Heroine is an opioid drug. This street illegal drug is made from opioid morphine. It can be injected, snorted, smoked or sniffed.  It can be white or brown in powder or a black, sticky goo known as black tar heroine. Sometimes when people use prescription opioid , they become addicted to it. These people then start using heroine.

What is the effect of heroine on your health ?

This illegal drug affects the central nervous system and how the brain works.  It can make you itchy, sleepy or sick to the stomach. Using heroine can result in the following :

• addiction
• heart and lung infections
• coma
• infections like HIV and hepatitis
• kidney and liver disease
• respiratory failure

How will heroine affect your pregnancy ?

Using heroine during pregnancy can be dangerous or even fatal.  It can cause the following :

• birth defects
• placental abruption
• premature birth
• neonatal abstinence syndrome NAS
• low birth weight
• stillbirth
• sudden infant death syndrome SIDS

If you’re pregnant and using  heroine, do not stop without getting treatment  from  your healthcare provider first. Quitting suddenly can cause severe problems for your baby including death. Your  health care provider or drug treatment center can help you with treatment using drugs such as methadone or buprenorphine. These drugs can help you slowly reduce your dependence on heroine in a way that is safe for your baby.