ReVIDA® Recovery Warns About Hot Shot Heroin

Greeneville, TN – ReVIDA® Recovery’s latest blog installment provides insight into the dangers of hot shot heroin. Serving the Tennessee and Virginia areas, ReVIDA® works to provide resources for those living with addiction, and has helped many reclaim their lives.

“Hot shot heroin is a dose of heroin that is mixed with poisonous substances, such as fentanyl, and is gray in color. It looks similar to concrete. It was initially found in the South as early as 2017 and has passed through states such as Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee. A heroin hot shot intends to kill the person taking the substance. It is often a mixture of substances advertised as one substance. Heroin is taken in various ways such as smoking, injecting, and snorting,” the article states.

A heroin hot shot will cause effects such as tiredness, difficulty moving, and hypoventilation. If it is enough to cause an overdose, the person may experience gurgling noises, bluish lips, and an irregular pulse. Some heroin side effects come with taking a heroin hot shot. These can include dry mouth, sedation, falling in and out of consciousness, slowed breathing, and flushed skin color.

People who experience an overdose caused by a heroin hot shot might need up to 10 doses of naloxone to recover. This is because the respiratory system can have more severe problems due to a heroin hot shot containing other substances, like carfentanil or fentanyl compared to regular heroin overdoses. Signs of an overdose can include a pale face, falling out of a chair, inability to talk, vomiting, and a limp or rigid body. In Tennessee, under the Good Samaritan law, anyone can help someone experiencing a medical emergency. This means the person can seek help without fear of legal repercussions for possession or use. If someone is experiencing a heroin overdose, call 911 immediately.

“This process is necessary for your body to remove heroin from your system, and these symptoms are a part of the process. While they might feel uncomfortable, your body must undergo this process to recover successfully. Everyone will experience different symptoms and might even experience symptoms that are not listed, and that experience will still be normal. This process will start in the first 6-12 hours after your last dose of heroin. These symptoms will typically last for 4-10 days, although they could last longer depending on how long and how much heroin you consumed.

“How severe your withdrawal symptoms are depends on various situations. These include how long you have used heroin and the amount of heroin you used. Someone who has taken very little heroin and started last month will have less severe withdrawal symptoms than someone who has taken larger doses of heroin for years. This is because the more often you use heroin, the more your brain and body become used to it. By detoxing, your body will no longer get something it has grown accustomed to,” the article continues.

Hot shot heroin is dangerous and can lead to a fatal overdose. ReVIDA® Recovery is helping the people of Appalachia get connected with treatment options. Their outpatient program is flexible and has medication-assisted treatment plans. All of their facilities offer same-day appointments so there is no wait to begin. ReVIDA® also accepts Medicaid as a form of payment.

To learn more about ReVIDA® Recovery, call 423-556-3992 or visit their website.