Heroin causes shallow breathing, nausea, panic, and insomnia. It requires greater and greater intake for the user to have the same desired effect. Highly Addictive Heroin is really addictive because it stimulates receptors in the brain which produce an intense sensation of pleasure in the user. This response causes a physical dependence which accounts for the user's loss of control and the drug's habit-forming action. Heroin can block pain messages to the brain.
Users can often hurt themselves or others without realizing it.
This method of drug use can have terrible consequences. Combining heroin with alcohol or cocaine can cause serious health problems such as serum hepatitis, skin abscesses, inflammation of the veins, and cardiac disease. Other Problems Needle sharing by IV drug users is becoming the leading cause of new AIDS cases. The AIDS virus can travel from one user to another through blood left in the needle or syringe. There is no cure for AIDS, and no proven vaccine to prevent it.