Heroin

Opioid · popular

A fast-acting opioid producing intense warmth, euphoria and sedation. Tolerance and dependence develop quickly, purity varies wildly, and the combination with benzodiazepines or alcohol is the leading cause of overdose death.

HSmackJunkBrowndiamorphine

Dose and effect data: PsychonautWiki (CC BY-SA 4.0) and TripSit (PolyForm Noncommercial 1.0.0).

Before you dose

⚠Dose here depends overwhelmingly on your tolerance, not your body weight. A dose that is mild for a tolerant user can be fatal for someone else.

⚠This substance has combinations that are life-threatening. Check the Interactions tab before mixing anything.

Dose

Published population range

Threshold5 mg

Light7.5–20 mg

Common20–35 mg

Strong35–50 mg

Heavy / risk zone≥ 50 mg

Basis: No weight-based model is meaningful.

Street heroin purity ranges from under 5% to over 90%. A dose that is comfortable for someone else can be your last.

Check an amount you already have

Timeline (insufflated)

Onset0.2–1 minutes

Come-up0.2–1 minutes

Peak1–90 minutes

Offset60–180 minutes

Afterglow90–180 minutes

Total180–420 minutes

Bars show relative time in each phase, scaled to the total duration. Each phase keeps its colour in the list above.

Expected effects

Intense euphoria
Warmth and comfort
Analgesia
Deep sedation
Anxiety relief

Possible side effects

Respiratory depression - the mechanism of overdose death
Nausea and vomiting
Itching and flushing
Constipation
Rapid tolerance and severe dependence
Overdose after any break in use
Painful withdrawal
Injection-related infection and vein damage

Harm reduction

Never use alone. Arrange a check-in or use with someone present.
Carry naloxone. Two doses are better than one; naloxone wears off before the opioid does.
After any break - release from prison, hospital, detox, a few days off - tolerance has dropped and your old dose can kill you.
Test every batch for fentanyl and nitazenes.
Do not mix with benzodiazepines, alcohol or GHB.
If you are ready to reduce, methadone and buprenorphine programmes are far more effective than willpower alone.
Never use alone. The single most effective thing you can do is have someone with you or on the phone.
Carry naloxone and know how to use it. It reverses opioid overdose and cannot harm someone who has not taken opioids.
Use fentanyl and nitazene test strips on every batch, including pills. They catch a large share of contamination, though not all of it.
Start with a fraction of your usual amount when you get a new batch or after any break in use - tolerance drops fast, in days.

Identify what you have

Marquis (TripSit reference)Deep purplish red

Marquis (reacts)reddisch purple (68)

Mecke (reacts)sea greenish blue (13)

Mandelin (reacts)red > (dark) brown (87)

Liebermann (reacts)purple / black (121)

Froehde (reacts)purple red > black (36)

Ehrlichno color change (168)

Robadopeno pink color change (121)

Simon'sno blue color change (163)

Hofmannno color change (137)

Morris (reacts)pale green (77)

Scottno color change (65)

Reagent tests show what a substance probably is, not how pure it is or what else is in the mix. Fentanyl and nitazene test strips are the only reliable check for those, and quantitative lab testing is better than both.