How to Get Heroin Out of Your System

How to Get Heroin Out of Your System

Heroin is metabolized quickly and is not detectable by most standard drug tests after about three days. The only way to get heroin out of your system is to stop using the drug and allow your body time to metabolize and eliminate it. https://cbd3e397bf404591b7271a2dde9d70c2.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html

Stopping heroin cold turkey can often lead to severe withdrawal effects, however, so talk to your doctor about your treatment options. Staying healthy by getting regular exercise and drinking plenty of fluids may help you metabolize the substance more quickly.

Symptoms of Overdose

While heroin is in a person’s system, they are at risk of interactions with other drugs and substances as well as overdose. Street heroin varies in purity from 26% to 47%,¹⁰ and it is often combined with other substances like ketamine, cocaine, diphenhydramine, alprazolam, and MDMA (ecstasy).

Heroin depresses the respiratory system and slows the heart rate, so there are risks of interactions that can lead to coma. Dangerous interactions might happen with barbiturates, benzodiazepines, certain antidepressants, and antihistamines.

One of the main reasons to be aware of how long heroin remains in the system is the risk of overdose. If you take more heroin because the effects of the last dose have worn off, but the drug is still in your system, it could cause an accidental overdose.

Symptoms of a heroin overdose include:¹¹

• Shallow, slow or difficulty breathing
• Extremely small pupils (pinpoint pupils)
• Discolored tongue
• Low blood pressure
• Weak pulse
• Bluish-colored nails and lips
• Spasms of the stomach and intestines
• Coma
• Delirium
• Disorientation
• Uncontrolled muscle movements

The above symptoms are related to an overdose of heroin alone, but heroin sold on the street is often mixed with other substances or drugs that can cause their own set of symptoms. Street heroin cut with the powerful painkiller fentanyl, for example, has caused a noticeable increase in overdose. Understanding Opioid Overdoses

Getting Help

Heroin is highly addictive and both physical and psychological dependence on the drug can occur quickly. If you want to quit using heroin, there are things that you can do to get through the withdrawal process and succeed in your recovery.