Families & Friends Of Addicts Support Group
Addiction affects more than just the individual. This community is dedicated to the families and friends of individuals suffering from any form of addiction. Mental health professionals are increasingly considering alcoholism and addiction as diseases that flourish in and are enabled by family systems. Family members react to the addicted person with particular behavioral...
I am having one heck of a time finding medical information amd long term affects on someone who used to be a heroin addict. My Bf used to be hooked on heroin along with a string of other things. Hes 52 years old now. He started late teens early 20's with all that stuff. I did not know him then. He was clean for 8 years had a one night relapse about 7 months ago because according to him he got to complacent and thought he could handle just one more drink but has been clean since then.
Now I can find medial information on people currently using, the long term affects on people who will continue to use but not what damage might already have been done. There is one very specific thing I am looking to find out. I am 38 I still want another child. It just recently occurred to me that maybe he cant. He would love to be a father also eventually its not just one sided. He has been married 3 times prior to me. The first two marriages he and his wives spent in a drug haze. First marriage was 9 years second one 2. They never used protection and no kids. Now from what I read heroin can easily prevent you from conceiving. 3rd wife was his age and already had kids and was fixed so he was never going to get her pregnant. What I read is heroin clearly can keep you from conceiving but what I cannot find out is if it is a permanent thing or does your body repair its self after your clean for a period. Hes not sure either. I have been with him a little over 8 months and love him but at the same time I am not sure if I am willing to give up the idea of having a child yet. He said he will go get a test if its important to me but it wont be possible for about two months before he could even consider being able to take off from work to do so. I would just like to know ahead of time what the chances are the test results or going to make me unhappy.
Now I can find medial information on people currently using, the long term affects on people who will continue to use but not what damage might already have been done. There is one very specific thing I am looking to find out. I am 38 I still want another child. It just recently occurred to me that maybe he cant. He would love to be a father also eventually its not just one sided. He has been married 3 times prior to me. The first two marriages he and his wives spent in a drug haze. First marriage was 9 years second one 2. They never used protection and no kids. Now from what I read heroin can easily prevent you from conceiving. 3rd wife was his age and already had kids and was fixed so he was never going to get her pregnant. What I read is heroin clearly can keep you from conceiving but what I cannot find out is if it is a permanent thing or does your body repair its self after your clean for a period. Hes not sure either. I have been with him a little over 8 months and love him but at the same time I am not sure if I am willing to give up the idea of having a child yet. He said he will go get a test if its important to me but it wont be possible for about two months before he could even consider being able to take off from work to do so. I would just like to know ahead of time what the chances are the test results or going to make me unhappy.
Symptoms of withdrawal include restlessness, muscle and bone pain, insomnia, diarrhea, vomiting, cold flashes 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. Heroin withdrawal is never fatal to otherwise healthy adults, but it can cause death to the fetus of a pregnant addict.
At some point during continuous heroin use, a person can become addicted to the drug. Sometimes addicted individuals will endure many of the withdrawal symptoms to reduce their tolerance for the drug so that they can again experience the rush.
Physical dependence and the emergence of withdrawal symptoms were once believed to be the key features of heroin addiction. We now know this may not be the case entirely, since craving and relapse can 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.
Research into the effects of long-term addiction has shown that substantial changes in the way the brain functions are present long after the addict has stopped using drugs. Realizing that a drug addict who wishes to recover from their addiction needs more than just strong will power is the key to a successful recovery. Battling not only cravings for their drug of choice, re-stimulation of their past and changes in the way their brain functions, it is no wonder that quitting drugs without professional help is an uphill battle.
What are the long-term effects of heroin addiction and use?
A) One of the most detrimental long-term effects of heroin is heroin addiction itself. Addiction is a chronic problem, 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. As with abusers of any addictive drug, heroin addicts gradually spend more and more time and energy obtaining and using the drug. Once they are addicted, the heroin abusers' primary purpose in life becomes seeking and using drugs. The drugs literally change their brains.
Physical dependence develops with higher doses of the drug. With physical dependence, the body adapts to the presence of the drug and withdrawal symptoms occur if use is reduced abruptly. Withdrawal may occur within a few hours after the last time the drug is taken. Symptoms of withdrawal include restlessness, muscle and bone pain, insomnia, diarrhea, vomiting, cold flashes 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. Heroin withdrawal is never fatal to otherwise healthy adults, but it can cause death to the fetus of a pregnant addict.
At some point during continuous heroin use, a person can become addicted to the drug. Sometimes addicted individuals will endure many of the withdrawal symptoms to reduce their tolerance for the drug so that they can again experience the rush.
Physical dependence and the emergence of withdrawal symptoms were once believed to be the key features of heroin addiction. We now know this may not be the case entirely, since craving and relapse can 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.
This is about all the information I could find on it, you would most likely have to speak with a medical professional to get more details.