Heroin mixed with other drugs

Dextromethorphan is sold alone or, when mixed with other drugs such as phenylpropanolamine or ephedrine, is marketed as ecstasy, after the widely abused street drag. Of course, this formulation is not the same compound as ecstasy. It has also been used to deceive persons who are seeking to buy narcotics such as heroin. The greatest amount of dextromethorphan abuse so far has occurred with the over-the-counter cough formulas. Reportedly, dextromethorphan is also being sold on the Internet in pill and capsule forms as well as the powder. 

Barbiturates are therapeutically used as sedatives, hypnotics, anesthetics, and anticonvulsants. Virtually all barbiturates on the illicit drug market come from licit sources. There are 12 barbiturates recognized and scheduled by the United Nations and occur mainly as capsules and tablets and in some cases as injectable solutions. Illicit compounds occur as mixtures of barbiturates, or mixed with other drugs such as caffeine, aspirin, codeine, or in some cases heroin (Figure 6). 

Ecstasy tablets are often laced with other drugs such as LSD, amphetamine, cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, gamma hydroxybutyrate (GHB), and Rohypnol (Roofies). Some tablets are even named according to the drugs they contain. For instance, an H-Bomb refers to Ecstasy mixed with heroin. More often than not, the user is not even aware that the... 

Because Rohypnol is banned in the United States, there is an emerging trend for young people to start abusing two other Rohypnol-like drugs that are still legal in the United States clonazepam (Klonopin ) and alprazolam (Xanax). Both Klonopin and Xanax are benzodiazepines that are used for the treatment of anxiety and insomnia. Although they are less potent than Rohypnol, they can produce similar effects when mixed with alcohol and also have been reported to enhance the effects of heroin. 

Methamphetamine is often combined with other illegal drugs. A common combination is mixing methamphetamine with heroin, either in an injection or in smoking. This mixture is called a speedball. Methamphetamine users will also mix in cocaine to increase the initial rush. Methamphetamine addicts are often alcoholics. 

When opium is abused, it may be combined with other licit or illicit drugs. In these cases, opium may be mixed with tobacco or other vegetable matter for smoking, a mixture called madak (or madhak). An A-bomb is a marijuana cigarette that contains heroin or opium, while Buddha is a strong form of marijuana spiked with opium. Opium may also be mixed with hashish in a concoction called black Russian or black hash. 

Many junkies are as addicted to giving themselves intravenous injections as they arc to the effects of heroin. Some of them experiment with shooting other drugs, and some combine other drugs with their heroin. For instance, some addicts mix heroin and cocaine into a "speedball" that gives an intense euphoric effect. Of course, this practice is dangerous, much more so than combinations of stimulants and depressants taken by mouth. 

---