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Heroin Overdose

Heroin works on the central nervous system. The abuser's heartbeat slows as well as their breathing, which may cause them to lose consciousness. Any of these effects can be fatal if the dose is too high. Depending on purity of the drug and the user, a lethal dose of heroin may range from 200 to 500mg. Hardened addicts have survived doses of 1800mg and over. However, with street heroin, there is no absolutely "safe dosage". It depends on the abuser's tolerance, the amount taken, and purity taken. Overdose can occur when the dose taken is greater than that you're used to. A tolerable dose for an addict could be fatal to a first-time user. Tolerance to heroin in particular is quickly acquired. Even occasional weekend users need to take more of the drug to get the same effect over time. Tolerance can also drop over time. Some users have overdosed on their "regular dose," after just a few weeks of Abstinence.

Symptoms of a Heroin overdose include but are not limited to:

  • muscle spasticity
  • slow and labored breathing
  • shallow breathing
  • stopped breathing (sometimes fatal within 2-4 hours)
  • pinpoint pupils
  • dry mouth
  • cold and clammy skin
  • tongue discoloration
  • bluish colored fingernails and lips
  • spasms of the stomach and/or intestinal tract
  • constipation
  • weak pulse
  • low blood pressure
  • drowsiness
  • disorientation
  • coma
  • delirium
Did You Know? ...
Interesting Facts and Statistics:

Heroin sold on the street is often mixed with other substances such as sugar, starch, or quinine.

Almost half of Americans aged 12 or older reported being current drinkers of alcohol in the 2001 survey (48.3 percent). This translates to an estimated 109 million people. Both the rate of alcohol use and the number of drinkers increased from 2000, when 104 million, or 46.6 percent, of people aged 12 or older reported drinking in the past 30 days.

Among teens aged 12 to 17, 10.8 percent were current illegal drug users. This was higher than the rate observed in 2000 (9.7 percent).

Among adults aged 18 or older, the rate of past month alcohol use increased with increasing levels of education. Among adults with less than a high school education, 36.5 percent were current drinkers in 2006, significantly lower than the 67.3 percent of college graduates who were current drinkers. However, among adults aged 26 or older, binge and heavy alcohol use rates were lower among college graduates (19.1 and 5.4 percent, respectively) than among those who had not completed college (22.3 vs. 6.2 percent, respectively).

In 2005, fewer men who were dependent on or abused illegal drugs met the criteria for SPD than women who were dependent on or abused illegal drugs (28.1 vs. 54.0 percent).

Of the 21.1 million persons in 2006 who were classified as needing substance use treatment but not receiving treatment at a specialty facility in the past year, 940,000 persons (4.5 percent) reported that they perceived a need for treatment for their illegal drug or alcohol use problem. Of these 940,000 persons who felt they needed treatment but did not receive treatment in 2006, 314,000 (33.5 percent) reported that they made an effort to get treatment, and 625,000 (66.5 percent) reported making no effort to get treatment. These estimates were similar to the numbers reported in 2005 (296,000 and 865,000, respectively).


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