Heroin

Injecting 3: Intravenous injection

When heroin is injected intravenously, the hypodermic needle passes through the skin and into a vein. To be sure the needle is in a vein, users will usually slightly pull back the plunger of the syringe. If blood is drawn into the syringe, they know they have hit a vein. The plunger is then pushed in all the way to inject the entire heroin solution directly into the bloodstream.

Intravenous injection is the method that carries the greatest risks. If the process is not sterile, serious health complications can follow. Heart valve infections, blood poisoning and infectious diseases like AIDS and hepatitis are relatively common amongst intravenous heroin users. Such illnesses are potentially fatal.

If air or solid chunks of heroin are shot into a vein, they can trigger a heart attack or stroke. Because the whole dose of heroin is injected into the bloodstream at once, intravenous use also carries a greater risk of overdosing.