Strange symptoms and reaction from tar lately

[JunkYardSaint]

Tar dope has frightened the holy shit outta me lately, I wonder if anyone else has experienced this, or if anyone had any thoughts on the cause. I was interested to read the post about the 'bad batches' in New Mexico and Texas and I think that could very well be it, it might be that I've been introducing bacteria into my system and my body takes a few days to fight it. Here's the dealio.

The last several times I've done dope I've had some really strange symptoms and reactions that start with a pain that is beyond the familiar 'needles and pins' and closer to excruciating pain in my extremities, mostly my hands and feet. It hurts like hell, and scares the shit outta me, but then finally subsides. Then the other day this happened, and it was shortly followed by the worse headache I've EVER had, I thought I was gonna die, it was like I've heard migraines described, I had to get myself into a quiet dark place and just rest and pray until it subsided. The final sympton or reaction or whatever this is is that whenever I'm finished with my two to three day run I feel like I've been run over by a truck.

Up until recently I enjoyed an occasional 'chip', the worst part was that because I'm on methadone I just didn't get a whole lot out of it, though I enjoyed feeling it even for a brief amount of time, that I was on methadone was my insurance that a run wouldn't leave me sick. That's seemingly just not the case anymore, and though I don't get 'dopesick' as I did before I'm unfortunately finding that I end up having to call in or go to work sick now after a dope run because even a one hundred or two hundred two day run really wipes me out anymore. This last time I almost scared myself to the hospital, I was making deals with God that if I lived through it I'd quit this time - I survived it, but couldn't throw good dope away (I can't even through bad dope away) - I finished it all off on Sunday and here it is Wednesday and I still feel like I've been run over by a truck. Again the symptoms are in order of how they occur: burning pain on hands and feet immediately after injection, recently followed by a severe headache and a touch of nausea, finally severe aches and pains down to my bones, almost like when you have the flu but even worse.

On the bright side I wouldn't be on methadone if I didn't want to steer clear of a street dope habit in the first place, this may be the kind of experience I need to encourage me to leave the shit alone before it's too late. On the down side it was nice to have my occasional chip, but it's getting increasingly not worth it. Any thoughts on what causes this? I don't remember this happening ever this bad in the past, and I've had tar dope habits that lasted for months on end. Do you think it's maybe caused by bacteria or 'dirty dope'? Curious if anyone else has experienced this and what anyone's thoughts might be. I think it's time to raise my dose and leave the street dope alone, it's just not as good as it used to be. I appreciate your thoughts.

~jYs~

[SomniGod]

Sounds like you are getting re-wash..... Benzene or AA is used to wash good dope...but people are sick and use it cut up dope too and they do half-ass jobs leaving chems behind (especially if the tar is kinda gooey---still has moisture whether it be oils, h2o, or solvents). These solvents will wreck your body!!! nervous system included (---needles & pins in hands & feet). So I would change supplier. The way I got this info was when SWIM experienced a weird immediate *flush* feeling that turned straight to pins & needles.. mostly in SWIM's face! He freaked and called up the dope man... Dopeman said that it still had some solvent in it and to snort it instead of bang it. SWIM thought this was ridiculous until SWIM did as directed and got nice and high...smoked part of it too...burned up real fast... Anyway, I hope some of this helps.

~S~

ssd
iwm

[paesan]

SWIM also did some of the tar JYS is speaking of and there was no problem at all (smoking it). I've also spoken to others who've banged it with no issues...this was the only weird thing I heard about this batch. SWIM personally thought the shit was great (better than this particular supplier usually gets), just not as good as SWIMs other supplier who had a similar looking (but stronger) product. Weird shit I tells ya...

[SomniGod]

hmmm... this does put a twist on the situation... maybe JYS is having a reaction to a chem or cutting agent? Has this ever happened before with tar, JYS? We all know that I have weird reactions to opiates.... so a reaction to a chem in the tar (like I said) is not unlikely. i would say careful testing may isolate the 'bad-apple.' then you can take steps to counter or extract the bad.


~S~

ssd

[JunkYardSaint]

SWIM also did some of the tar JYS is speaking of and there was no problem at all (smoking it). I've also spoken to others who've banged it with no issues...this was the only weird thing I heard about this batch. SWIM personally thought the shit was great (better than this particular supplier usually gets), just not as good as SWIMs other supplier who had a similar looking (but stronger) product. Weird shit I tells ya...

I was being really general in the above post, so I better clear something up - (besides the fact of course that it wasn't actually me that experienced this hehe).....but also, that from what I heard this last batch that SWIM had only produced these symptoms once, out of several shots - alot of what I was relating was what I've heard overall the tar SWIM got the last few years - I'm not singling any one supplier out and in fact in general the last supplier has been the best - I do think that there is something in what Somni posts in fact SWIM mentioned the face thing too!
THere is no doubt that the product is good, but I think that if there is a way to somehow avoid impurities or avoid and dangers - it was one of those things that scared SWIM more than anything else, and though it freaked him out the main thing is I was wondering if anyone else has experienced this and if there is a known way to avoid it or anything to be careful about.

As I think about it I think I tend to put these scary bad experiences outta mind and remember the good part - but when I think about it it's not totally 'new' - I 'spose little things like that have happened from time to time, but if there is a way to avoid it or anything to watch for in general it would be good to know. I think the general cleanliness is very important and a factor, in thinking about it I believe SWIM said that the one time it happened was when everything wasn't cleaned and fresh, besides that I believe the product was great, so there must be a way to work around whatever it might be that causes that. I have no special fondness of any one route of induction but it seems like IV is the only way to produce something strong enough to trump the done zone. ALso wanna make sure SWIM didn't sound like he was complaining about the recent batches quality as much as questioning the weird reaction deal with tar in general especially the last oh few years I guess. I'm sure it's a combination of things with some factors maybe unique to me, perhaps I share this weird sort of reaction that Somni describes, in anycase thanks for the input and again don't take this as a knock on what's out there insofar as quality or purity goes, just more of question about what kind of things can we look out for.

[exitwound]

This is why Someone Who IS Me doesn't bother with the needle, but then I have a somewhat different agenda than some of y'all and I can completely respect both ways of doing things. I just prefer to let my body's filters do their work and preserve my health rather than get the absolute most efficient, strongest rush....

Even if I do at long last get my hands on an occasional stash of H, I'll be vaporizing/smoking it, snorting tiny bits, eating a few little chunks, maybe even trying the ol' posterior method.... ;-) No banging involved, so if there were some nasties in there, at most I might catch a little stomach bug. Or a pain in the ass, LOL :D

[SomniGod]

JYS~ here is a GREAT link to an incredible site I have been exploring lately... check it out.. I think there may be good info that could help with this problem.....



http://adh.2.forumer.com/index.php?showtopic=423


~S~

ssd

[poppy]

Junkyard Saint, firstly i have never injected tar heroin as we don't get it in the UK or at least I never have. Anyway going back to your experience....as it happened only once I assume you've had what we call a bad hit over here. A bad hit is usually characterised by a headache like you've never experienced before, and some nausea combined with an insaitatiable thirst which if quenched results in violent vomiting. I have always found it better to lie with a bucket and keep drinking rather than resist the urge to drink, which I think may be your body trying to cleanse itself.
These bad hits seem to occur for no apparent reason and can even attack only one of two people who have split a hit which was from the same batch, cooked in the same spoon, and sucked up through the same filter (obviously with a spoon cleaned in a dishwasher and new syringes etc). Usually however in my experience both of me and my partner have been affected. It is generally put down to accidently injecting some microscopic flec of dirt or whatever.
The only time I have experienced pins and needles of the severity which you describe is the one occasion in my injecting history when I accidently injected a few drops (and I mean literally a few drops) into an artery by mistake. But the pain was only in the hand of the limb I had injected into.
I also know of one bloke who ended up losing his big toe because of an infection and was surprised to learn that the infection which resulted in this amputation did not originate in the injection site, he had injected higher up his leg. This really made me think, suppose the infection had attacked his heart or other major organ?

[soadwes]

I have felt this same feeling before. I'm almost positive what happened to me was a bad batch. It had never felt like that before or after this one batch i bought. Every hit either felt a little pain in the extremities or extreme pain like you described. But after i finished off that batch and bought another, there was no more pain. My girlfriend felt the same way... My guess was whatever the cut was, didnt cooperate very well with the body. This was maybe a month and a half ago or somewhere around there in Dallas... Where abouts did you get ur H, if you don't mind me asking Saint?

[JunkYardSaint]

The dope that I've gotten this reaction from is dope from Central Texas. What is weird is that the last time this happened, within the same batch that I had shots prior and after didn't do this - it was one shot primarily that did this - however I've had several different batches that have produced the pain in the extremities - that always did/does scare me, but when it was accompanied by this mother of all headaches it scared me even MORE. I think I'll go back to smoking it if and when I use tar from now on, it's impossible for me to say I'll never use again, but I do think that I am going to try and raise my methadone dose and steer clear of it some. Tar scares me a little bit - though I doubt enough to stop me. Ahhh....how I miss the old days of china white and that good turkish dope. Oh well.......hehe.......

[exitwound]

This is one of the principal reasons why I hope to continue to avoid the needle for a long time to come, if not life.....

By leaving one's body's filters in place and smoking, snorting or even merely swallowing street drugs, we allow the organs and cellular filters to do their job; nasty shit that would kill or do grave harm when injected can be quite nearly harmless when swallowed as we all know quite well.

With a wife and newborn son to take care of, I'd rather give up a little effciency....and as much intensity of euphoria as I must, to be here for them as long as I can be. And given that I already have a fairly horrible chronic pain condition, I don't need any more health problems to struggle with....

[MorFinatic]

SWIM used to score dope in North Tex. One of SWIM's solid connections used to supply him with some of the best dope <tar> you could find without any of these strange unwanted side-effects. Some of SWIM's other connects weren't so great...the gooey watered down tar, or sometimes tar thats already cut with sleeping agents for snorting(SHITTY stuff, but we all get desperate sometimes!) SWIM has been through rehab and is on bupe now, but still chips when the opp arises.

[pointed]

The last several times I've done dope I've had some really strange symptoms and reactions that start with a pain that is beyond the familiar 'needles and pins' and closer to excruciating pain in my extremities, mostly my hands and feet. It hurts like hell, and scares the shit outta me, but then finally subsides. Then the other day this happened, and it was shortly followed by the worse headache I've
Up until recently I enjoyed an occasional 'chip', the worst part was that because I'm on methadone I just didn't get a whole lot out of it, though I enjoyed feeling it even for a brief amount of time, that I was on methadone was my insurance that a run wouldn't leave me sick. That's seemingly just not the case anymore, and though I don't get 'dopesick' as I did before I'm unfortunately finding that I end up having to call in or go to work sick now after a dope run because even a one hundred or two hundred two day run really wipes me out anymore. This last time I almost scared myself to the hospital, I was making deals with God that if I lived through it I'd quit this time - I survived it, but couldn't throw good dope away (I can't even through bad dope away) - I finished it all off on Sunday and here it is Wednesday and I still feel like I've been run over by a truck. Again the symptoms are in order of how they occur: burning pain on hands and feet immediately after injection, recently followed by a severe headache and a touch of nausea, finally severe aches and pains down to my bones, almost like when you have the flu but even worse.

This may sound silly, but...Have you considered the possibility of cotton fever? I have extremely limited experience with tar having only done it once; I got strung out in New Orleans and powder was the going thing. I got really sick once after shooting a couple of bags of powder with many of the same symptoms. My body was just wracked with pain and I was literally writhing in my bed because I just couldn't get the muscular tension down to a manageable level any other way. It lasted for quite some time, several hours, and I can't imagine what the problem could have been if not cotton fever. I'm told it manifests itself differently from person to person. Do you have any health issues that shooting tar, (and particularly the cut!) could be exacerbating?

Great quote, by the way. I've always been fond of the following:

The thought of suicide can get a man through many a long night. - Nietzsche

[GMorris]

I've been fortunate to never have experienced such a reaction, even shooting pills. I only got real H once, and that was in Atlanta, GA. I didn't get to see it though. It was night and I was splitting a $50 with two other guys. One of them cooked the whole thing and drew it equally into three syringes and we all banged. Man, I was seriously fucked up, it was like what I imagine 4 or 5 K4's would have been (that's about all we ever could get there, Dilaudid). I've also shot coke a few times and some other things as well, but never got "cotton fever" as they call it. That does sound a lot like what that was though, from what I've read and heard...