If you’re managing a heroin use disorder, you’re probably familiar with side effects like “heroin nod” – a feeling of extreme drowsiness that occurs when the central nervous system is depressed. It can happen anywhere, even if you’re driving or at work. For many, it feels like drifting in and out of consciousness, and it can feel relaxing. It’s easy to view it as a normal part of heroin use, but it can become dangerous because it closely mimics a heroin overdose.
In 2022, 17 people died in Orange County, CA from a confirmed heroin-related overdose death, with a total of 502 people in all of California.
At Pacific Sands, we are deeply committed to educating our clients and their loved ones on how to identify a heroin overdose. By learning how to recognize symptoms like heroin nod, you can ensure that proper medical care is administered as soon as possible. In turn, this will save many lives in our community. Today, we will discuss how someone with this symptom can get the proper care they need and deserve.
Heroin Nod: What Does it Mean?
There are many signs of heroin use, either from a substance use disorder or single-use events. These might be irregular breathing patterns, flushed skin, tremors, avoiding responsibilities, changes in personality, and also heroin nod. But what does that term mean?
A heroin nod happens when a person is drifting in and out of consciousness. This can happen as an effect after the initial high or because someone has consumed too much of the substance. If someone has taken too much heroin, this could be a sign of an overdose. A person does not need to have a heroin use disorder to experience heroin nods or overdose, but it does increase the likelihood that they will.
Someone who is experiencing heroin nods might appear as if they are falling asleep with their eyes closing and head drooping. Then, they may suddenly wake back up, only to return to their previous state of appearing to fall asleep. This can happen no matter the position the person is in, whether standing, sitting, or lying down.
Why People Using Heroin Might Nod Off
Heroin is an illicit opioid that has sedating effects due to being a depressant. Depressants slow down the central nervous system. As a result, many people will feel drowsy, relaxed, or sleepy when these effects kick in. When this substance is in a person’s system, they might want to go to sleep or experience nodding off.
When someone nods off, the body falls asleep, resulting in the head moving forward or backward. Sometimes, this movement will wake the person back up, only for them to fall asleep again. It is important to keep in mind that you should not let someone sleep off a heroin overdose if you suspect it might be one, as this is a potentially fatal experience that the person will not be able to wait out.
Heroin Nod: The Dangerous Risks You Should Watch For
There are many dangers of nodding off. The most significant danger is a heroin overdose, which can be fatal if proper medical attention is not received as soon as possible. But some other dangers can occur as a result of nodding off besides the potential for an overdose.
Even if someone is nodding off without showing signs of an apparent overdose, the experience can last for several hours and is entirely uncontrollable. If a person attempts to drive, operate machinery, or work in a high-risk environment that demands full attention while experiencing heroin nod, the consequences can be severe or even fatal. For instance, a surgeon under the influence might inadvertently cause a life-threatening injury to the patient they are operating on.
Recognizing the Other Symptoms of a Heroin Overdose
Any time someone is taking heroin, there is an increased risk that they will experience a heroin overdose. This can happen whether a person has taken too much of the substance or it has been laced with something else, like fentanyl. Heroin is an illicit substance, and drug dealers might lace the substance to increase their product, lower production costs, and increase the potency of the heroin.
Nodding off is one of the potential signs of an overdose. This is especially true if they have other signs present. Here are some of the most common signs of a heroin overdose that might appear alongside nodding off:
- Blue or purple fingernails or lips
- Slow heartbeat and breathing
- Clammy skin
- Vomiting
- Difficulty walking
- Dizziness
- Small pupils
- Gurgling noises
- Difficulty talking
- Confusion
What to Do If Someone Is Experiencing a Heroin Overdose
If someone is nodding off due to a heroin overdose, remain calm, call 911, and try and keep them awake and breathing. They are not able to sleep off a heroin overdose and will require immediate medical attention as soon as possible. If you have naloxone present, administer the medication.
Naloxone is a medication you can obtain in California at a local pharmacy or a syringe service program. It can also be mailed directly to you. Because an overdose might happen at any moment, if you suspect someone you love might be taking the substance, it is important to keep it in an accessible location at all times. This ensures that your loved one can receive this medication promptly.
Keep in mind that naloxone will only temporarily reverse a heroin overdose. Your loved one will still need to receive proper emergency medical care to fully recover from this experience. Naloxone only buys your loved one more time. Under California’s Good Samaritan Law, you will not be charged for providing lifesaving medical care like administering naloxone.
If your loved one is not conscious and you are unable to keep them awake, lay them on their side to prevent choking. It is also important to stay with them until 911 arrives. This allows you to report any changes to the first responders.
The Most Effective Way to Prevent Heroin Nod
Ultimately, the best way to prevent heroin nod is to not take heroin. While the idea of recovery might seem like an easy solution, this journey is daunting and complex for many people. You or your loved one do not have to recover from a heroin use disorder on your own, nor should you have to.
Attending personalized treatment at a heroin detox program provides the appropriate support and tools necessary to make it easier for someone to leave heroin behind and reduce the chances they will experience a heroin overdose.
Find Personalized Heroin Use Disorder Treatment in Santa Ana, CA
If you or your loved one has tried many heroin use disorder treatment facilities in the past and have found that they haven’t seemed to work, this is a valid and common experience for many people. It doesn’t mean that recovery is impossible to achieve, though. By understanding what hasn’t worked in the past, you can learn what will best help you achieve the outcomes that will allow you to return to what matters most in your life.
Pacific Sands is a luxury facility with a 6-client maximum in Santa Ana, CA. By maintaining a small client load, we can focus on helping each individual find and develop a solution tailored to their specific needs during recovery from substance use disorders, such as heroin addiction. To learn more or schedule a consultation, call us today at 949-426-7962.
Pacific Sands – The first step towards a new life.
