Download Research Paper-Noorah Al-Fraywan-HLTH 1050

Al-Fraywan 1
Noorah Al-Fraywan
Ibarra
HLTH 1050
Research Paper
Heroin is processed from morphine, a naturally occurring opiate extracted from the seedpod of
certain varieties of poppy plants (drugpolicy.org). Heroin was first synthesized from morphine in
1874. From 1898 through to 1910, Bayer, the German pharmaceutical company, marketed it
under the trademark name Heroin as a cough suppressant and as a non-addictive morphine
substitute (until it was discovered that it rapidly metabolizes into morphine). One year after
beginning sales, Bayer exported heroin to 23 countries. Heroin-related overdose deaths are on
the rise, but proven strategies are available to reduce the harms associated with heroin use, treat
dependence and addiction, and prevent overdose fatalities. The chance of surviving an overdose,
like that of surviving a heart attack, depends greatly on how fast one receives medical assistance.
Heroin is manufactured from opium poppies cultivated in four primary source areas: South
America, Southeast and Southwest Asia, and Mexico. Street heroin is rarely pure and may range
from a white to dark brown powder of varying consistency. Heroin can be sniffed, smoked or
injected.
Heroin Tolerance, Addiction, and Withdrawal
With regular heroin use, tolerance develops. This means the abuser must use more heroin to
achieve the same intensity or effect. (narconon.org) As higher doses are used over time, physical
dependence and addiction develop. With physical dependence, the body has adapted to the
presence of the drug and withdrawal symptoms may occur if use is reduced or stopped.
Withdrawal, which in regular abusers may occur as early as a few hours after the last
administration, produces drug craving, restlessness, muscle and bone pain, insomnia, diarrhea
and vomiting, cold sweats with goose bumps (“cold turkey”), kicking movements (“kicking the
habit”), and other symptoms. Major withdrawal symptoms peak between 48 and 72 hours after
the last dose and subside after about a week. Sudden withdrawal by heavily dependent users who
are in poor health is occasionally fatal, although heroin withdrawal is considered much less
dangerous than alcohol or barbiturate withdrawal.
Regardless of dosage, these reactions may appear during heroin withdrawal: * Convulsions
* Increased heart rate * Abnormal heartbeat * Heart attack * Sudden, sharp blood pressure
increase * Stroke * Extreme depression * Suicidal behavior
As withdrawal progresses, elevations in blood pressure, pulse, respiratory rate and temperature
occur. Symptoms of heroin overdose – which may result in death – include shallow breathing,
clammy skin, convulsions and coma.
Al-Fraywan 2
Heroin can cause feelings of depression, which may last for weeks. Attempts to stop using heroin
can fail simply because the withdrawal can be overwhelming, causing the addict to use more
heroin in an attempt to overcome these symptoms. This overpowering addiction can cause the
addict to do anything to get heroin.
In 1972 brain researchers from Johns Hopkins University made a puzzling discovery
that would illuminate scientists' understanding of drug addiction. (pbs.org)
They found that the human brain's neurons had specific receptor sites for opiate drugs:
opium, heroin, codeine and morphine. But then there was the obvious question.
Why would nature put in our brains a receptor for a plant? After all, humans beings
didn't evolve over millions of years eating opium or shooting heroin.
The scientists reasoned there must be some other function for these receptors sites.
They soon figured out that the active ingredient in all these opiates - morphine - had a
chemical structure similar to endorphins, a class of chemicals present in the brain .
Endorphins are feel-good chemicals naturally-manufactured in the brain when the
body experiences pain or stress. They are called the natural opiates of the body.
Endorphins flood the space between nerve cells and usually inhibit neurons from
firing, thus creating an analgesic effect. On a lower level they can excite neurons as
well. When endorphins do their work, the organism feels good, high, or euphoric, and
feels relief from pain [analgesia]. Logically, endorphin levels go up when a person
exercises, goes into labor, or is stressed out. Although they seem to be triggered by
stress, endorphins can do more than relieve pain, they actually make us feel good.
Like an evil twin, the morphine molecule locks onto the endorphin-receptor sites on
nerve endings in the brain and begins the succession of events that leads to euphoria or
analgesia.
This imposter is more powerful than the body's own endorphins because the organism
can actually control how much of the feel-good chemical hits the brain. Since we are
all pleasure-seeking organisms, the motivation to self-administer such a drug is easy to
understand.
The drawback, of course, is addiction.
Al-Fraywan 3
Heroin Detox
The first step in the heroin addiction treatment process is a period of time spent going
through heroin detox (projectknow.com). During detox, the drugs are removed from
the patient's body using one of two processes. The first process is rapid detox, a quick
flushing of the body while under anesthesia. The second process is a program of
tapering off, where the patient is given an alternate opiate, which is less addictive and
dangerous than the heroin and is then slowly tapered off its use. The choice of program
is largely up to the patient, depending on the time available for treatment and the costs
of the different programs.
Rapid detox is always done under direct medical supervision. During the procedure,
the patient is placed under light anesthesia for an hour or two while given medication
that removes the heroin from the patient's system. After waking from heroin addiction
treatment, the physical addiction to heroin is ended, though the psychological
addiction remains. Any withdrawal symptoms are largely bypassed without the drug in
the system, either not appearing at all or at a greatly reduced level.
Tapering is a longer treatment process than rapid detox. During the tapering process,
an alternative opiate is introduced into the patient's system. This alternative opiate
binds to the opiate receptors in the brain in the place of the heroin, but fails to provide
the same euphoric response. With the receptors occupied by the alternate opiate, the
withdrawal symptoms fail to start.
As the heroin addiction treatment tapering program proceeds, the dosage of the
alternate opiate is lessened. The patient's body adjusts to this new lower level of opiate
in the system, gradually becoming less physically dependent on the drug. Successful
tapering relies on this adjustment occurring with each reduced dose, eventually
reaching a dosage so low that the patient's body no longer needs the drug. When this
point is reached, the drug is no longer given and the patient experiences only mild
withdrawal symptoms or none at all.
At some point during the tapering process the patient's body may fail to adjust to the
lowered drug level and withdrawal symptoms may begin to occur. To combat this, the
medical personnel monitoring the treatment will raise the dosage slightly, stopping the
Al-Fraywan 4
withdrawal symptoms from continuing. Once the patient's body readjusts, the tapering
off process continues.
Tapering off as a form of heroin addiction treatment can take weeks to complete. The
level of the initial dosage of the alternate drug is determined by the severity of the
patient's dependency. For a light user, the process can be as short as 10 days to two
weeks. For a long-term user that detox period can be as long as four to six weeks, with
additional time sometimes necessary for the occasional readjustment due to the need
for a higher dosage.
After finishing the rapid detox or tapering off programs, the patient is kept under
medical supervision for a period of 24 to 48 hours. This supervisory period is used to
ensure that the patient does not suffer any undue side effects from the detox process.
After the supervisory period, the patient often enters into a heroin rehab program.
Heroin addiction is a chronic, relapsing disease that is characterized by changes in the
brain and uncontrollable drug-seeking behaviors despite the negative consequences.
Heroin is a synthesized opioid analgesic that comes from the Asian opium poppy
plant. When used, heroin converts to morphine in the body. This substance is used on
the streets as a recreational drug, also commonly called black tar, smack, brown, or tar.
Upon initial use, people who use this drug feel a rush of pleasure, a sense of wellbeing,
and joy. These strong feelings associated with the drug leave a user wanting more,
which quickly leads to tolerance and addiction.
Causes for Heroin Addiction
While researchers have yet to pinpoint a single root cause for heroin addiction, it is
thought to be the result of several factors working together that lead to the
development of addiction. Some of the most common causes for heroin addiction may
include:
Genetic: While genetics will not cause you to start using heroin, once you have started
using the drug, your genes may cause you to become addicted. Individuals who have a
family member, especially a first-degree relative, with addiction disorders are more
prone to develop an addiction themselves.
Brain Chemistry: Repeated drug use changes the way in which your brain feels
pleasure and may also cause physical changes to nerve cells in the brain. These nerve
Al-Fraywan 5
cells use neurons to communicate, and when an individual is addicted to a substance
such as heroin it disrupts communication in the brain. This causes an individual to use
more of the drug to make up for the lack of neurotransmitters.
Environmental: Environmental factors such as family beliefs, peer group attitudes, and
friends that encourage drug use all play a role in an individual’s choice to begin using
drugs. For example, individuals who grew up in home environments where drug abuse
was accepted as a means to deal with negative emotions are more desensitized to the
use of drugs. They may learn that drug abuse is a proper way of handling negative life
events.
Psychological: Individuals who are struggling with untreated or undiagnosed mental
illnesses may attempt to self-medicate the symptoms of their illness with alcohol or
recreational drugs.
If you feel that you are in crisis, or are having thoughts about hurting yourself or
others, please call 9-1-1 or go to the nearest emergency room immediately.
Symptoms of Heroin Addiction
The signs and symptoms of heroin addiction will vary among users based upon genetic
makeup, amount of drug used, frequency of use, and dependency on the drug. The
most common symptoms of heroin addiction include the following:






Depression
Euphoria
Mood swings
Anxiety
Hostility toward others
Agitation and irritability


Lying about drug use
Avoiding loved ones



Weight loss
Scabs or bruises as the result of picking at the skin
Delusions



Disorientation
Hallucinations
Paranoia

Decreased attention to personal hygiene
Al-Fraywan 6








Possession of burned spoons, needles or syringes, missing shoelaces, glass
pipes
Stashing drug in various places around the home, car, and work
Periods of hyperactivity followed by periods of exhaustion
Inability to fulfill responsibilities at work or school
Increased sleeping
Apathy and lack of motivation
Decline in occupational or academic performance
Slurred speech



Shortness of breath
Frequent respiratory infections
Dry mouth




Wearing long pants and shirts, even in warm weather
Going “on the nod” during conversations
Forced, pressured speech
Track marks on arms and legs



Warm, flushed skin
Constricted pupils
Extreme itching
Effects of Heroin Abuse
The effects of heroin abuse will differ from person to person, depending upon the
length of abuse, amount of heroin used, the presence of other substances, and
individual makeup (optionsbehavioralhealthsystem.com). Severity of symptoms tend
to get worse the longer the drug is abused. The most common effects of heroin
addiction may include:












Liver disease
Skin disease and abscesses around injection sites
Infections of the valves and lining of the heart
HIV or Hepatitis B and C
Chronic pneumonia
Clouded mental functioning
Collapsed, scarred veins
Blood clots, leading to stroke, pulmonary embolism, and heart attack
Kidney disease
Risks of contracting chronic illnesses
Risks for blood-borne pathogens
Septicemia
Al-Fraywan 7
Works Cited
"Heroin Abuse & Addictions Side Effects, Symptoms, Signs & Causes." Options
Behavioral Health Heroin Abuse Addictions Side Effects Symptoms Signs
Causes Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Oct. 2015.
<http://www.optionsbehavioralhealthsystem.com/addiction/heroin/effectssigns-symptoms#Effects-of-Heroin-Abuse>.
"Heroin Addiction Information." Narconon International. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Oct.
2015. <http://www.narconon.org/drug-information/heroin-addiction.html>.
"Heroin Addiction Treatment." Project Know. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Oct. 2015.
<http://www.projectknow.com/research/heroin/>.
"Heroin Facts and Effects." Drug Policy Alliance. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Oct. 2015.
<http://www.drugpolicy.org/drug-facts/heroin-facts>.
"Heroin In The Brain." N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Oct. 2015.
<http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/heroin/brain/>.