Heroin

Summary

Heroin is a white or brown powder or a black, sticky goo. It’s an opioid drug made from morphine, a natural substance in the seedpod of the Asian poppy plant. It can be mixed with water and injected with a needle. Heroin can also be smoked or snorted up the nose. All of these ways of taking heroin send it to the brain very quickly. This makes it very addictive.

Major health problems from heroin include miscarriages, heart infections, and death from overdose. People who inject the drug also risk getting infectious diseases, including HIV/AIDS and hepatitis.

Regular use of heroin can lead to tolerance. This means users need more and more drug to have the same effect. At higher doses over time, the body becomes dependent on heroin. If dependent users stop heroin, they have withdrawal symptoms. These symptoms include restlessness, muscle and bone pain, diarrhea and vomiting, and cold flashes with goose bumps.

NIH: National Institute on Drug Abuse

National Institute on Drug Abuse

Statistics and Research

• Abuse of Prescription Pain Medications Risks Heroin Use National Institute on Drug Abuse
• Heroin National Institute on Drug Abuse

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Heroin Dependence National Institutes of Health
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Methadone National Institutes of Health

Find an Expert

• Drug Enforcement Administration Drug Enforcement Administration
• FindTreatment.gov Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
• National Institute on Drug Abuse National Institute on Drug Abuse
• Opioid Treatment Program Directory Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
• Partnership to End Addiction Partnership to End Addiction

Diagnosis and Tests

• Drug Testing National Library of Medicine
• Drug Use Screening Tests National Library of Medicine

Start Here

• Heroin Drug Enforcement Administration
• Heroin DrugFacts National Institute on Drug Abuse

Patient Handouts

• Heroin overdose Medical Encyclopedia
• Opiate and opioid withdrawal Medical Encyclopedia

Images

• Heroin Photos Drug Enforcement Administration

Women

• How Does Heroin Use Affect Pregnant Women National Institute on Drug Abuse

Encyclopedia

• Opioid intoxication Medical Encyclopedia

Journal Articles

• Heroin

Teenagers

• Tips for Teens: The Truth about Heroin Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
• What Is Heroin? Nemours Foundation

Treatments and Therapies

• What Can Be Done for a Heroin Overdose? National Institute on Drug Abuse
• What Is Substance Abuse Treatment? A Booklet for Families Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration