Heroin is an opioid drug derived from morphine, which comes from the opium poppy plant. It can be injected, inhaled, or smoked. Heroin use is associated with health risks like overdose and infectious diseases. Many people transition to heroin after abusing prescription opioids. Long-term heroin use impacts brain structure and functioning and is characterized by tolerance, dependence, and high risk of relapse after quitting. Treatment involves behavioral therapies and medications like methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone.

1. HEROIN
Jaclyn Becotte
February 16th, 2016

2. “In 2011, 4.2 million Americans aged 12 or
older had used heroin at least once in their
lives.”

3. WHAT IS IT?
 It is an opioid drug
 It is synthesized from morphine
 Which is a naturally occurring substance extracted
from the opium poppy plant
 Appearance:
 White or black powder
 Or a black sticky substance called “black tar heroin”

4. HOW IS HEROIN USED?
 Heroin can be injected, inhaled, or smoked
 People who inject heroin are at a high risk of
contracting HIV and hepatitis C (HVC)
 These diseases are transmitted when sharing needles

5. HOW DOES THE ADDICTION DEVELOP?
 The first step is often prescription opioid pain medication
 Such as OxyContin and Vicodin
 Which are the most commonly abused drugs in the U.S.
 50% of young people who inject heroin reported abusing
prescription opioids before starting heroin
 After abusing prescription drugs, heroin is often the next
step because it is cheaper and easier to obtain

6. HEALTH CONDITIONS ASSOCIATED WITH
HEROIN USE
1. Fatal overdose
2. Spontaneous abortion
3. Infectious diseases (like hepatitis and HIV)
4. Collapsed veins
5. Infection of the heart lining and valves
6. Abscesses
7. Constipation and gastrointestinal cramping
8. Liver or kidney disease
9. Pulmonary complications (types of pneumonia)

7. OPIOID RECEPTORS
 Heroin is converted back to morphine as it enters the brain
 The morphine then binds to opioid receptors
 The receptors are located in many areas of the brain,
especially those involved:
 With the perception of pain
 And in reward
 Opioid receptors are also located on the brain stem
 Which controls automatic processes critical for life
 Such as: blood pressure, arousal, and respiration (breathing)

8. HEROIN OVERDOSES
 Frequently involve a suppression of breathing
 This can affect the amount of oxygen that reaches the
brain
 A condition called hypoxia
 Hypoxia can have short and long term psychological
and neurological effects including coma and
permanent brain damage

9. LONG TERM EFFECTS
 Opioid addiction has long term effects on the brain which results in:
 (1) Tolerance
 which occurs when more of the drug is needed to achieve the same
initial intensity and effect
 (2) Dependence
 The need to continue the use of a drug to avoid withdrawal symptoms
 *Studies have shown some deterioration of the brain’s white matter
after long term use
 which may affect decision-making abilities, the ability to regulate
behavior, and responses to stressful situations.

10. HEROIN DEPENDENCE
 Heroin dependence is a chronically relapsing disorder that has
been characterized by a compulsion to seek and use heroin
despite negative consequences
 After detoxification, a high percentage of heroin‐dependent
patients suffer a relapse into daily drug use

11. HEROIN USE LINKED TO PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS
 Affective disorders have been frequently described in heroin addicts
 Studies have indicated that individuals who regularly use heroin are at
risk for elevated levels of anxiety
 High levels of anxiety and stress have been found to be associated with
drug craving and drug use
 Studies have connected heroin craving and negative emotions in heroin
dependence
 The negative emotions were suppressed directly after heroin use

12. TREATMENT
 Behavioral therapies and medications are effective at helping patients stop using
heroin and return to stable and productive lives
 Medications include:
 buprenorphine and methadone
 both of which work by binding to the same cell receptors as heroin but more
weakly
 help a person wean off the drug and reduce craving
 Naltrexone
 Which blocks opioid receptors, preventing the drug from having an effect
 Naloxone (Narcan)
 used as an emergency treatment to counteract the effects of heroin
overdose.

13. DISCUSSION QUESTION:
 Should there be stricter regulations for prescribing
OxyContin and Vicodin to patients?

14. REFERENCES
• National Institute on Drug Abuse. Heroin Retrieved from
https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/heroin on February 9, 2016
•
Blum, J., Gerber, H., Gerhard, U., Schmid, O., Petitjean, S., Riecher‐Rössler, A., & ...
Walter, M. (2013). Acute effects of heroin on emotions in heroin‐dependent
patients. The American Journal On Addictions, 22(6), 598-604.
doi:10.1111/j.1521-0391.2013.12025.x