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Heroin
ChemistryOriginDosage and TolerancePurificationSyringesDetoxicationSelf DetoxCelebritiesCultivationLawNeedle ExchangesSafe Shooting|
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| Syringes |
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| Syringes and needles are designed for the purpose of introducing a drug into the body. The term "syringe" technically refers to the reservoir (that holds the liquid) and the plunger (which pushes the liquid out of the reservoir). The "needle" is the part that enters the body, whether into a vein, under the skin, or into muscle. The word "syringe" is also sometimes used to refer to the entire reservoir/plunger/needle combination. The two most commonly available varieties of syringe/needle sets are insulin and tuberculin. "Insulin needles" are used by diabetics for injecting insulin, while "tuberculin needles" are used to inject tuberculin during the diagnosis of the tuberculous infection. Many countries and U.S. states have legal restrictions on possession and over-the-counter sale of needles. Drug paraphernalia laws often prohibit possession of syringes for purpose of illicit drug use. Medical prescription laws often prohibits over-the-counter pharmacy sales, or possession without a prescription. As of 2002, six U.S. states require a prescription for the purpose of a sterile syringe: California, Illinois, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and Massachussetts. [from helpstopaids.com] Syringes sold by pharmacies and online medical suppliers are typically for diabetics and other uses including post-operative conditions, vitamin deficiencies and intramuscular medications. They come in a variety of sizes, but the most common reservoir size is 1cc (1 cubic centimeter (cc) = 1 milliliter), with a 25 gauge needle size or smaller. NEEDLE GAUGE refers to the size of the bore or hole in the needle. The higher the gauge, the thinner the needle (and the smaller the hole). A 28 gauge needle (abbreviated 28G) is therefore thinner than a 25 gauge needle, which is in turn thinner than an 18 gauge needle. Different gauge needles are used for different administration methods (see below). NEEDLE LENGTH. Insulin needles are typically 1/2 inch in length and tuberculin needles are typically 5/8 of an inch in length. As inscribed on packaging, needle length appears after the gauge number: "28G 1/2" refers to a 28 gauge needle that is 1/2 inch long. SYRINGE RESERVOIR SIZE. Standard insulin syringes typically have a 1cc reservoir and are calibrated by .10cc's along the barrel of the reservoir. Most drug injectors find this size ideal and would rarely need use of a larger syringe, although some like to use a smaller 1/2 cc syringes. Syringes other than 1cc in size may be more difficult to obtain. PLUNGERS. The plunger is used to push the liquid drug out of the reservoir, through the needle and into the body (either into a vein, under the skin, or into a muscle). The plungers on some brands of syringes are easier to manipulate than on others. INTRAMUSCULAR. Larger gauge (frequently 23G or 21G), longer needles are often used for intramuscular injections. Muscle syringes are usually 1cc–-but sometimes 2 to 5 ccs–-with up to a 1-1/2 inch long point. INTRAVENOUS. Intravenous injectors typically use shorter needles no larger than 25G. Most intravenous injectors use either a standard insulin set (orange cap) or a tuberculin needle and syringe (frequently called a bluetip because of its color). ONE-PIECE SETS VERSUS TWO-PIECE, DETACHABLE SETS. With some types of injection equipment, the needle detaches from the syringe resulting in two separate pieces. Standard insulin injection equipment is typically one piece, and has a 27G or 28G needle (and an orange cap). Tuberculin needles and syringes are often detachable and typically have a 25G needle. NOTE: Certain brands of tuberculin syringes have an orange cap, making them easy to confuse with insulin syringes. Syringe Law Loop-Hole Section 4145 of the Business and Professions Code does provides a loop-hole. It states that pharmacists, physicians, and veterinarians may provide syringes without a prescription or a permit under certain circumstances. These circumstances are explained in the following quote from the code. [A] person may, without a prescription or license, obtain hypodermic needles and syringes from a pharmacist or physician for human use in the administration of insulin or adrenaline, or from a pharmacist, veterinarian, or licenseholder, for use on poultry or animals; if all of the following requirements are met: (a) No needle or syringe shall be furnished to a person who is unknown to the furnisher and unable to properly establish his or her identity. (b) The furnisher, at the time furnishing occurs, makes a record of the furnishing in the manner required by Section 4146. Clearly, there are many ways that this law can be used to acquire syringes. Maybe you have a sick chicken. I will outline the procedure here for using insulin. Using Insulin to Get Syringes You need to get in touch with someone who is taking insulin so that you can get the top off of the box that the insulin ampule comes in. The box top will most likely have a large "N" or "R" written on it. "N" stands for NPH insulin and is a long-acting variety. "R" stands for regular insulin, the kind people inject a couple times a day. There are other kinds of insulin, however. If the box top has something else on it, make sure you find out what it means. Paste this box top to the back of your ID. Go to a pharmacy and give them your ID, upside down--showing the box top. Tell them what you need. Say something like, "I need a bottle of insulin." And then add, as if you almost forgot, "Oh, and a box of syringes." Most likely they won't mess with you but they may ask any number of questions. You may be asked how long you have been a diabetic. Diabetes can develop at any time in life, so any answer will do. The main thing is to not stumble on the question. Another important point is that you can't have just been diagnosed with it, because if you had, you would have a prescription--and you don't. They may ask you how much you are using. Make sure it is more than 15 units because you don't want to get stuck with those half CC syringes. Say something along the lines of 35 units in the morning and 25 units at night. What are your sugar levels? Normal sugar levels are between 80 and 100. Yours should be higher than this. Something between 140 and 150 will work nicely. Be exact if it is your nature. Normally, you test your sugar level with a "poke test". What size syringes? My preference is for 27 gauge syringes but you can't ask for these because they are too associated with IV injection. Remember that you do not IV insulin. IM injections are usually done with larger syringes. You can be non-comital on this point or just ask for 28 gauge which is small but still quite common. If the pharmacist asks you for a prescription, tell him that you don't have one. Have a story ready. A good one is that you are new in town and you don't have a doctor yet. You might also be too poor to pay a doctor to prescribe what you already know you need. You will most likely be asked for a signature and an address. Make an illegible signature and put down a false address. They will most likely not check and if they do, just tell them that you moved. This might be part of your story anyway. Conclusion States that do not control hypodermic syringes have HIV infection rates among IV drug users that are two to three times lower than states that do. In addition, making syringes widely available has no effect on drug use itself. It is extremely short-sighted of policy makers to control these bits of plastic and metal. But until they wake up to this fact, IV drug users will be forced to circumvent the law. It is a matter of life and death. Where to Inject Choosing an injection location should not be determined solely on where veins can be found. Some areas of the body are more safe to inject into than are others. Below is a list of injection areas in order from safest to least safe. Arms: The upper arm is the best place in which to inject--there are relatively few nerves there and the veins are large. Just the same, the veins tend to roll, so this must be taken into account. Hands and Wrist: There are more nerve endings here and the veins tend to be smaller and more delicate and thus more prone to damage. On the positive side, they are easy to find and stable. Legs: These veins are at greater risk of forming blood clots. Interrupting blood flow in the legs is particularly serious because these veins are the most important for bringing blood back to the heart. Feet: These veins are even more delicate than those in the hands. There is also relatively poor circulation to the feet which means that damage done is repaired slowly. Special care should be taken to clean the feet if they are used for injection because of the possibility of infection. Groin: The largest vein in this area--the femoral vein--is very close to the femoral artery. It is easy to miss the vein and hit the artery--causing the usual problems. Neck: Just as in the groin, it is easy to miss a vein and hit an artery. Hitting the carotid artery is potentially fatal. Even apart from injecting into an artery, damaging the veins that go from the brain is very dangerous. The brain needs blood more than any other part of the body. . In a perfect world, people should never reuse their syringes; they become dirty and the needles become dull. But sometimes, reusing syringes is necessary, and so we provide users with the information on how to clean them. In addition to cleaning used syringes, it is important to sharpen the needle. You should read the Heroin Helper article, Sharpening Syringe Tips. Dull syringe tips can cause many problems. Cleaning syringes is still the most important thing a user can do, however--even when he doesn't share them. There is a lot of information floating around on how to bleach syringes. A lot of it is contradictory. Don't let this bother you. There is really only one part of the cleaning process that is absolutely essential: Rinse the syringe thoroughly after bleaching. Other than that, you can pretty much make up your own recipe for cleaning syringes. What follows is a good procedure--well worth using if you don't have a way you already use. Find a work area and clean it. Bathrooms are okay, but kitchens are better. Regardless, make sure that the area in which you are going to work is as clean as you can get it. Wash your hands. Rinse the syringe with cold water several times. This can be done in any number of ways. (a) Draw clean water into the syringe from a small receptacle of water, and flush the contents into the sink. (b) Remove the plunger from the syringe and pour the water into the syringe barrel; replace the plunger and flush the contents into the sink. (c) Start the faucet flowing at a steady rate; draw water into the syringe directly from the water flow flush the contents into the sink. Note that this last procedure can be difficult to do well. Pour regular household bleach into a small clean receptacle. If bleach is unavailable, you can use isopropyl alcohol or hydrogen peroxide. From the small receptacle, draw up bleach into the syringe until the barrel is about half full. Pull the syringe plunger out as far as it will go without detaching it. Shake the syringe for about a minute. Empty the syringe contents into the sink. Empty and clean the bleach receptacle. Do not reuse the bleach! Rinse the syringe several times with cold water. There is controversy about how long the syringe should be kept in bleach. It appears that 30 seconds is long enough to kill HIV. No amount of time seems to kill Hepatitis C. There is some word that hydrogen peroxide will kill Hepatitis C. If you really want to be careful, rinse with both. Regardless of what you do, understand your risks. If you share syringes with others, you are putting yourself in danger. Under the best circumstances, never reuse a syringe. Barring that, only reuse your own syringe that you have cleaned. Barring that, only reuse another's syringe that you have cleaned. Procedure for Sharpening Syringes In order to sharpen a syringe, it really helps to have a magnifying glass. The large ones with internal lighting sources used by jewelers and cosmetologists are particularly good for this. These can sometimes be acquired at yard sales and flee markets. Choosing a Striking Surface Classically, people have used the striking surface on match boxes for the purpose of sharpening syringes. This is not a particularly bad choice and will certainly do in a pinch. The best choices are the Arkansas Stone or the Carbide Stone which can be purchased at most medical supply stores. It is a slightly odd item to buy so users should buy in person and pay cash. Syringe geometry Place the tip with its bevel (the angled part) flush with the sharpening surface at its edge. Drag the needle tip backwards along the surface. It is not necessary to press very hard. When finished with one pass, repeat the process. Always move in the one (backwards) direction. Just a couple of passes will do it in most cases but this is where a magnifying glass really helps. Clean Syringes Carefully After the sharpening is complete, it is very important to clean the syringe thoroughly. There will be a lot of little pieces of metal which would be very dangerous if injected. The user should clean the syringe before sharpening it because blood and other substances provide more surfaces for metal shards (and other byproducts of the sharpening process) to adhere to. After the sharpening, re-clean the syringe. Remember: there will be metal shards inside the syringe after it is sharpened. Caution: No amount of cleaning and sharpening of used syringes will bring them back to their original perfect condition. And cleaning and sharpening, if done incorrectly, can make them more dangerous than they were before. |
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