HEROIN

Introduction:
Heroin is widely used, highly addictive and a powerful depressant that is processed from
morphine. It is a semi-synthetic form of opiate and derived from the opium poppy. Harvesters cut
the pod and juice seeps out. The sap has a high content of morphine. This morphine is substituted
with two acetyl units thus creates heroin. So, its chemical name is diacetylmorphine or
diamorphine. Since it is derived from the opium poppy, it is the main source of income for
Afghanistan and many other countries that depend on drugs for income.

Heroin:
Diamorphine, diacetylmorphine, morphine diacetate (C21 H23 NO5) or heroin is an opioid
painkiller. It is the 3, 6-diacetylester of morphine. Heroin was prescribed as an analgesic, cough
suppressant and as an anti-diarrheal. But nowadays it is used as a recreational drug for its
euphoric effect.

History:
In the late 1800s morphine and codeine were the most popular prescribed and addictive drugs.
The Bayer Company in Germany was looking for alternate medications that were capable of
treating the same diseases as codeine and morphine (which is derived from the opium poppy) but
yet less potent and less addictive. In 1874, English chemist C.R. Wright ventured out into
making a non-addictive form of morphine. In doing so he combined anhydrous morphine alkoid
and acetic anhydride. This produced what is known as diacetylmorphine. In short
diacetylmorphine is an acetylated version of morphine. The Bayer Company of Germany
subsequently marketed the drug as an analgesic in 1898.
In 1898, Heinrich Dreser of Germany saw the commercial value in Wrights invention and began
testing on rabbits, himself and fellow co-workers at the drug company he worked at in Germany,
1

Bayer. Dreser later then termed Wrights invention as Heroin. This was due to the results from
testing his co-workers which said they had a heroic like feeling while using the drug .Heroin
was made to have heroic effects in relieving pain without addiction that is why it was called
heroin. Unfortunately, heroin leads to psychological dependence. By 1905, heroin addiction had
risen to alarming rates.
The first comprehensive control of heroin occurred with the Harrison Narcotic Act of 1914.The
Heroin Act was passed in 1924, making illegal to manufacture and possess heroin. Currently in
the U.S. heroin has no accepted medical use and is placed in Schedule I of the federal Controlled
Substances Act of 1970.In Bangladesh, according to The Narcotics Control Act, 1990; taking
heroin, cocaine and cocaine derivatives is punishable; from 2 to 10 years' imprisonment for up to
25 grammes and death sentence or lifelong imprisonment for more than 25 grammes.

Manufacture Process:
Heroin is produced through opium refinement process. Firstly morphine is isolated from opium.
Then this crude is acetylated by heating with acetic anhydrate. Typically, morphine
hydrochloride bricks are pulverized and the dried powder is then placed in an enamel or stainless
steel rice cook pot. Acetic anhydride is then added. The acetic anhydride reacts with the
morphine to form diacetylmorphine (heroin).This heroin base may be dried, packed and
transported to a heroin refining laboratory or it may be purified further and converted to heroin
hydrochloride, a water-soluble salt form of heroin. Usually two types of powder heroin are
produced from crude heroin base. One is Heroin No 3(NR3) or smoking heroin or heroin
hydrochloride which contains 15-45% pure diacetylmorphine and the other is Heroin No 4(NR4)
or injectable heroin which contains 60-95% pure diacetylmorphine.

Appearance:
Heroin is a white to dark brown powder or tar-like substance, with a bitter taste.

Street names:
H ,Smack, Junk, China white ,Black tar, Brown sugar, Skag, Horse.

Methods of using:
Injection: The most common method of heroin use is intravenous injection. It is also known as
slamming, banging, shooting up, digging or mainlining. It requires user to dissolve the heroin
powder in an acid such as citric acid or lemon juice, sometimes in water. When heated it turns
into a thick and fine liquid and injected intravenously.This process requires smaller doses yet
achieves faster effects then other process. Most injections occur on major veins such as those in
the arm. If veins collapse then injections typically will occur in groin, neck and legs.
Smoking: The second most common way is smoking. Smoking heroin requires the user to heat
the drug in order to inhale the vapors. Typically heated on tin foil or lacing the drug with
marijuana or tobacco and smoking it in a pipe or cigarette. Smoking heroin is also termed as
chasing the dragon, since the user chases the globs of heroin that are in the tube with the
intention of inhaling as much smoke as possible
Snorting: Snorting is one of the less common method. When snorted, users will use a glass tube
or tin foil to make a tube. Any residue left in the tin foil tube allows for further usage. By
snorting users bypasses first pass metabolism in the liver.
Oral intake: The less common route of administration is oral intake. When taken orally, heroin
merely serves as a pro-drug for morphine.

Medical use:
Diamorphine (heroin) is prescribed as a strong pain medication in the United Kingdom, where it
is given via intramuscular or intravenous route. Its use includes treatment for acute pain, such as

in severe physical trauma, myocardial infarction, post- surgical pain, and chronic pain, including
end-stage cancer and other terminal illnesses.

Recreational effect of heroin:

The user feels the effect of heroin within seconds of taking it. Users report an intense rush, an
acute transcendent state of euphoria. It occurs while diamorphine is being metabolized into 6monoacetylmorphine (6-MAM) and morphine in the brain, which disrupts normal brain activity
and creates intense feelings of pleasure. The powerful rush lasts from 5 to 15 minutes and a state
of satisfaction, euphoria and well being that lasts from 3 to 5 hours. All negative feelings of
guilt, tension and anxiety disappear.

Overdosing:
Heroin overdose can occur because of an unexpected increase in the dose or purity or because of
diminished opioid tolerance .Besides overdoses are probably caused by interactions with other
depressant drugs such as alcohol or benzodiazepines. Depending on drug interactions and
numerous other factors, death from overdose can take anywhere from several minutes to several
hours. Death usually occurs due to lack of oxygen resulting from the lack of breathing caused by
opioid. Since heroin can cause vomiting, deaths attributed to heroin overdose are caused by
aspiration of vomit by an unconscious person.

Excretion:
The excretion of heroin occurs a majority of the time through the kidneys and out as urine.
Depending on the amount administered or frequency complete excretion from the body varies
from days to weeks or months.

Effects of heroin abuse:

There are several detrimental effects of heroin abuse which includes physical, psychological,
social and economical.

Some short term physical effects are:

Euphoria
Alternately alert and drowsy state
Warm flushing of the skin
Dry mouth
Insensitivity to pain
Vomiting
Lowered breathing or heart beat.

Some long term physical effects are:

Hypothermia
Nausea/vomiting
Bone and muscle pain
Veins collapsing
Lung infections
Increase chances for stroke
Liver/kidney disease
Pulmonary complications
Blood borne diseases (such as HIV/AIDS) if uncleaned needles are shared
Hepatitis
During pregnancy -miscarriage, premature birth, decreased weight, birth defects
Brain damage
Abscesses of the skin (at injection sites)
Death.

Psychological effects:
Decreased mental ability
Anxiolysis
Confusion
5

 Euphoria
Somnolence

Social and economic effects:

Family violence and family related problems

Increase crimes -committed by drug abusers to get money to feed drug habits
Lost human productivity
Money spent on drug not on education
Premature death of youthful citizen.

Withdrawal Symptom:
Major withdrawal symptoms peaks between 24 and 48 hours after the last dose and subside after
about a week, in many cases for months.
Symptoms Include:

Runny nose ,muscle and bone pain

Emotional distress and restlessness
Diarrhea
Vomiting
Hot flashes and heavy sweating
Insomnia
An overwhelming need for more heroin.

Treatment:
In the events of a heroin overdose, medical professionals and in some cases law enforcement
administer naloxone (Narcan) or naltrexone. Narcan acts as an antagonist and reverses the
traumatic effects of a heroin overdose by competing with morphine for the opiate receptor and

binding to them therefore reversing the effects of heroin overdosing such as respiratory
depression and sedation
There are several treatments for withdrawal, methadone is one of them. Methadone helps
alleviate withdrawal symptoms. When taken orally it occupies opiate receptors (like heroin). In a
sense it acts like heroin by reducing the need for more heroin therefore causing a reduction in
withdrawal side effects .It should be noted that methadone does not provide any of the euphoric
effects like heroin.

Conclusion:
Heroin is highly potential than opium and morphine. Long term use of heroin causes millions of
deaths and costs billions for medical care and rehabilitation. The treatment for addiction is a slow
and long process that should be monitored by professionals in the medical field. Family
awareness, proper counseling and medication may lead to reduce the abusers dependence on
heroin.

References:

1. Bennett,T; Holloway ,K.(2005).Understanding drugs, alcohol and crime. United

2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

Kingdom. Open University Press.

Government of Bangladesh. (1990). Narcotic Control Act. Dhaka.
Haq,M.E. Madokashokti: Jatio o Bishwa Poriprekkhit.Dhaka.Chaya Prokashoni.
Henderson,H.(2005). Drug Abuse. United States of America.
Karch,S.B.(1998).Drug abuse handbook. United States of America.CRC press.
Klein,A.(2008). Drugs and the world. Great Britain .Reaktion Books Ltd.
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Types of drug under international control.
U.S. Department of justice. (1992). Opium poppy cultivation and heroin processing in

South Asia. United States of America.

9. U.S. Department of Justice. Drugs of abuse .United States of America.(page 3,21,22).