View Full Version : needle exchanges
upthebracket
16-04-2006, 16:07
how much info do these places need from you? are they going to take a name and adress and phone number? let's say you're living with someone who you don't want to know about your hobby, are they going to track you down and stick a "junkie" sticker on your front door?
secondly, do you have to be hooked and fucked up if you go there? can you just be a sometimes user? is it possible to go there and get some needles if you've never injected before?
IHrtHalucingens
16-04-2006, 19:52
From what i understand, they take no information from you and there are no requirements for using this service. Now personally SWIM has never injected anything so has not had any experience with needle exchanges, but its there to slow the spread of diseases by people using dirty needles.
upthebracket
17-04-2006, 12:04
i should mention that i meant UK needle exchanges, forgot to add that, i'm not sure how they vary internationally, but thanks
Needle exchangers know the importance of anonimity to the end user. For the UK Browse this site.
http://www.harmreduction.co.uk/about_nx_programs.html
upthebracket
17-04-2006, 16:43
thanks jim, the prospect of using one still seems dauting to SWIM, he hasn't injected before and dosen't have access to needles, he's got a lot to lose for the sake of a curiosity
This is a little off subject - but if you have not yet used a needle, don't start. It makes things much more difficult in many ways.
If you need any advice feel free to send me a PM.
Peace.
The NE in the mid-sized midwestern town where I currently find mysef uses some wierd code in order to keep you totally anonymous. The place is great for info, supplies (cookers, needles, ties, cottons, alcohol, condoms, toot-brushes, etc.) and the people are all really cool. Most of them are ex-junkies into harm reduction who never preach and are people who know the deal who help you by keeping an eye on you.
Good or bad, xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Funny story, SWIM's dealer in CA would keep 2 containers of needles: clean and dirty. So he'd exchange whatever you needed for you. He was going anyway:)
- Beltane
it's all private it has to be it comes under medical care so same rules that apply to doctors do to exscanges most are run in pharmicys or hospitals any way at most they will ask for you initials and d.o.b this is so they no how many users they have and what there using. and to identify you as a user of that exscange some may give you a pin no to use when you go to exscange your pins. at least in the uk that is
Fantasian
25-05-2006, 01:35
Is there a way to access the exchange without informing your GP. SWIM wouldnt like to lose his prescription opiates because of a needle exchange informing his GP of the visit. Are the needles free? Is there another website to the one above?(im assuming this doesnt come under sources)
no exchange will pass your info on to the doctor there not alowd to like i say its all privet under the rules governing medical practisoners. swim does this to gets meth from doc but still has a hit every now and then. only thing to be carefull of is that your doc does not drug test you as many do when perscribing opiats for addiction.
Fantasian
25-05-2006, 01:52
SWIM has legitemate pain that requires morphine and other opiates he would be testing someone he knows is using. How does SWIM go about accessing the needle exchange? Just walk in?
well swim has no worry about the docs then. yeah just walk in and say you want to join there exscange program. once you have registerd as a user they normaly only give out more when you return your old works thats why its an exscange. they sometimes give you a copple if it is emergancy with no returns. and some have spersific times if there in a pharmacy or helth clinc or something like that and tend to stick to those times. swim has been turned away befor and had to re use one of his old pins. also make shure swiy no how to inject properly an useing citric acid ect as this can cause problems i would also recomend a tetnis booster aswell as it can be a problem amongst the injecting population.
Fantasian
25-05-2006, 02:08
well swim has no worry about the docs then. yeah just walk in and say you want to join there exscange program. once you have registerd as a user they normaly only give out more when you return your old works thats why its an exscange. they sometimes give you a copple if it is emergancy with no returns. and some have spersific times if there in a pharmacy or helth clinc or something like that and tend to stick to those times. swim has been turned away befor and had to re use one of his old pins. also make shure swiy no how to inject properly an useing citric acid ect as this can cause problems i would also recomend a tetnis booster aswell as it can be a problem amongst the injecting population.
SWIM knows how to inject properly as he has worked in a hospital and given himself injections from kits he has 'Aquired from hospital' however SWIM isnt sure what citric acid is for?
Thanks for the advice it was most welcome
no worrys there hapy to help (can you rate my post though go to scales at right side of msg) citric acid is used to break down h for injecting only a small amount is needed or use vit c for coke your exscange should have these sometimes you have to buy them though some give it for free.
Fantasian
25-05-2006, 02:31
No problems, SWIM doesnt use H or coke just pure morphine from hospital. SWIM is a little concious of going for the first time. Would the needle exchange accept that he was going for a friend?
no they would not exsept you going for a friend you can't do that or any tom dick or harry could go innit. if your useing pure morphine perscribed by the doctor you can go to any chemist and buy needles for a cupple of squids ask for insulin needles. they may ask what there for but probibly wont if so just say you get perscribed morphen and they will be fine swim has had to use that when excanges are closed ect.. they should also sell sterits (alcohol wipes) they also can not tell your doctor. use a differant one to you usaly would if your worryed about the staff there knowing your injecting.
Fantasian
25-05-2006, 03:04
hehe, you midunderstood SWIM.
SWIM's doctor prescribes him Oromorph an orally taken version of Morphine sulphate.
SWIM's job allows him access to the hospital where he takes Injectable morphine sulphate. That way he knows its pure.
SWIM could say that he is a diabetic and still obtain these needles in pharmacy's though?
yeah swim gets that thats why swim sugested useing diffrent pharmacy to normall as you where not geting the drugs your g.p perscribs but ones your doctor does get me?
There are several places one can order needles from over the internet as well. If anonymity were still a major issue, SWIM's guess is that there are some that would accept money orders as forms of payment.
SWIM's needle exchange is totally anonymous. One is issued a card that has an ID code created from things like first two digits of your street address+last letter of mothers maiden name+first and last letter of last school attended + number of siblings. So from them on, with card in hand, SWIM is knows as something like 34YLY1.
- Beltane
is not ordering them over the net a bit dodgy getting pins shiped to you? also this would take lots of time for postage which is pointles when you can walk in and get them free from and excange or buy them from a pharmacy. also if you do go get pins from and exscange or pharmacy no what size you need for your doseage. insulin pins are normaly 1ml suringe with a micro fine needle atached to the barel, sometimes they can be 1/2ml. then you get 2ml / 5ml / 10ml you can get biger barel's (suringe's) but swim dont know why you would need any biger. with seperate pins to atach to the end of the barel verying in size (lengh & thicknes) from light orange, orange, light blue, blue and green, (smallest to bigest) for use depending on where your injecting. also fantasian with swiy working in a hospital could they not get pins from there if they can get morphen from the hospital? hope this helps swiy.
SWIM started off buying points for steroids. Can't usually get the right ones at pharmacies or exchanges. Probably a bit dodgy to order thru the mail, yes. Hoped the cops had better things to do.
- Beltane
Akewstick
24-08-2006, 20:34
SWIM might have misunderstood adzket's posts. Is it possible for SWIM to just walk into a pharmacy and buy insulin needles? No questions asked? No prescription needed? Paperwork free and subsequently with complete annonimity?
This seems a bit too-good-to-be-true to SWIM, he's been trying (admittedley not very hard) to get some pins for ages, this would be great for him.
I'm not going to buy any needles, and i can't comment on what SWIM might do.
Fantasian
29-08-2006, 10:31
Just to add, in Lloyds pharmacy they sell Sterile needle kits for when travelling abroad to a 3rd world country so that if one sustains heavy injury and is admitted to hospital they can have clean needles. They have numerous gauges of needles and although are relatively expensive do offer an easy option for gaining IV equipment.
painfully_lost
01-11-2006, 02:01
swim goes to pharmacy and says grandma is visiting from another country and is diabetic and needs some insulin. Swim then pulls paper out of pocket with humulin or humulog or anything scribled on paper and asks for syringes, box of 100 please, Swim's guess(play stupid). 10 ml of insulin is relatively cheap and easy to shit can, and Swiy gets 100 slin pins...
kailey_elise
10-11-2006, 04:56
...::: I figured I'd post in here with some information I just came across :::...
Apparently, as of July 2006, it is no longer a crime to be carrying clean needles in Massachusetts, USA. And as of September 2006, syringes no longer require a prescription in Massachusetts, USA - you can now just ask for them at the pharmacy.
As there are only 2 (maybe 3, can't recall) needle exchanges in Massachusetts, this is definately good news for those in that area! However, the NE are still available and they are free, so it's nice that option's still open as well.
A friend (no, really! heh) just got hooked up with a Massachusetts exchange. That person stated that a point was not required for the first visit and that you could leave with up to 30 points after the (anon) sign-up process.
On future visits you have to exchange, and you can take up to 5 more than you brought in (bring in 2, take home 7...bring in 25, take home 30), and there's no limit. I may have misheard my friend...it might be take home 5 for every 1 your bring, so bringing in 2 would send you home with 10 and bringing in 25 could send you home with 125. That friend was telling me that someone at the exchange (an employee/volunteer, not a client) said something like they have a client that comes in every few months and that the client recently brought in something like 80 needles and went home with 400 for a few more months of clean needle use. Either way it goes, your clean needle needs should be easily met at the exchange, and you can go as often as you want/need. They also provide all the other utensils needed (cottons, bleach, water in little bottles, alcohol pads, cookers, tourniquets, also antibiotic ointment and both male & female condoms). All free of charge, no questions asked except "what size barrel & what gauge needle would you like?" and you could even take home a "grab bag" I suppose - my friend took home 3 kinds, to try them all out. *shrug*
No proof of addiction or IV usage was required, though questions regarding usage (whatever it may be) were asked for the intake questionaire - and any questions could be skipped. My friend said they were very nice and didn't care about amounts of use - just what they could do to make WHATEVER use people may indulge in as safe as possible.
That exchange could also hook someone up with various other services if they person was interested: health care, shelters, HIV & Hep C testing, etc. They also hosted various groups that sounded interesting to my friend, women's groups, young people groups, and I'm not sure what else (my friend didn't really elaborate on that part).
NOTE: not all exchanges work the same way, or offer all the same services! But as I didn't know what happens at a needle exchange, I asked, and I figured I'd post in case others were interested in the information.
~K.Elise