Safety Information for Drug Users in NC
Safety Information for Drug Users in NC
Why is injecting drugs a risk for HIV?
At the start of every intravenous injection, blood is introduced into the needle and syringe. HIV can be found in the blood of a person infected with the virus. The reuse of a blood-contaminated needle or syringe by another drug injector (sometimes called "direct syringe sharing") carries a high risk of HIV transmission because infected blood can be injected directly into the bloodstream.
Sharing drug equipment (or "works") can be a risk for spreading HIV. Infected blood can be introduced into drug solutions by
• using blood-contaminated syringes to prepare drugs;
• reusing water;
• reusing bottle caps, spoons, or other containers ("spoons" and "cookers") used to dissolve drugs in water and to heat drug solutions; or
• reusing small pieces of cotton or cigarette filters ("cottons") used to filter out particles that could block the needle.
"Street sellers" of syringes may repackage used syringes and sell them as sterile syringes. For this reason, people who continue to inject drugs should obtain syringes from reliable sources of sterile syringes, such as pharmacies.
It is important to know that sharing a needle or syringe for any use, including skin popping and injecting steroids, can put one at risk for HIV and other blood-borne infections.
Are you injecting crack?
We've got a lot of crack around here, and folks are injecting it. It's hard to get crack to dissolve in water, so some of us squirt a little lemon juice or vinegar into the cooker. But, lemon juice and vinegar are food products and full of bacteria. When you inject crack that you dissolved with lemon or vinegar, you're injecting bacteria straight into your bloodstream. You can get nasty systemic (whole body) infections and you're much more likely to get an abscess where you injected. What can we do instead? Buy a bottle of vitamin C (ascorbic acid) at the pharmacy. Crush it or shave a little but of it off (about a match head worth) and throw that in the cooker instead. Add a little at a time until you get the crack to dissolve. You don't want to add too much acid and ruin your dope; remember you can always add more but you can't take any out. Dissolve it in as much water as you can handle and inject slowly so you give your veins a chance to adjust to the acid. In other places syringe exchange programs hand out packets of citric and/or ascorbic acid.
Are you shooting pills?
Prescription tablets contain talc... like compressed body powder. When you inject a crushed pill, you are injecting this common pharmaceutical filler in addition to the active ingredient. Some pills aren't isn't easy to dissolve and can clog up your works and your veins. Always use a filter so that you don't draw up any leftover particles from the crushed pill.
Know your pills.
How do you know that what you're getting is what you think it is? Pills come in all shapes and colors and sizes. You sure you didn't get beat? It's important to know what it is you're actually taking. Click on the picture to the left or on the link below to see a PDF of the most commonly abused prescription drugs. Although this isn't a complete list, it should help you get started. There are dozens of generic versions of these drugs out there that may look different than the ones in the picture. You can also try looking up the pills in the Physician's Desk Reference (PDR) at your local library. Poison control centers can help you identify you pills, too. It's a free call and you don't have to give them your name or location. If you're paranoid, try calling from a pay phone. The number is: 1-800-222-1222. Finally, here are some steps you can take to try an protect yourself from conterfeit drugs. Although these tips were designed for all prescription drugs, some of them may be applicable to you.
| naadi_pillchart.pdf | |
| File Size: | 246 kb |
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What's up with methadone?
Methadone is an opioid, which is a class of drugs that includes morphine, heroin and oxycodone. Methadone is used for managing chronic pain and treating addiction to heroin and prescription painrelievers.
How do I know if this is ecsatsy?
The folks at dancesafe have test kits available by mail order that you can use to test pills of ecstasy that you get. The test can tell you if the pill is adulterated with other things that can harm you. The test kits cost around $25 and that will let you test lots of pills. Click here to get more information and ordering instructions.
Don't lick your tip.
Your mouth is full of bacteria...
You've got to eat well, too.
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You may be asked to participate in a research study if you live near an university or research institute. While there may be some immediate benefits (money, new treatments for diseases, gift certificates, etc.), you still have rights that you should know about.
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