskiest method to use in terms of overdose (as compared to sniffing, smoking, or oral administration) because the entire dose enters the body all at once and very quickly. Injecting intravenously usually gives the user a “rush” that many people report to be extremely pleasurable, a sensation that does not occur with intramuscular or subcutaneous injection. While each injection method carries its own risks, mainlining is arguably the riskiest since it creates a direct opening between the bloodstream and the outside world. Heroin, cocaine, and amphetamine are three drugs that are commonly administered intravenously. Misusing IV drugs can increase your risk of developing various infections.

Harm Reduction Methods for Intravenous Drug Use

Additionally, necrotizing fasciitis may cause a crackling or popping sensation under the skin resulting from gas trapped in the soft tissues. As necrotizing fasciitis develops, it destroys the tissues beneath the skin. Prompt treatment is needed as this condition can develop and spread quickly. Those with HIV may not develop symptoms immediately or assume they may just have a cold or flu.

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See the latest data on HIV among people who inject drugs, and learn what CDC is doing to prevent HIV infections among this population. Treatment may be complicated by difficulty obtaining venous access and by poor adherence to treatment regimens. Subcutaneous injection (skin popping) can cause characteristic circular scars or ulcers; there may be signs of previous abscesses. People with substance use disorders may deny stigmata of drug use by attributing track marks to frequent blood donations, bug bites, or previous trauma.

For example, opiates such as heroin can become physically addictive after only a few injections. Dependency is problematic because it causes withdrawal symptoms when usage is stopped, leading to difficulties in stopping 6 ways to lower high blood pressure without using medication IV drug addictions. To help prevent infection, the administration process must be done carefully using sterile (germ-free) equipment. An infection from the injection site can also travel into your bloodstream.

Skin discoloration around an ulcer is normal, with inflammation and a feeling of warmth developing. There should not be much bleeding at the injection site when skin-popping, but you might want to apply a Band-Aid to prevent infection. drug overdose death rates national institute on drug abuse nida Veins are blood vessels that carry blood from the extremities of the body back to the heart and lungs where it becomes re-oxygenated. Veins have no pulse, and the blood they carry is a deep, dark red because it is low in oxygen.

Skin-poppers should follow all of the infection control and other safety precautions that intravenous and intramuscular injectors should follow. Also, skin-poppers are at greatly increased risk for abscesses, especially if injecting crushed pills or another solution with particles in it. When skin-popping, it is critical to use only a solution that is as particle-free as possible. Endocarditis is an infection that develops in the heart’s inner lining or valves. This infection can occur when fungi and bacteria enter the bloodstream. Symptoms of endocarditis may develop quickly for some patients while developing more slowly for others.