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Research that is being done suggests that the average case of hepatitis among speed users is of a more chronic type. Weeks and even months after recovery from hepatitis, blood tests from the liver show high abnormality. It may be that a more chronic disease state is still occurring; cirrhosis of the liver has been suggested by one researcher. Cirrhosis also occurs in some alcoholics; normal liver tissue dies or is choked by other, non-functioning tissue.

A word about shooting in general: As any first year medical student can tell you, your body has a number of ways of rejecting foreign matter. Your blood has means of rejecting a foreign virus, and similarly, it maintains purity of the system even when you are cut and exposed to millions of germs. When something poisonous is taken orally, your body has a chance to reject it by the same path, or in other words, by vomiting. However, whenever anything as taken intravenously, all the natural forms of rejection are bypassed, and you have no choice but to stick with whatever you have just shot up.

In addition to all the dangers of shooting which have been mentioned (Hepatitis, overdose, etc.), there are a few others. One is subacute bacterial endocaditis, where bacteria is introduced through the needle, bacteria which is so strong that it cannot be killed by simply boiling the needle. This bacteria eventually builds up on the valves of the heart, and is fatal, even though it may have been years since it was first introduced.

The second danger, and one which apparently few people are aware of, is simply that many pills are mixed with inert substances which are not meant to be shot into your bloodstream. People have died or suffered complications from such things as accumulations of talcum powder in the lungs. Especially beware of shooting downers, as the degree of inert matter, and the rate of abscesses, are both significantly high.

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Overdose potential: High, when taken in large amounts or mixed with alcohol.

Physical addiction: Yes. Very heavy.

Common methods of consumption: Ingestion, in capsule or tablet form, occasionally injected.

NOTES:

The "Downer" category includes: Amy tal (amobarbital sodium), Nembutal (pentobarbital sodium), Phenobarbital, Seconal (secobarbital sodium), and Tuinal (amobarbital-secobarbital).

Barbiturates, generally speaking, are about as much of a bummer as speed, overall, and definitely more dangerous than either speed or smack. Whereas amphetamines force your heart and vital organs to work overtime, downers slow down the heart and lower the blood pressure. Barbiturates are preferred by many people who like a lazy, drunken-like high.

Downers can destroy brain functions by cutting down the sup

ply of oxygen that reaches brain cells. Overdoses on downers frequently result in noticeable brain damage if and when the person recovers. Just as Speed is somewhat condoned by straight society (housewives take diet pills, businessmen take pep pills, college students and truck drivers take bennies)-so downers are socially acceptable, in the form of tranquilizers and sleeping pills. In fact, among the adult pupulation, it is precisely groups such as the aforementioned who are most prone to taking barbiturates.

For many years, sleeping pills have been a popular mode of suicide by overdose. Usually when the person is in danger of death he must be rushed to a hospital for treatment. (See below). Death is caused by respiratory depression, and finally, cardiac arrest.

It has become well known in the youth culture that barbiturates are addictive. When used for prolonged lengths of time, the withdrawal symptoms are more severe than withdrawal from heroin or other narcotics. What can happen in case of severe withdrawal?:

".... The syndrome begins with anxiety, weakness, loss of appetite, and tremors and sleepiness. The symptoms become more intense with time and include vomiting, hypotension, fever, uncontrolled tremors and grand mal convulsions.... The most serious symptoms are convulsions, delirium and hypothermia which can endanger life. The probability of grand mal seizures occurring during withdrawal increases in direct ratio to the dose of the drug... -From an American Pharmaceutical Association Publication.

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Accidental suicide sometimes occurs when a person who has used sleeping pills or sedatives before going to sleep, then becomes intoxicated, oblivious of the potentiating factor which alcohol has on barbiturates. Lots of people, especially younger kids, lately have been mixing "Reds" and either beer or wine. Very often this is fatal; if you have any doubts, sit around in the admitting room of a large hospital in any large city, some weekend night.

Not all barbiturates are used as tranquilizing agents alone. Sodium pentothal, popular once in dentistry, has also been used as a truth serum in specific amounts.

Barbiturates are dangerous for those who already have low

blood pressure, heart defects, or suffer from anxiety or depression. Emotionally unstable individuals will often attempt a near-overdose to gain sympathy and attention. Needle freaks who shoot downers are taking a much greater risk than they would be with other drugs, even amphetamines.

KICKING BARBITURATES (Especially "Reds")

In the past two years, more than ever before, how to withdraw from barbiturates has been of paramount concern to a lot of dopers. Withdrawal from, say a six-month or longer steady habit of more than a few Reds a day (seconals), can be far more dangerous than anything you're ever likely to encounter. This requires constant medical attention and is best done in a hospital or under doctor's supervision, in case seizures do occur. Best advice would be to explain the problem to a sympathetic doctor, free clinic, or public hospital (be careful of private hospitals).

Barbiturate detoxification is, generally, the least understood cleaning up procedure in the country. If you have exhausted every other possible source of help, write or call the Do It Now Foundation in Los Angeles (213) 463-6851, any way except collect. (Sorry, no money for collect calls.) They'll try to locate someone or someplace nearby that can be of help. Don't attempt to clean yourself up if you have any sort of a good-sized habit. In addition to being common, grand mal convulsions in barbiturate users are also extremely unpredictable, and may occur up to a week after complete withdrawal of the drug.

OVERDOSES

Overdoses, as we've mentioned, are quite common and dangerous. Often they come after combinations of pills have been taken. Best advice would be to get the person to a hospital as soon as possible. If you're in doubt, feel the person's pulse. If it is slow and irregular, or nonexistant, time is of essence. Before the ambulance arrives, here is the procedure to follow to avoid getting both of you busted:

First, clean out his pockets, and get rid of any stash in the house. Depending on where you live, police often accompany ambulances, and even if they don't, holding unprescribed drugs is a dumb thing to do in an emergency. However, before you flush the stash, remember exactly what the pill looked like and, if you know, be prepared to say how many he took.

Second, prepare a good story. Remember that lots and lots of straight people overdose and try to commit suicide every day. Saying that it was an attempted suicide, and that the person had been depressed over something or other, and had tried to kill himself, is definitely better than saying it was an overdose. Otherwise, believe it or not, you just may get a policeman or attendant so intent on arguing over whether or not he was a pill freak, that they delay treating him.

The above methods are advisable only if the person in question has lost consciousness, or has injected the drug. If he is still conscious, follow these steps:

First, find some way to induce vomiting. Any way will do. Fingers in back of the throat, warm salt water, etc. If it has been under a half hour and you're sure the dosage was lethal, this is the obvious way to avoid the last-ditch efforts described above. At this stage, don't give him coffee, as this will serve to further break up any undissolved barbiturate left in the stomach.

Second, try to keep the person in question awake, at least for the next couple of hours, until you're sure the danger point has passed. The longer he is awake, the more chance the system has of getting all the drug through the bloodstream. Check every now and then to make sure breathing is normal.

Third, and this is fairly important, if you think a person has overdosed don't try to give him amphetamines if he is awake, or inject amphetamines, if he has passed out. This may mess him up even more, and even kill him. When Methedrine (liquid) was first developed, it was thought to be an effective cure for barb overdose, but this was soon abandoned due to unpredictable interactions between the two drugs, which often instead cause the heart to stop beating altogether.

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