Besides, most intravenous drugs are cit with other agents and additives, which can create dangerous interactions in the body when crushed or dissolved to be injected. Needle exchange programs, also known as syringe services programs (SSPs), are public health initiatives designed to reduce the transmission of bloodborne infections among people who inject drugs. Intravenous drug use poses significant health risks, including the increased chance of contracting infectious diseases like hepatitis A. If you or a loved one is experiencing a substance use disorder and is concerned about bloodborne illness, addiction treatment can help. Heroin and other narcotics users report the most complex patterns of use during the year prior to treatment.

• Formal interviews of methadone patients from the New York City area were conducted in the fall of 1984 (Friedman et al., 1987b).
• All of these conditions can increase the likelihood of injection with used equipment.
• When many pills are crushed and injected, they are often laced with other drugs or additives, resulting in toxic interactions in the body.
• IV is commonly used to provide nourishment to people who cannot orally ingest food or water.
• And remember, although there are certainly no guarantees when it comes to people’s views about injection drug use, you deserve compassionate treatment and are allowed to advocate for yourself.

You’ve had hepatitis B in the past, you’ve developed antibodies to it and will not catch hepatitis B again in the future and do not need the vaccine. You can get your blood tested to see if you’ve ever been exposed to the hepatitis B virus, and get the vaccine at your doctor, local Department of Health,, or even your syringe service program. Bacteremia is when  bacteria entersthe blood- stream that can be caused by injecting with contaminated water, re-using old cottons, or failing to clean the skin prior to injection. The most common fungi that may cause a fungal infection include Aspergillus and Candida. While the symptoms of a fungal infection may vary depending on the type of fungi that caused the infection, common symptoms include a fever and chills. An infected blood clot causes septic thrombophlebitis in the vein, which can be extremely dangerous and even life-threatening.

How Does IV Drug Use Cause Sepsis?

Many questions that will arise can best be answered by the social and behavioral sciences; others will require the expertise of pharmacology, toxicology, and other biomedical sciences. In addition, knowledge is needed on how addiction occurs and on the biological factors that influence drug use, addiction, cessation, and relapse. Finally, mechanisms to improve collaboration and coordination among those seeking solutions will be required for effective action. The committee thus recommends that high priority be given to studies of the social and societal contexts of IV drug use and IV drug-use prevention efforts.

These states could develop into sepsis and septic emboli (bacteria and pus-filled embolisms), both of which can be life-threatening conditions. People most commonly inject into their forearm, however, users may also choose locations iv drug use on their legs, neck, hands, feet, and groin. Not to mention, IV drug use has a high risk of physiological and mental dependence. When addicts try to stop using these substances they can experience severe withdrawal symptoms.

Syringe Services Programs

Additionally, they lower the risks of an unlucky person sticking themselves with an improperly discarded needle. The IV drug use makes skin infections more likely, and of course, IV users don’t take all the drugs they use. For example, an article in the British Journal for Dermatology reports that 89 per cent of seized injected narcotics had pathogens present, and 68 per cent of heroin from the streets contained multiple types of pathogens.

All of these symptoms don’t even come close to the psychological toll substance abuse can have. Depression, aggression, paranoia, and impaired cognition are some of the long-term effects of substance abuse. Considering that approximately half of the opioid users still have an untreated mental illness, National Alliance on Mental Illness NAMI claims that the amount of opioid users in the United States is rising. They claim that more and more people are turning to alternative medications that are less addictive. Advanced integrated care is the most effective treatment for this dual condition.

In an emergency? Need treatment?

With stronger and more intense reactions, IV drugs can raise the risk for serious medical complications and overdoses. While overdosing and death are the most serious health problems related to IV drug use, there are numerous short- and long-term health complications. Some of those complications, like HIV, can spread and create public health problems. Cellulitis is a common bacterial skin infection that can result in red streaking of the skin, tenderness, inflammation and pain in the infected area.

For example, HIV and hepatitis are common diseases that spread among intravenous drug users. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), intravenous drug users accounted for 9% of all HIV diagnoses in the United States in 2016. Other studies suggest that around 36% of cumulative AIDS cases in the US are also the result of IV drug use. Through the indirect use of intravenous drugs, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, or other sexually transmitted diseases may be caused. Moreover, substance abuse can have definite adverse effects on the user’s health and life. A basic problem in constructing estimates of drug use is the difficulty of defining the term IV drug user.