Author: Gary Jackson

Speedball Drug What Is Speedballing & How Dangerous Is It?

Dr. Hoffman has successfully treated hundreds of patients battling addiction. Dr. Hoffman is the Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer of AddictionHelp.com and ensures the website’s medical content and messaging quality. This combination of effects can cause a rush or high, followed by sedation, and can lead to various complications, such as arrhythmias, seizures, stroke, coma, or death. Detoxification can occur in a hospital, a residential facility, or an outpatient setting, depending on the individual’s needs and preferences.

For starters, heroin is a depressant of the central nervous system while coke is a stimulant. Cocaine, often just referred to as coke, is a powerful stimulant derived from the coca plant. Cocaine interacts with a person’s central nervous system and speeds up transmissions through the body.

Speedball Effect and Addiction

The amount of the drug combination that’s taken is less indicative of how a person is affected than a few external factors. Where you are, who you’re with, your mood, personality and medical history all play a role in how speedballing affects your mind and your body. Since cocaine and heroin have opposite effects on the body, it’s possible you might not feel that high from it, but that doesn’t mean it’s not having a physical impact on your body. The risk of overdosing is increased because people often redose if they don’t feel a strong enough high. But speedballing can exacerbate the dangerous effects of these drugs, leading to physical, psychological and behavioral problems and even death. Speedballing can also result in an increased risk for contracting HIV, the development of heroin addiction or cocaine addiction, and a lower chance of completing treatment.

• Some purposely took Fentanyl because they knew of its deadly, potent properties.
• Treatment for poly-substance addictions is generally more complex.

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 combination of these two drugs creates a dangerous cocktail that can have severe and often fatal consequences. However, getting help for speedball use and addiction is just as viable as finding help for any other substance abuse. Our patients have used MAT via our telehealth services to ensure they don’t relapse to drugs like heroin or speedballs. Doing so can lead to significant physical and mental health issues.

Side Effects of Combining Cocaine & Heroin

When people become physically dependent on heroin and attempt to stop use, they tend to go through withdrawal and feel ill. Detoxification from speedballing can be difficult and potentially dangerous, especially without medical supervision or support. Speedballing is injecting or ingesting a combination of a stimulant and a depressant drug. If you notice any of these symptoms in people taking speedballs, call 911. If you have an opioid antagonist like naloxone (Narcan), administer it per the package directions.

Cocaine’s common effects include euphoria, energy and alertness. For some people, cocaine use can cause increased paranoia and hostility. 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. You can start by talking to your primary care physician, a mental healthcare provider, or a substance abuse counselor, who can assess your condition and refer you to appropriate treatment programs.

Short-Term Side Effects of Cocaine

These programs can provide 24-hour care and supervision. In general, detoxification from speedballing should occur under the care of a healthcare professional who can monitor vital signs, administer medications, and provide emotional support. Speedballing produces a unique high that is more intense and longer-lasting than the effects of heroin or the effects of cocaine on their own. Medications like buprenorphine attach to receptors used by opioids.[17] They ease withdrawal symptoms, helping people to get sober safely and effectively. A significant concern for people who speedball is the increased risk of overdose.