Preventing a heroin overdose when alone....

[SonOF]

First off, I have searched and read a TON of the stuff on this site (including the great FAQ) regarding overdoses, and overdose prevention. However, I still have a few questions that I could use some help with. Anyone that can relate personal stories that they have experienced or witnessed would be very helpful.

All of my scenarios assume that the person using the IV heroin is ALONE.

*One takes a shot, and immediately feels extremely high, much higher than they normally do when they inject a dose. OTHER THAN CALLING 911 (or anyone for that matter), is there anything that the person can do to prevent what feels like a possible overdose (or at least a VERY powerful dose)?

*One administers a heroin injection. The dose again is extremely strong, but the individual begins to ride it out. No other drugs are consumed after the original heroin dose. I would assume that after a certain period of time goes by and the person is still alive/conscious/feeling alright, there is no longer much of a possibility of an overdose. What would this period of time be? Or in other words, how long after the original dose can one assume that they are going to be ok?

*Assume all bags of heroin are of same size (amount) and quality/purity:
1. Individual injects say, 3 (completely arbitrary number here) bags of heroin in one shot. This person usually shoots 2 bags, so he/she knows this will be a strong dose.
2. Same individual shoots 2 bags (his or her typical dose). About 30-45 minutes after the original shot, the individual decides to shoot another 2 bags.
^^^
Which scenario creates a greater risk for an overdose?

*Why do some OD's occur almost as soon as the plunger is pushed all the way down, while others can occur like 30 minutes after the injection?

Thanks for any positive input on the topic.

 

[Niandra LaDes]

all the ODs ive seen(5 or 6 now) have taken quite a while to go from plunger down to body down and not breathing, and it seems to take even longer to bring people back with narcan.
all i can think of that hasnt been said before(test shots, etc.) is maybe dialling 91, and once you feel it coming, and youll know when you cant ride it out, press 1.
?

 

[SonOF]

all the ODs ive seen(5 or 6 now) have taken quite a while to go from plunger down to body down and not breathing,

If you remember, approximately how much time are we talking about here? And what were the signs? heavy nodding? mumbling? skin pale/blue? When did you decide to call 911, when the person became unconscious?

 

[SonOF]

I know people must have more to add...:D

 

[Retrospect]

Woo.. This is pretty scary to even talk about. Now I have I'V'd H before, Contins, Dilaudid.. I have never had to be this cautious as to pushing 91 (that was the part that scared me) then waiting to see real quick if I could ride it out. I say stick with what you know best if you can.. and be careful man. Stay safe bro.. For real.

 

[Niandra LaDes]

okay heres what goes down when you OD:
1.) you lost motor functions have trouble standing, moving, even talking usually
2.) you fall or lie down
3.) you go under/unresponsive
4.) either very shallow or no breathing
5.) finally you go full blown smurf mode

narcan brings you back reallyslowly, so dont count on it being an instant life saver.

if the OD isnt that bad, usually if people are around to help you a lot of smacking the shit out of you getting you up and walking if possible you might have a shot at not going to the hospital. and i just rethought it, ive seen exactly 6 ODs. all heroin, one heroin with alcohol, one with heroin and OCs, one heroin with crack.

 

[ARCHANGEL21]

This thread reminds me of PULP FICTION....

1.Big ass RIG
2. Epinephrin
3. Straight to the Heart......

Just joking.....

 

[pkt]

I've overdosed several times and i've seen a few aswell, each time it has just been a matter of seconds from the plunger went in and it was lights out...

 

[Niandra LaDes]

musta been a sick ass dose.

dont even get me started on pulp fiction...
"yeah this stuff is 400,000,000,000 dollars a gram"

 

[brianxymox]

This is a mad fucked situation. I suggest people never shoot more then a "get well" dose when dosing by themselves. I know how unpractical that can be, but if your dope is always the same purity you can't go wrong. What fucks that whole situation is when your dope changes purity or is cut with something whack like that shit brotha's were dropping left and right from on the east coast (fentynal mixed with brown no. 4? I don't remember). The best situation is just to use around other peeps, and it will help you stay away from shitty situations like falling out with nobody to help you (providing your friend's read that "what to do with an od'ing person thread on here and don't freak on the legal ramifications). It'll also keep you from being the miserable junkie nobody likes who holes up in his place and only uses by himself.

 

[rave23]

if you are alone and you have a real overdose scenario, nothing will help you. And i speak from experience. Any other statement is just a false sense of security.

If you don't have a real overdose, you will be able to ride it out without ambulance and medics. If you push the plunger and you do too much, you will not be able to help yourself.

People that overdose and think they do after 30 minutes are tripping balls imho. They are more likely having a panic/anxiety attack causing the symptoms. In that case, a .5mg ativan will come in handy. Almost no CNS depression, only anxiolytic effects. Perfect to stop it. I have seen it working a bunch of times on myself and others.
All the peepz that say they overdose after 30 or more minutes, how many times did they actually end up like in a real "push the plunger and drop dead" scenario? Most of the time it's good to watch out, but freaking someone out is just wrong. I remember all the folks trying to calm me down actually made me way more scared. The ativan broght me back to earth quickly.

The best advice i can give you though: Never ever have any brainfarts on dosing when being alone. Never do more than you need to get well, and try to snort or smoke that. If you are around responsible people go ahead. When shit hits the fan they will be able to help you. But please, try not to dose when alone in the first place. Bad bad idea.

 

[brianxymox]

^
yeah, this is for realzzz. When people fall out when using short acting opiates like H, it's insanely quick (or at least from what I've gathered over time).

 

[Niandra LaDes]

as a miserable junkie and drunkie who holes up by himself atleast half the time i can tell ya, brother, thats all well and good to say, but what the man was asking only applies to miserable fucks like me who are alone when they shoot up, when they dont have nobody else to register for them or push it down.

obviously you should have someone with you when youre slammin on, but what he was asking is how do i avoid dieing when im alone?

 

[rave23]

Dose as low as possible. Only way.
Gauage the strenght by different means, like sniffing or smoking. Then slam the lowest dose possible. That's as close as you will get to "safety"

 

[brianxymox]

as a miserable junkie and drunkie who holes up by himself atleast half the time i can tell ya, brother, thats all well and god to say, but what the man was asking only applies to miserable fucks like me who are alone when they shoot up, when they dont have nobody else to register for them or push it down.

obviously you should have someone with you when youre slammin on, but what he was asking is how do i avoid dieing when im alone?

I hear ya, but I'll be damned if I end up like Layne Staley, having retrievers do my work while I sit in solitude banging my drugs and shit-pissing all over myself. My first bit of advice addressed using alone, and in that I stated only to use a get well dose... other then that, you're throwing caution to the wind. Ain't shit-else you can really do.

 

[Niandra LaDes]

ah yes,
the "bargain basement howard hughes".
hes definately one of my favorite singers, but i would never compare myself to him. i go outside for long walks, even if i am fucked up. i dont just stay inside all day. i go stir crazy. although i do mostly stay home alone or with 2 or 3 friends and have everything deliverred to my door since i have enough dealers and free needles these days. i live above a porn store and a liquor store so i only walk about 40 feet when i go "out" but hey, you gotta get your excercise somehow right?

but seriously, when im "clean", or on subs and a few other meds i dont need to mention, really, i just smoke pot and go for walks down to the beach and just sit and think and clear my mind. it takes my mind off my mind, y'know?

 

[pkt]

People that overdose and think they do after 30 minutes are tripping balls imho. They are more likely having a panic/anxiety attack causing the symptoms

agreed.

If your doing dope by yourself which you no doubt are if your a heroin addict then there is absolutely nothing you can do if you have a real overdose.

All you can do is pray that if it happens you somehow wake up or someone finds you...

I woke up after 12+ hours in a random stairwell and im sure im lucky to be alive, i did the shot and seconds after i knew i had done too much but i got KO'ed before i could even reach for my phone or anything....

the best advice here is definitely just to regulate your dose age and concentrate on getting well before you consider getting high because a few of the times i've overdose has been because i was sick as hell and i thought fuck it and i just did 5 or 6 six bags when i would normally do 3-4....

 

[lyXw33d]

What about if you've taken a shot and you start to feel extremely high, higher than you should be, would it be unsafe to get into the shower (cold?).

 

[syyth007]

When i was actively using, 95% of the time I used by myself, in my apartment when I knew no one was going to be around for a while to see me nodding' off.. One of the last times I used, I ate a few xanax and was drinking. I got a craving and broke out my stash. I figured since I had 4mg of Suboxone about 12hrs earlier, I could take a decent shot. I remember fixing, placing the rig down on my computer desk, then Whoosh! The rush hit me HARD, and suddenly it was 7 hours later, and I was sitting in my computer chair in the same position. Scared the hell out of me.

If you're going to use alone, I would suggest in NOT using large doses, as I had no chance to call 911, or administer Narcan if I wanted to.

 

[SonOF]

This is a mad fucked situation. I suggest people never shoot more then a "get well" dose when dosing by themselves. I know how unpractical that can be, but if your dope is always the same purity you can't go wrong. It'll also keep you from being the miserable junkie nobody likes who holes up in his place and only uses by himself.

So if I follow you, one can't/shouldn't get high (not just curing sickness) injecting by himself, and if they do, they are miserable junkies who are holed up in their rooms like hermits?

What if the person simply does not want to tell anyone else about their IV drug use? Not everyone has a "shooting buddy," and not everyone wants to
share their habit with anyone else.

You make it seem like "shooting up socially" (lol) is somehow more acceptable/makes you less of an addict. It's obviously safer to IV with someone else present, but that seems to be the only difference.