Heroin — Safer Use

Safer-Use-Hinweise

Warnungen

• ⚠Overdose kills via respiratory depression — keep naloxone (Narcan) accessible at all times; administer immediately if breathing stops or becomes very slow/shallow
• ⚠Fentanyl contamination: test every batch with fentanyl test strips — the US/EU supply is now heavily adulterated; a dose that looks identical to the last can be lethal
• ⚠Never use alone — the NEXT use after a break (jail, treatment, hospital) carries the highest overdose risk due to lost tolerance
• ⚠Tolerance loss occurs within days of abstinence — returning to previous doses after any break is frequently fatal
• ⚠Intravenous use risks: HIV, Hepatitis C, bacterial endocarditis, abscesses — use only sterile equipment from needle exchange programs
• ⚠Withdrawal is extremely uncomfortable but rarely medically dangerous in otherwise healthy adults; medically supervised detox significantly improves outcomes
• ⚠Never use alone — have someone present who knows how to administer naloxone
• ⚠Fentanyl test strips are essential; if strip is positive, use a much smaller test dose first
• ⚠Supervised consumption sites, needle exchanges, and MAT (methadone/buprenorphine) are evidence-based interventions — access them