Various health complications of Heroin abuse

June 5, 2015

Various health complications of Heroin abuse: Short and long term effects

Various health complications of Heroin abuse can be corrected if treatment is sought in good time

While looking at the elaborate information about heroin addiction in our previous article, we noted that various studies have established the undoubted prevalence of heroin addiction in this generation. Doctor Akoury establishment of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center has been taking the lead role in creating awareness about the scourge of addiction and most importantly offering lasting solutions to the victims. This is the spirit that every other organization should have and meticulously implement for us to have a vibrant healthy and economically productive society. Because of the addictiveness nature of heroin, the various health complications of heroin abuse are very indiscriminative and everybody is vulnerable in equal measures. With the help of professionals from AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under the able leadership of doctor Dalal Akoury, we are going to explore with a view of understanding some of the effects of heroin abuse in our health.

As we had mentioned before that there are three major means of administration of heroin into the body with injection being the most predominant, it has also been established that soon after injection or inhalation and heroin crosses the blood brain barrier. And while in the brain, heroin is converted to morphine and binds rapidly to opioid receptors. With these done abusers will typically report feeling a surge of pleasurable sensation, a “rush” which now brings us to the understanding of some of the short term effects of heroin abuse.

Various health complications of Heroin abuse: Short-term effects of heroin abuse

“Rush”
Depressed respiration
Clouded mental functioning
Nausea and vomiting
Suppression of pain
Spontaneous abortion

The intensity of the rush is a function of how much drug is taken and how rapidly the drug enters the brain and binds to the natural opioid receptors. It is important to note that heroin is particularly addictive because it enters the brain so quickly. With heroin, the rush is usually accompanied by a warm flushing of the skin, dry mouth, and a heavy feeling in the extremities, which may be accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and severe itching. Doctor Akoury further explains that after the initial effects, abusers usually will be drowsy for several hours. Mental function is clouded by heroin’s effect on the central nervous system. Cardiac functions slow. Breathing is also severely slowed, sometimes to the point of death. Heroin overdose is a particular risk on the street, where the amount and purity of the drug cannot be accurately known.

Various health complications of Heroin abuse: What are the long-term effects of heroin use?

One of the most detrimental long-term effects of heroin is addiction itself which is a chronic, relapsing disease, characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use, and by neurochemical and molecular changes in the brain. Heroin also produces profound degrees of tolerance and physical dependence, which are also powerful motivating factors for compulsive use and abuse. Other long-term effects of heroin abuse may include the following:

Addiction
Infectious diseases like HIV/AIDS and hepatitis B and C
Collapsed veins
Bacterial infections
Abscesses
Infection of heart lining and valves
Arthritis and other rheumatologic problems

The common denominator with all addictive drugs is that their users will become their prisoners. In the same way heroin abusers will by and by spend more of their time, energy and resources in obtaining and using the drug. And once addicted and are now prisoners of drugs, their primary purpose in life will be to seek for the drug and use it disorderly thereby making very significant changes in their brains. Besides that as they continue abusing the drug, physical dependence develops with higher doses of the same. This will then cause the body to adapt to the presence of the drug and withdrawal symptoms occurring should the drug use be stopped abruptly. When we talk about withdrawal, it is important to note that this can take place even within few hours from the last usage. The following are some of the symptoms of withdrawal restlessness, muscle and bone pain, insomnia, diarrhea, vomiting, cold sweats with goose bumps (“cold turkey”), and leg movements. Major withdrawal symptoms peak between 24 and 48 hours after the last dose of heroin and subside after about a week. However, some people have shown persistent withdrawal signs for many months. And even though heroin withdrawal may never be fatal to healthy adults, this may not be so with unborn children in the womb, it can cause death to the fetus of a pregnant addict.

When using heroin, it is important to note that the continued use of this substance may lead to the user being addicted to it. And this happens; many addicts will have to endure many of the withdrawal symptoms to reduce their tolerance for the drug so that they can again experience the rush. In the past explains doctor Akoury, physical dependence and emergence of withdrawal symptoms were believed to be the key features of heroin addiction. However studies have revealed that this may not be the case entirely, since craving and relapse can also occur weeks and months after withdrawal symptoms are long gone. We also know that patients with chronic pain who need opiates to function (sometimes over extended periods) have few if any problems leaving opiates after their pain is resolved by other means. This may be because the patient in pain is simply seeking relief of pain and not the rush sought by the addict.

Various health complications of Heroin abuse: What are the medical complications of chronic heroin abuse?

Finally medical consequences of chronic heroin abuse include scarred or collapsed veins, bacterial infections of the blood vessels and heart valves, abscesses (boils) and other soft-tissue infections, and liver or kidney disease. Lung complications (including various types of pneumonia and tuberculosis) may result from the poor health condition of the abuser as well as from heroin’s depressing effects on respiration. Many of the additives in street heroin may include substances that do not readily dissolve and result in clogging the blood vessels that lead to the lungs, liver, kidneys and the brain. This can cause infection or even death of small patches of cells in vital organs. Immune reactions to these or other contaminants can cause arthritis or other rheumatologic problems. And of course, sharing of injection equipment or fluids can lead to some of the most severe consequences of heroin abuse – infections with hepatitis B and C, HIV, and a host of other blood-borne viruses, which drug abusers can then pass on to their sexual partners and children. With these explanations, it is only prudent that if you are struggling with heroin addiction, then you need to seek for immediate treatment which can be done professionally if you schedule for an appointment with doctor Dalal Akoury MD and founder of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center. Up on receipt of your request they will slot you in for treatment and help you all the way to reclaim your life back professionally and confidentially.

Various health complications of Heroin abuse: Short and long term effects

Did you contribute to your sons Addiction

May 15, 2015

Did you contribute to your sons Addiction: Is there anything you could have done differently?

Did you contribute to your sons Addiction? trace your actions and mend the ribbon where necessary

The challenges we have in life today causes us to do certain things that under normal circumstances we would have not done. The economic hardship is on such factor that takes all our attention. We are deeply rooted in the business of chasing for contracts, connections and business meetings all in an effort to adding value to our lives and families. I have realized that while doing all these things time is spent and every moment certain activities get the upper hand or the lion’s share of time allocation. This is where in my view the problem begins from. You will agree with me that currently our work takes most of our time in relation to the time we spend with our families. Did that catch your attention? How much time do you take with your family? Are your children able to wish you good night physically or are you wishing them good night on phone? How often do you visit your children in school and follow their academic performance with their teachers or you have found refuge in their teachers to take part some of your responsibilities as you look for money? Is your neighborhood safe for your children like they cannot get bad influence and become liabilities to the society? In this point of time when substance abuse is almost the order of the day do you know your child well? And if your child is already an addict, did you contribute to your son’s addiction? These are very are very pertinent questions which needs to be addressed with great honesty. To help you bring these concerns to perspective, let us listen to one of the client doctor Akoury attended to recently.

Did you contribute to your sons Addiction: What I Wish I Had Done Differently with My Addicted Son?

In my line of duty I attend to very many people from all walks of life but recently I received an e-mail from a concerned parent. In her main she described her son’s addiction very passionately explains doctor Akoury. She spoke about several experiences that I believe are similar to many people today. The mail continues that she was getting worried because she had done all that she though was humanly possible but all yielded very minimal result and now she is worried of losing her son to drug addiction. The question she thrown after all this is what I want to through back to you, so that you can see what you can learn from it. She asked “what do you wish you had done differently?”

I believe that responding to this question will make a big difference for many people whose children are struggling with addiction and even those who are planning to have children in the future. What are you thinking about right now? This can be very helpful when responded to with lots of wisdom. Ask yourself the same question, what do you want to do differently? We have all made some mistakes in the past which when added up, probably may have made a difference, or maybe some little changes here and there may have prevented this (addiction) from happening. You may or may not get the satisfaction from all those deliberations but I want to share with you some of the things you need to discover to be a good parent. The following lessons can be extracted from this question:

Did you contribute to your sons Addiction: I would have learned to listen?

Listening is always the very first thing we must all chose to do. Listen to your children when they speak to us. Many times we often brash off what they say arguing that an addict doesn’t have anything worth listening to. Like in this case her son told her that there was nothing she could do to fix his problem. As a parent when you are told this, you may dispute it right away after all it is your duty to fix your children’s issues. Listening is very important because if she had done so, she would have sought the services of a professional. No addiction can be treated if the addict is in denial, and denial is one thing that only the addict can fix. So when this boy alluded to the fact that nothing could be done in his case, someone needed to have listen.

Professional advice are very important, parents must listen to them and apply their guidelines to the letter. It is very important to note that listening is different from looking for answers. Getting answers to questions or “what to do” solutions assume that there is a single answer or methodology that will awaken not just you but also your addicted loved one from this nightmare.

Another lesson would be learning to listen to your own internal with what you are told by your son. Take time and evaluate in this order; what have you heard, what do you feel and why are you being scared? Any emotional reactions you may have will be as a result of all you unresolved internal struggles.

Finally, from this question, you can also pick this lesion as a parent. It is necessary that you learn to listen to your heart and your mind. Take time to reconcile what the two are saying. Like for instance your heart will tell you that where there is life, there is always hope. It allows you to love someone even if their actions may seem to be communicating otherwise. On the other hand your mind/ brain will speak the realities of life and tell you facts about drug addiction. Therefore it is important to appreciate those matters of the heart and the mind is not about winning or losing the argument. Your heart and your mind must be reconciled to work together in unity. It is possible for your heart to accept that your son may die and in the same way it is also possible for your mind to understand that there may not be an answer for addiction and loving for just today is all you get. With those insights I appreciate that sometimes listening can be very difficult, but if this will help you get help to your children, then if am asked again what I wish I had done differently. Then I will give a straight answer that I wish I had learned how to listen to my children sooner. And now that you are a listening parent schedule for an appointment with doctor Akoury today to listen and apply some of her professional treatment options available for your addicted children.

Did you contribute to your sons Addiction: Is there anything you could have done differently?

What influences Families into Heroin Addiction

May 15, 2015

What influences Families into Heroin Addiction: The battles of Heroin Addiction in Families?

What influences Families into Heroin Addiction? this is very fundamental and knowledge of this will help us protect our children from drug abuse

A question was ones asked in one of the family meeting where the objective was to find out the effects of addiction in our families. The moderator asked “what influences families into heroin addiction?” can you battle with that and share with your neighborhoods? I suppose you can. Anyway we drug addiction is one of the major life challenges that most families today have to contend with. In our previous article doctor Akoury was sharing with us a story of one of her clients whom she maned Jimssy and her husband Jim. This couple had visited her office for help and their story can be very helpful for many people out there struggling with drug addiction. Jimssy admitted that she got introduced to heroin by her friend because she wanted a quick pain reliever and according to her friend heroin could offer her that solution. We now want to understand further what influences families into heroin addiction, and as we progress into the discussion, I will recommend that if you have any concern relating to any form of addiction, then you may want to schedule for an appointment with doctor Dalal Akoury the MD and also the founder of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center for a more professional treatment and recovery program. And now let’s get back to the story of Jimssy and her addiction problem

What influences Families into Heroin Addiction: A Family Affair?

We saw that heroin addiction brought mistrust between Jimssy and her husband but still even in that situation, the power of addiction was still very strong and eventually, buying drugs became a family affair. Her two young children, including 10-year-old son J.J., were coming along for the ride. “It was complete craziness, the whole lifestyle,” says Jimssy. Doctor Akoury says that living the life of drug addiction can be very devastating; the family of Jimssy lived their lives like common beggars. In fact Jimssy admits that their daily life revolved around having money or getting a paycheck, getting it cashed, beeping the drug dealer, and “biting your fingers waiting for someone to call back”. Their habits literally held them captives and hostages of their suppliers. Their frustration grew from one level to another because under these circumstances, it was the supplies who called the shot, dictating where to meet, meeting time and because they were now prisoners of heroin, they had no choice but to obey and go.

Painfully enough all these meetings were taking place in the full view of their two sons seated at the back seat of their car. I guess that is a factor that can address this question “what influences families into heroin addiction?” and being imprisoned by the drugs they were never patient to wait even for 20 minutes to ride home and use their stuff in private, instead the couple would find a dark street corner and risk arrest to get their fixes, occasionally fighting over who got to shoot up first.

What influences Families into Heroin Addiction: The health Implication?

As this practice continued, remember that Jim had been in it for over two decades, Jimssy who was now just a couple of months old into drugs was already losing weight and becoming quite thin in the process. The implications of this habit were becoming very evident and needles and heroin had left her with bruised and swollen arms, hands, and feet. She admits that her drug habit clouded her better maternal judgment, but she was unable to do differently. Interestingly her conscious was good and she is on record admitting that she never liked what she was doing to herself.

She says that even though she dint like it, having been made a prisoner, she had to have it and according to her, it was like her seizure medication. In fact by this time if she runs out of the stuff (heroin) she would fall sick she makes that justification and continues to say that when she was high, they had a very good time with her husband. Jimssy says once she got her fix, she could put it out of her mind and pretend her family life was routine. Their lifestyle was very secretive. The secrete was well guarded and nobody at her work station knew of her problems not even her mother. But at the back of her mind she knew that her two sons were very much aware that they were not really living a life of a normal family. At one point J.J. found his father doped up on heroin, face down on the kitchen floor with blood flowing freely everywhere and a needle dangling from his arm, and not knowing what to do the son called 911 for help. Jim had collapsed while surreptitiously trying to shoot up what turned out to be a bad batch of Mexican heroin. Oh my goodness Jimssy recounts explains that experience was a turning point for her and her husband but yet again they did not quit immediately.

We are going to conclude this story in the next article to find out what this family were able to do even as they were struggling with the answer to this question “what influences families into heroin addiction?” up to this far it is evident that if we live carelessly we can cause a lot of harm to our children. Looking at the two sons watching their parent’s way of life, one may not blame them if they become addicts in the future or even now. This is the greatest problem we have with drug addicts and their habits.

Finally where there is a problem, it will only be fare that a solution is found. And that is why Dr. Akoury made a decision to create a medical center whose main objective is to transform each individual’s life through increasing awareness about health and wellness and by empowering individuals to find their own inner healing power. Jimssy and her family and all that they represent can schedule for an appointment with this great professional for help so that we do not subject our children to this torturous lifestyle. Remember that Dr. Akoury’s practice focuses on personalized medicine through healthy lifestyle choices that deal with primary prevention and underlying causes instead of patching up symptoms. Call her today and live the best life you have always desired.

What influences Families into Heroin Addiction: The battles of Heroin Addiction in Families?

The battles of Heroin Addiction in Families

May 15, 2015

The battles of Heroin Addiction in Families: The wrong choices we often make

The battles of Heroin Addiction in Families must all be inclusive. Heroin addiction is a great to every family

There are certain things that we do not because we want to but because we see our friends and relatives do. The motivation is to have the feelings they have upon using the things they use or doing what they do. In other words the sense of belonging is the reason why all these are happening. Take for instance in the world of drug addiction you will be amazed at what people do just not to be left out and in the process they find themselves into real problems not just in their health and peace of mind but also with the law enforcement agencies. Even though addiction cuts across and everyone is vulnerable, it hit the hardest at the family unit. We spoke to doctor Dalal Akoury the MD and founder of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center about the battle of heroin addiction in families and it is amazing seeing how simple desires can land us into real threats of addiction.

As a professional in this discipline doctor Akoury is going to shed some light on how influential heroin can be in your life no matter how you got introduced to it. She says that one morning while in her office a lady walked in and was very depressed. When she gave her time to share her problem she open up and poured out her heart on the battles she has with heroin addiction. For confidentiality we will call her Jimssy not her real name. Jimssy is a full-time housewife and mother and hardly fits the stereotypical picture of a heroin addict. However for the past two of her adult life, she was obsessed with getting high on heroin a passion she shared with her husband, Jim not his real name who has been battled his own addiction for over two decades now.

Jim had been struggling with heroin addiction for years when his wife joined the league of shooting up heroin. Even though Jimssy was not ignorant of the effects of heroin on her husband, she voluntarily decided to test the water one day following an advice from her friend who informed her that using heroin would significantly relieve the pain of headache and muscular pains she had suffered from epileptic seizures she has been struggling with for more than 15 years now. It is amazing how friends can be very destructive to our well-being. This friend without any consideration of the know consequences, approached her friend with the news she knew Jimssy would be interested in, that is the solution to her struggle with pain. Jimssy acknowledges that, that was her first time and regret having such a friend in her life. She goes ahead to explain that her main reason for testing the waters even though she knew the struggles her husband, was to get better, the pain was becoming unbearable. What do you think about her decision? You may suggest that under the circumstances she was justified because she was looking for solutions about her pain. Nonetheless it is still not right, every advice you get from a friend must be confirmed by a medical doctor and that is why doctor Akoury founded this facility where you can get all the professional assistance concerning your health and addiction at any time of the day.

The battles of Heroin Addiction in Families: Breaking the Boredom

Another point doctor Akoury observed from the patient is the mind set of many people about things and situations around them. Like for instance Jimssy says that besides the advice from the wrong friend, she was curious, she wanted to understand the feelings of this drug heroin, and she confesses that “I wanted to know what this was that [Jim] was doing. Why it was so attractive. And she sought the silence that if she was to try it just briefly for a few times, it won’t do her any harm and that it wouldn’t result into addiction since it is only for a few times.” That is what she thought and besides she had also heard that heroin improved sexual performance. (The seizure medications she had taken for her epilepsy had dampened her libido.) Heroin, she says, helped her feel more sexual, and that was a big attraction.

Doctor Akoury says that she had it all well planned. And in her own wisdom, to avoid getting hooked, she refrained from doing the drug for four days between uses. Then, she started doing it on the weekends “to break the boredom.” This plan may have looked brilliant, but remember that heroin is such an addictive drug and so despite her plans and to her great denial she quickly became addicted. She adds that “I saw what it had done to my husband. But I had no idea at all of the pull it had on users.” If you are listing keenly to Jimssy and you or anyone you know is struggling with any form of addiction, you can be of help first to yourself and then to the others by scheduling for an appointment with doctor Akoury today.

In the meantime Jimssy tells us that as at that time she was being introduced into drugs, she was working and earning her money from her job which was well enough to finance this new expenditure. The income helped her feed their habits and every day was such a good day because they could afford for more drugs. But it also caused strife in their relationship. They would share their drugs, and Jimssy says, the pull of addiction quickly introduced an enemy in their relationship, the enemy known as mistrust. They longer had trust for each other. She feared sending him alone to buy drugs with her money because he would take more than his share on the way home. He felt the same way about her. “It just starts eating away at your love, your partnership, the whole marriage,” she admits. Doctor Akoury reacts to this professionally and informs Jimssy that drugs will remain bad irrespective of the influence you may get from any of your friends. We will continue listening to Jimssy in our next article but for now, we must choose and choose wisely. This life we have, we can only live it once and when we still have that opportunity, then we must consult with the medical experts from time to time to have things done the right way. Talk to us today at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center and we will offer you real time solutions to all your addiction problems.

Tag Archives: Battling heroin addiction