amphetamine, needle & the damage done?

[Moses1]

I've been having a problem injecting speed, either prescribed dexamphetamine or, more recently, street speed--and am hoping for any advice that might present itself. I started shooting drugs about 4yrs ago to economize opiate dosage. I'd had good bit of back pain and after surgery never let go of painkillers; sounds funny to say it but when my codeine was cut off the fear of withdrawal that I'd experienced in part due to taking extra opiates made me dependent on the black market. After multiple f*ing intense attempts at getting off that i was able to--but one of the tools i used was to shoot my speed prescription when i felt the itch. I'd had that in mostly same form for >10yrs and only really abused it by sharing with friends and the rare, ill-advised party night combo :D
Anyway, it's been couple years since i've been off the opiates, barring <5 screw ups but needling with the speed has been hard as hell to give up. I'm 99% sure i wouldn't care less if it wasn't the instant-gratification system with the needle. I switched half of my prescription from straight dex to lysdexamphetamine and don't have interest in that besides keeping myself focused and not lacking energy. Where I live there's easy needle exchange access so just getting rid of needles didn't do much more than cause me to scrounge for old and dull ones. Enough of my friends and acquaintances use stimulants that avoiding it all long-term would be a real task.
Has anyone else been in a similar situation? Even if not with same drug? I don't think it's the speed that's giving me the itch but the instant gratification system that plays a bit fast and loose with the brain's reward system. Would appreciate any thoughts

 

[Jabberwocky]

There is no doubt that the Needle and its Rituals itself can be a huge addiction/fetish just by itself. I remember being mad enough to try injecting Zyprexa wafers when I quit IV cocaine. Even years of being clean later I would still get triggered every time I saw a needle.

However injecting either dexamphetamine (pills?) or street speed is very risky. The pills because of all the fillers and the speed because of all the contaminant production residues and solvents.

It I were in your situation I’d consider switching the ROA from IV to plugging (as next most ‘rushy’ option and seeing how satisfying that was. It would certainly be much safer - especially if you acetone washed the speed first. If it satisfies you, you’d know your issue is with the drug itself and not the needle.

 

[Dshanti]

It’s definitely the drug. True addicts will crave it so much, you dont care how you ingest it. It’s a difficult lifestyle to give up. And what is this you shouldn’t shoot up street speed…what other speed is there? Pharmaceutical grade? It’s important to use sterile equipment, a new cotton, a new squirt gun and not get impatient and miss. Taking it rectally actually gets you just as high as shooting it, just the rush takes a few minutes to come on. But it’s an awesome rush. In a perfect world there would be an alternative to shooting. But when smoking, sniffing and hot rails stop getting you high, or your nose can’t take it anymore, you either got to shoot it or go the rectal route. Shooting it is risky, and not good if you have a compromised immune system. It’s sort of random when people get ill from shooting, but it’s definitely safer than shooting black. My pet frog has been shooting it for 20 years, and never had any problems, not even an abscess. I know a lot of people who have gotten abscesses, but that usually starts with shooting heroin, then once they have mrsa the abscesses become more common. I believe a lot of people don’t know how to shoot up correctly, or they have small veins, and small veins is a horrible curse. The rule of shooting is if you have any uncertainty your not in a vein, the smallest doubt, you pull it out and start over. Don’t rush it like a fiend. Also make sure your equipment is working, used filtered water, a clean cotton, the smallest needle possible that will work with your body, never shoot in your femoral or neck, or dick! I know 3 people who were in the hospital for 6 weeks from shooting in their femoral. I know a girl who was only 19 when she had to have open heart surgery from shooting up with river water. Also, learn to control your jaw movement, yes it is possible. Chew gum so you don’t grind your teeth and at night sleep with a mouth guard. Lastly, if you train yourself to eat normal meals, sleep every night and drink plenty of water and vitamins, you won’t feel nearly as shitty. You can have a job, be a functioning human in society, go see your gf’s parents, do really well in college, but you just have a secret drug problem. The best thing you can really do is never try speed or heroin, I wouldn’t wish a serious addiction on some of my worst enemies. Once your in it though, and know the pleasure it brings, you might as well be knowledgeable on. How to use it right.

 

[Moses1]

Plugging sounds a pretty bright idea (or dark? :D )
Further background, only one acquaintance uses needle route, same guy i get the street stuff from. When I was shooting opiates I was so secretive that even wife didn't know til i'd planned a few week parent-sponsered christmas trip just to remove myself from that market and situation (subutex pills, thank god, were all that was available in local market, only heroin i've had went up my nose near decade before then). Now I've several friends that take speed (street or my meds in either form) that would eat it or snort it but know my "dirty secret"--had hoped not hiding it makes it easier to deal with.

Health-wise, i'm in europe so mostly regular amphetamine as opposed to the meth variant, and my fast-acting meds are just amphetamine pills; I use micron filters and at least know there's no chance I've ever shared gear with others, but re-use own needles at times, sometimes way too many times. I got an abcess two years ago, just couple months after quitting the opiates last time, ironically, but of course one dumb day and somehow screwed my arm up That left a little scar in my shooting arm and I've just re-used that spot afterwards to not leave marks elsewhere and guess i don't shoot enough, or with dull enough needles, to feel need to look for a vein elsewhere. I'm worried about adulterants in street speed but otherwise should be relatively safe IV-wise, it's more the mental addiction to it that I'm real worried about.

Thanks a lot for feedback will probably add more later on off chance there's remaining interest in adding feedback :D

EDIT: the one dumb day that resulted in abcess was day i thought a little bit of opiate might be ok that night

 

[wareika]

Plugging sounds a pretty bright idea (or dark? :D )

Plugging had some definite advantages according to this post. I havent done this with stimulants myself though.

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