Heroin is an opioid processed from morphine, which is synthesized from the opium poppy plant. Heroin binds to the opioid receptors in the “reward center” of the brain, causing it to release dopamine, which leads to a rush of sensations like warmth, relaxation, and sedation.

Although some opioids can be legally prescribed by a doctor to relieve pain, heroin is considered highly addictive and has been illegal in the United States for almost a century. Because it doesn’t take long to build up a tolerance to heroin, people who abuse this drug will gradually need more of it to receive the same effect, making it easy for an overdose to occur. In recent years street heroin has been cut with fentanyl, another opioid that has an even stronger effect than heroin, which makes overdose even more of a concern.

Not every person will display every one of these signs, and their severity will depend on how long a person has been abusing heroin, as well as how they choose to consume it. Some of the most common signs and symptoms include:

• Disorientation
• Constricted pupils
• Sleepiness
• Decreased attention to personal hygiene
• Inability to fulfill family or work obligations
• Withdrawal from family and friends
• Hostility towards others
• Agitation, irritability, and mood swings
• Stealing from loved ones

Short-term and potentially dangerous physical effects of heroin use include slowed breathing, nausea and vomiting, drowsiness, intense itching, and clouded mental function. Longer term heroin use can have a severe impact on a person’s health and over time can cause long lasting health issues like depression, insomnia, memory loss, poor circulation, and higher risk of infection.

The severity of these symptoms tends to get worse the longer heroin is abused. If a person builds up a tolerance to heroin, they’re at a higher risk for overdose.
Heroin is a depressant, that means that overdose is very dangerous because it slows and can stop heart rate and breathing.

With that said, the long-term effects of heroin can have a severe impact on a person’s health and, over time, can cause permanent damage to the body. This includes:

• Brain damage
• Muscular weakness
• Depression
• Loss of memory and poor mental cognition
• Insomnia
• Clogged blood vessels
• Infections of the blood and heart valves
• Arthritis

The severity of these symptoms tends to get worse the longer heroin is abused. In addition to the side effects listed above, if a person builds up a tolerance to heroin, they’re at an extreme risk for overdosing. Since heroin is a depressant that slows down the breathing and heart rate, an overdose is especially dangerous, since too much of the drug will slow the body to the point where even the most basic functions cease to work altogether, leading to coma and, in the worst cases, death.

Physical dependence on heroin leads to intense and painful side effects when use suddenly stops, which is why many people who try to detox from heroin on their own end up turning back to the drug for relief from its withdrawal symptoms.
The symptoms of heroin withdrawal (also known as “dope sickness”) can include:

• Fever
• Chills
• Cramps
• Sleep issues
• Nausea and vomiting
• Extreme sweating
• Restlessness
• Severe cravings
• Despair

These symptoms can begin to appear within hours of the last time heroin is used, and may continue for weeks or months afterwards. These symptoms come on so quickly after a person’s last heroin use and can range from uncomfortable to dangerous, making withdrawal difficult to go through all alone. That’s why it’s so important to seek help when trying to quit heroin. A team of trained addiction specialists will have the tools to help make heroin withdrawal easier and safer.