What are some physical/mental effects that heroin has? Does it have any good benefits?
Heroin is an excellent pain killer, the best we know. It also has some antipsychotic effects (that is, it can reduce the symptoms of things like schizophrenia). Pure heroin, used under proper conditions by skilled practitioners, has few negative effects on health. That is the good news. Heroin is particularly addictive because it enters the brain very rapidly and is converted to morphine, a drug that produces a surge of pleasure, a “rush.” The rush is usually accompanied by a warm flushing of the skin, a dry mouth and a heavy feeling in the extremities, which may be accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and severe itching. After the initial effects, users will usually be drowsy (“on the nod”) for several hours. Mental function is clouded and the heart and circulation slows down. So does breathing, sometimes to the point of death. Heroin overdose is a particular risk because there is no way to know how pure or strong any illegal batch is. The major medium- to long-term danger is addiction: y
