Cocaine sends high levels of dopamine into the areas of the brain that control pleasure. Recovery is possible, but it can be harder to overcome than an addiction to one individual substance. Treatment for poly-substance addictions is generally more complex.
- Call emergency services immediately if you suspect a speedball overdose and provide all relevant information, including the substances involved and the person’s symptoms.
- Using a crack in speedballing can cause a surge in blood pressure, heart rate, and cardiac output.
- Speedballs, a combination of heroin and cocaine, pose severe risks including heart attack, stroke, respiratory failure, cardiac arrest, seizures, addiction, and mental health complications.
- Treatment for speedball addiction usually starts with medically supervised detox, which is crucial for managing withdrawal symptoms.
Why Do People Try Speedballing?
However, speedball is now becoming a more widely used term to describe the mixing of two or more drugs—usually an opioid and stimulant. Although heroin and cocaine are most commonly used, others may substitute them for different types of drugs that they would then take. In this article, we will talk more about speedball, its dangerous effects, the signs of overdose, a review on alcohol and seeking help. This article mentions drugs, drug abuse, and its negative side effects. If you are sensitive to these topics, or they may trigger a negative psychological response, we recommend you click away and seek help from a professional. Using speedball drugs poses a major health risk that parents and communities must urgently and understandingly address.
What is Cotton Fever: Myths, Facts & Treatment Options
During this phase, individuals undergo a supervised withdrawal under the care of medical professionals. Medical detox helps manage the physical symptoms of withdrawal and ensures the safety and comfort of the individual throughout the process. Yes, combining a stimulant and a depressant is dangerous, as the two drugs can have different effects on the body, leading to increased toxicity and side effects. Speedballing can be very dangerous, as it increases the risk of adverse effects and overdose and can cause permanent damage to organs, such as the heart, lungs, and brain.
What is a Speedball? Understanding the Risks
Though when used in conjunction with other drugs it is more likely to see the powder form because it is water soluble and more easily mixed. Heroin use leads to euphoric or pleasurable feelings in the body and mind. These effects are experienced almost immediately and last up to a few hours.
Assessment and Personalized Treatment Plan
A speedball is composed of two classes of drugs with contradicting effects. Involving the family in treatment can significantly contribute to long-term recovery. Family therapy sessions provide a platform to address familial dynamics, educate family members about addiction, and establish healthy boundaries and communication patterns. Individuals can enhance their recovery and maintain healthier relationships by strengthening family support systems. These numbers highlight the serious public health issue of drug abuse and overdose, affecting millions of people and their loved ones yearly. The combined effects of the stimulant and depressant create a push-pull effect on the body, straining the central nervous system and other organs.
Can You Get Addicted to Speedballing?
In fact, a street name for speedballing, “belushi,” is named after the famous comedian John Belushi who died from a speedball overdose in 1982. It’s hard to differentiate between the behaviors of an individual experiencing a high or showing signs of an overdose. The fine line between the two is easily and quickly crossed, and if a bystander is unsure of the state of things, it’s best to err on the side of caution and seek immediate medical help.
Plus, some folks report the canceling-out effects felt like a total waste. Healthline does not endorse the use of any illegal substances, and we recognize abstaining from them is always the safest approach. However, we believe in providing accessible and accurate information to reduce the harm that can occur when using. If there are any concerns about content we have published, please reach out to us at All Addiction Resource content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure as much factual accuracy as possible.
It is important to remember that most people, both those who choose to abuse drugs and those who do not, are not highly medically literate. Their information about drugs comes from a variety of sources, including less reputable ones like the general rumor mill or even people who willfully mislead them into buying drugs. Heroin and cocaine can potentiate one another by interacting with dopamine. Heroin stimulates the release of dopamine into your system, which contributes to the drug’s euphoric effects. Cocaine blocks a process called dopamine reuptake, which is when dopamine is removed from your system to avoid an excessive buildup.
Private, 6-bed luxurious facilities treating addiction and co-occurring mental health with a customized whole-person approach in Marin County’s rolling hills. Mixing drugs is never safe and medical advice must be sought in regard https://rehabliving.net/how-alcohol-can-affect-your-heart-rate-the-new/ to multiple medical prescriptions. Treating it is imperative if you have ever engaged in dangerous behaviors like speedballing. ChoicePoint is a leading rehab center in Fairlawn, New Jersey, that offers diverse treatments.
If you or someone you know is dealing with polydrug abuse, including speedballing, it’s important to seek help immediately. Additionally, speedballing increases the risk of addiction and overdose, as the user may develop a tolerance to one drug and use more to achieve the desired effect. The negative effects of speedballing depend on the combination of drugs used, the dosage, and the method of administration. The stimulating effects of cocaine cause your body to use more oxygen, while the depressant effects of heroin slow your breathing rate. According to a 2018 National Vital Statistic Report, cocaine and heroin are in the top 10 drugs most frequently involved in overdose deaths in the United States.
Speedball drugs also have high addiction potential, increasing the risks for substance use disorders. The exact effects of speedballing depend on which substances you are combining. While the term traditionally refers to a mixture of stimulants and opioids, some people might use other depressant drugs like alcohol or benzodiazepines. However, mixing stimulants with depressants usually leads to similar side effects, no matter what specific drugs you are using. Recognizing if you have been drugged with speedballing drugs can be challenging, as the effects may vary depending on the individual and the dosage consumed.
As mentioned above, speedballing is the phenomenon of mixing a stimulant and an opioid. Opioids are central nervous system (CNS) depressants, which means that they slow down the brain’s functions. When these two drugs are combined in a speedball, the result is a dangerous and unpredictable high that can have negative side effects for the user. While some users crave the push and pull, the reality is that the combination of these two drugs can be deadly. Where the average person gets prescribed potent drugs from a doctor, who is obviously medically literate, people who choose to abuse drugs often don’t.
Upon entering rehab, individuals undergo a comprehensive assessment to evaluate their physical and mental health, substance abuse history, and specific treatment needs. Based on this https://sober-house.org/addiction-relapse-the-risks-what-it-means-and-how/ assessment, a treatment plan is developed to address each individual’s unique needs and goals. One of the most dangerous speedball effects on the body is the potential for overdose.