Injecting - So i watched my really good friend mainline today..

[y0itsj0hn]

an oxy 60.

first time.

it's had me really bummed for the past few hours.



ps-
sorry if this thread wasted your time i just had to get it off my chest it's really been bugging me since it happened and i cant say anything about it to anyone i know irl

Reputation Comments on this post:

You post will make others think about stuff like this whether you realize it or not.

[Phentasies]

Was this your friends first time mainlining and you happened to be there?

I had this happen with a friend of mine last year who advanced to IV and even worse, was a poly-drug addict (speedball addict) and so advanced both coke and heroin to IV at the sametime, same needle.

Thats a really big step to take in opiate addiction. It takes it to a whole different level. Its like your friend was hanging around at the door to Club Hell and his/her pass in was a pin.

Aside from the obvious health implications of advancing to that degree of addiction, it also produces a stronger physical WD which increases the likelihood that if your friend ever fails to acquire the days needed income that they will have a much stronger propensity towards committing crimes of dishonesty to feed the demon on their back. It also massively increases the risk for DEATH by OD, although this risk is technically (but probably not statistically) much lower when using pharma-opiates verse street opiates due to the much greater dosing consistencies.


If this was your friends first time IVing you really should make an attempt to intervene NOW somehow, before it advances any further.

[mbarnes0]

If this was your friends first time IVing you really should make an attempt to intervene NOW somehow, before it advances any further.

This is so true, if he is your friend you should make every attempt to get him not to do the needle ever again. The bad thing is once that gold is in your veins, you always know what that feels like. Give him some information on plugging, it has kept SWIM from the needle so far. SWIM was seriously considering IV admin until he came across plugging and now he is pretty satisfied at the moment. It was a balance of damnit SWIM knows what this is going to do to him, but he really wants to get fucked up. SWIM is glad he hasn't put anything in his veins.

I remember the first time I saw someone I cared about smoke crack, and I think I know the feeling you are talking about. I also remember the first time I saw someone smoke crystal meth and I had the same appalled apprehensive feeling. SWIM feels like a hypocrite on that one though because now he has defiantly partaken in some 3 day-ers.

[Laudaphun]

an oxy 60.

first time.

it's had me really bummed for the past few hours.



ps-
sorry if this thread wasted your time i just had to get it off my chest it's really been bugging me since it happened and i cant say anything about it to anyone i know irl

You should never appologize for experessing your concerns about someone you care about, afterall, that's what we're all here for.

No pun intended but anyone who has seen the needle and the damage done and is really a friend would be concerned about someone they care about having done such. SWIM would never ever allow someone who snorted oxy/heroin or whatever to try and inject it if she had the power to stop them. The needle is quite simpily the quickest ticket to nowhere. And the real shame is that most people never realize all of the dangers of I.V. drug use until years later, often when it is too late.

[OsCarwild]

Friends should not let friends slam drugs if they have anyway of stopping it. Mainlining is the beginning of a downward spiral that has serious consequences and is hard to stop. Many lives would be better off now if they had never begun injecting.

[EyesOfTheWorld]

My armless friend that i post for agrees. He is completely addicted to opiates, has been for years, but has always known to stop at the point of IV injection. He has IV'd a few times in sterile, sanitary conditions (either hospital setting or with brand new needle, his own new works, pure dope etc) but is glad he pulled out of that quickly, he could easily see it becoming a huge problem. Yes, he's an addict, but he is an addict with significantly less OD risk due to not shooting, and more importantly ZERO risk of needle-borne diseases, cotton fever, abcesses, etc etc etc.
Opiate use is one thing, IV is the next level. If the friend desires an instant rush, snorting Oxy or smoking H should be sufficient, not that my friend recommends either, except in the harm reduction sense.

Also, my pal was wondering, since when do they make OC 60's? Pardon him if this is old news, or specific to country, but he has never seen or heard of them.

[bananaskin]

Research done in the last few seconds confirms that OC is available in 60mg.
A link is not possible however but the information is available via any search engine.

[Laudaphun]

Originally Posted by bananaskin

Research done in the last few seconds confirms that OC is available in 60mg.
A link is not possible however but the information is available via any search engine.

From what SWIM has read Canada offers the 60mg oxycodone in time release forumlation. There is a package insert SWIM had uploaded awhile ago in the file archive showing all strengths of oxycontin (time-release oxycodone) manufactured, and assume which strengths are available depends on the country. The bottom of the pdf shows images of the strengths that some might find unusual in their particular locality.

http://www.drugs-forum.com/forum/loc...id=138&id=2760

[Ilsa]

as a former iv user of heroin and cocaine (a poly-drug addict, then), swim feels swiy's pain....she's gotten clean, but has been in the presesnce, accidentally of a friend (she thought he was clean, hadn't used with him, hadn't seen him in awhile) who suddenly pulledout his gear as they were sitting in his living room and proceeded to shoot a couple morphine 60's. she got out quick, major trigger. but it left her sad...the needle is almost impossible to put down once it's been picked up and it is a whole other beast in terms of addiction, even to the extent of needle fixation (association of the syringe with the rush of injecting a drug, swim has shot water before when in wd's, just to try to mentally trick her body into thinking that since it was injected, it was dope....did notice some placebo effect).

can swiy talk to his friend? show him/her the BD insulin syringe website

[trannyboy]

First I want to say I understand what you mean about watching someone do something so deeply hurtful to themself and others being depressing. I hate watching these things it isn't just IV use but anything that you know has any real possiblity to destroy their lives.

That said I would argue that harm reduction can be applied to IV use. Specifically by using a new needle designed for IV use not an insulin needle, cleaning the area properly which mean more then just an alchohol swab, washing your hands, wearing gloves, seeking healthcare immedeiately for any complications, using is a clean area not a bathroom, using only drugs designed for IV use... the list goes on.

One harm reduction method might be recommending subQ instead of IV. Yes it is slower but not by much and the risks are greatly reduced. In fact combined with clean hands and technique, new needle and wheel filter can bring the risk down to almost nothing and the things you are at risk for are much less dangerous.

trannyboy

[Laudaphun]

SWIM would probably not inject anything that was not specifically prepared by a pharmaceutical company for such. Dirt in street stuff makes one worry. SWIM's marmoset set was ok... not good but ok while in the midst of opiate addiction. And she new each time, she got some clean needles it meant that something that she was able to keep in check would no longer be managable. The same drug, destructive when ingested one way and totally and completely obliterating when used via I.V. SWIM doesn't use needles anymore... or street drugs either for that matter.

SWIM would like to write about about the 101 dangers of I.V. drug use one doesn't take into account until years after thinking they had to worry only about HIV and Overdose... but there is sooooo much more.

[Hollow Hippie]

I am sorry you had the scary experience of watching someone close to you start doing something to themselves that is so risky.

While I have never seen a friend use any paraphernalia (I have always taught them only to use the oral route), I have seen my older sister in the throws of an addiction to heroin via the injection route and had the unfortunate experience of along with his mother catching her with a homemade tourniquet (belt) and blood running down her arm because she pricked herself. She was in denial for a while but she finally confessed and got into rehab and she is clean now. But I know how depressing it is to know someone who is heading towards or is in an addiction.

You did good by expressing your troubled feelings and allowing others to discuss with you about it. Holding in pain is the worst thing one can do despite the fact society always expects you to hold your emotions, thoughts, and feelings in, especially if your male. I for a time held in disturbing thoughts because I did not want to open up, but that only led me to major depression.

Best of luck on the situation with your friend.

[trannyboy]

laudaphun, I think your idea is a wonderful one. I for one would be extremely interested in reading your thoughts and it wouldn't probably benefit many people. I want to encourage you to go ahead and do it. I am right now doing something similar for rectal use of opiates.

I agree with hallowhippiem. Coming on here and sharing was a smart move. These things aren't easier to keep inside nor is it a good idea. I am really glad you found this forum and feel comfortable sharing these things especially if you feel you don't have others you can speak to about this. Please feel free to share again if you need it. I for one will listen.

trannyboy

[Laudaphun]

Originally Posted by trannyboy

laudaphun, I think your idea is a wonderful one. I for one would be extremely interested in reading your thoughts and it wouldn't probably benefit many people. I want to encourage you to go ahead and do it. I am right now doing something similar for rectal use of opiates.

I agree with hallowhippiem. Coming on here and sharing was a smart move. These things aren't easier to keep inside nor is it a good idea. I am really glad you found this forum and feel comfortable sharing these things especially if you feel you don't have others you can speak to about this. Please feel free to share again if you need it. I for one will listen.

trannyboy

Thank you, I really feel that it is important that the dangers of I.V. drug use that are common place and known by most peoplet do overshadow the less well known and just as serious dangers. Misinformation is a big part of the problem. Hepatitis C for example is something a lot of people don't seem to worry nearly as much about as they should. Plus, misinformation about how it can be aquired are something that need to be addressed. For example, most people that I've encountered and even believed myself once was that hepatitis B and C can be aquired by the use of one's own needle if it is not kept clean. Well, after having some routine bloodwork done, SWIM was told they tested positive for Hepatitis C. SWIM has done much reading on this since and discovered that the only way it can be contracted is through the blood of another person. You can't give it to yourself like many people like to think. This was probably a myth started long ago by people who didn't want other people to think they had contracted the virus. Plus, many heroin users don't even seem to care. SWIM began informing people as soon as she began gaining knowledge from text books written specifically about Hepatitis C. Since SWIM had tested positive for Hepatitis C (HCV), they assumed she was at risk for other diseases and sent to be screened for HIV, along with all STD's and all that stuff. After 6 months of being exhausted from bloodtests, dr. visits, and everything a person could imagine, she needed only to have immunizations against hep A and hep B as this was the protocol required by the specialists before being permitted to get interferon injections + ribivirin, she called the dr. to schedule the immunization and he had no clue what she was talking about.

He then told her that he had her labwork all laying on the table and all of her tests came back negative. SWIM told him this was not possible as testing positive for HCV was the reason they'd had all the lab work done in prep for HCV treatment with the above-mentioned medicines. He insisted she was negative for everything. But she still insisted that she thought he had overlooked something. So they scheduled an immediate appointment to go over the lab work and double check. So after 6 months of thinking she had HCV and preparing for treatment which would make her sick for the following 12 months just so she didn't have to worry about the long term consequences of HCV after it could possibily lead to liver cancer, liver failure, cirrohsis, she finds out that she might not have it afterall. SWIM will find out in 2 hours. Hepatitis is the #1 leading cause of the need for liver transplants at the present.

This is not something any human being would want to go through after beating an addiction to a very nasty drug, trying to be very careful to avoid exposure to dirty syringes and has there life rebuilt and going better than they'd ever hoped.

SWIM has found that people either don't care, don't want to find out they have it, and don't seem to have a problem spreading the disease around knowing they have it, just to get a fix. A lot of addicts are more afraid of other people knowing they have HCV and that no one thinks they got it from them as opposed to actually trying to prevent it's spread. This, I guess is what drugs do to people... not all people but SWIM has seen too many.

Reputation Comments on this post:

Very important distinction about transmission of Hep C and the seriousness of its nature.

[Mikeymc]

Wow...thats an incredible journey for yourself to go on...not only does mainlining change your friends life, that change may change yours as well....Everyone I think its important that we all avoid self use and anyone else who wants to mainline...the dangers are so real, the death is so real...and pain stretches so far.

[trannyboy]

laudaphun- all I can say is wow and I am sorry. I can't imagine how confused, frustrated, angry, tired and so much more you must be. I worked in a mobile needle exchange/ HIV testing unit for a few years and sadly your story is not new, the details are different. That myths some the same some different, the outcome many times not as positive but it makes me sad and angry that people are given so little information, when that information could save their lives. I could tell you many sad stories but your story says enough. I will keep you in my thoughts and I hope that you are negative because the treatment isn't easy. My friend with Hep C said it best "they poison you just short of killing you in the hopes of killing the virus, it is a balance of not killing the patient but your damn close to edge"

People need to understand that the dangers of hep/ HIV aren't the only problems to fear. There are ways to be safe but most addicts can't see today much less tomorrow or 5-10-20 years from now. How can someone who doesn't value themself take the steps to protect what is the most valuable possession they have? Add into that disinformation given by everyone, their neighbor, parents, doctors, friends, educators, religious leaders and their dog who seems to have an opinion without grasping the severity of the wrong advice, the very real possible that someone may lose their life. Mix in the fear, loneliness, shame, depression, desperation and you have a deadly mix.

We need to first understand and provide accurate and honest information to everyone from children to seriors, rich to poor. With correct and honest information the battle is lost. After that and just as important is we need people like you to speak up and share their stories, make people realize that there is a human inside this situation suffering and struggling, a person who needs to be heard and cared for while they sort this mess out.

From there we need to realize that it is entirely possible to lower and eliminate much of the risk and danger until that person is able to recognize and eliminate the addiction that is consuming their lives. I am tired of people assuming it is only a matter of time until they get sick so why be proactive and protective. It doesn't cost much to provide all the syringes, needles, water, disinfectants and filters a person needs to be safe and not need to share with others. The cost is certainly lower then treating the serious effects of ignoring people in need.

Thank you for sharing your story and I look forward to hearing from you whatever the outcome. I want to know what happens and I will be thinking of you until I know you are safe and through this whatever the outcome. Hopefully people will learn something from your story and it won't be in vain.

trannyboy