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What Is Purple Heroin?

Purple Heroin

What is purple heroin? Purple heroin (also called “purp”) is a relatively new street drug that has caused opioid overdose deaths in multiple states, including Michigan and Louisiana. [1] The substance — which gets its name from its color — is mixed with the synthetic opioid fentanyl and a new drug named brorphine. Brorphine is not detectable in blood tests, but it’s understood to be 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine.

What Is Purple Heroin Made Of?

What is purple heroin? Purple heroin — which gets its name because it is often purple in color — contains the synthetic opioid fentanylacetaminophen (the ingredient found in Tylenol), flualprazolam (an illicit sedative similar to Xanax), buspirone (an anti-anxiety drug), niacinamide (a form of Vitamin B) and, most notably, a new drug named brorphine.

Heroin

Heroin is highly addictive. People who regularly use heroin often develop drug tolerance, which means that they need higher and/or more frequent doses of the drug to get the desired effects. A substance use disorder (SUD) is when continued use of the drug causes issues, such as health problems and failure to meet responsibilities at work, school, or home. SUD can range from mild to severe, the most severe form is drug addiction. [2]

Those who are addicted to heroin and stop using the drug abruptly may have severe heroin withdrawal. Heroin withdrawal symptoms—which can begin as early as a few hours after the drug was last taken—include:

  • Restlessness
  • Severe muscle and bone pain
  • Sleep problems
  • Diarrhea and vomiting
  • Cold flashes with goosebumps (“cold turkey”)
  • Uncontrollable leg movements (“kicking the habit”)
  • Severe heroin cravings
What Is Purple Heroin?
What is purple heroin? Purple Heroin gets its name from its purple color, although it has also been reported to have a grey color.

What is purple heroin? Heroin may contain dangerously strong opioids like fentanyl, no matter what it looks like. However, there have been recent reports of heroin containing fentanyl and acetylfentanyl that turns purple when mixed with water. Acetylfentanyl and fentanyl are both highly potent opioids and even small doses can cause overdose and even death very quickly.

Purple Fentanyl

Pharmaceutical fentanyl is a synthetic opioid, approved for treating severe pain, typically advanced cancer pain. It is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine. It is prescribed in the form of transdermal patches or lozenges and can be diverted for misuse and abuse in the United States. [3]

However, most recent cases of fentanyl-related harm, overdose, and death in the U.S. are linked to illegally made fentanyl. It is sold through illegal drug markets for its heroin-like effect. It is often mixed with heroin and/or cocaine as a combination product—with or without the user’s knowledge—to increase its euphoric effects.

The street drug fentanyl is extremely dangerous and can be found in multiple forms such as straight powder, in a pressed pill, or hidden in other street drugs like cocaine, crystal meth, or heroin. Recently, it has been detected in the drug known as purple, purp, purple fentanyl, or purple heroin. It can also be sold on the street as a different form of counterfeit pain medication like Oxycontin or Percocet. What is purple heroin and what is the ingredient fentanyl? The fact is you never really know what you’re getting when you buy street drugs.

Carfentanil

Carfentanil is a DEA Schedule II controlled substance. Substances in the DEA Schedule II have a high potential for abuse which may lead to severe psychological or physical dependence. [4] Carfentanil was first synthesized in 1974 by a team of chemists at Janssen Pharmaceutica which included Paul Janssen. It has a quantitative potency of approximately 10,000 times that of morphine and 100 times that of fentanyl, with activity in humans starting at about 1 microgram. It is marketed under the trade name Wildnil as a general anesthetic agent for large animals. Carfentanil is intended for large-animal use only as its extreme potency makes it inappropriate for use in humans. 

Brorphine

Brorphine is a potent synthetic opioid recently encountered as both a single substance of abuse and in combination with substances such as heroin and fentanyl. The availability of synthetic opioids continues to pose an imminent hazard to public safety. Adverse health effects associated with the abuse of synthetic opioids and the continued evolution and increased popularity have been a serious concern in recent years. The United States continues to experience an unprecedented epidemic of opioid misuse and abuse. The presence of new synthetic opioids with no approved medical use exacerbates the epidemic.

Traffickers advertise brorphine as a replacement for fentanyl putting the user at serious risk. The population likely to abuse brorphine appears to be the same as those abusing prescription opioid analgesics, heroin, tramadol, fentanyl, and other synthetic opioids. [5]

What Is Purple Heroin?
What is purple heroin? Purple heroin (also called “purp”) is a relatively new street drug that has caused overdose deaths in multiple states.

Acetaminophen

Acetaminophen is used to relieve mild to moderate pain from headaches, muscle aches, menstrual periods, colds and sore throats, toothaches, backaches, and reactions to vaccinations (shots), and to reduce fever. Acetaminophen may also be used to relieve the pain of osteoarthritis (arthritis caused by the breakdown of the lining of the joints). Acetaminophen is in a class of medications called analgesics (pain relievers) and antipyretics (fever reducers). It works by changing the way the body senses pain and by cooling the body. Taking too much acetaminophen can cause liver damage, sometimes serious enough to require liver transplantation or cause death. [6]

Niacinamide

Niacinamide, also called nicotinamide, is a form of vitamin B3. In supplements, niacinamide might be listed on the label in niacin equivalents (NE). 1 mg of niacinamide is the same as 1 mg NE. Niacinamide is found in many vitamin B complex supplements with other B vitamins. It’s also used in many topical creams and gels. Niacinamide is also found in many foods, including meat, fish, milk, eggs, vegetables, and cereals. The amount that should be consumed on a daily basis is called the recommended dietary allowance (RDA). In males, the RDA is 16 mg NE. In females, the RDA is 14 mg NE. [7]

Buspirone

Buspirone is used to treat anxiety disorders or in the short-term treatment of symptoms of anxiety. Buspirone is in a class of medications called anxiolytics. It works by changing the amounts of certain natural substances in the brain. Buspirone is an anxiolytic drug. Originally, the drug was being developed as an antipsychotic but was found ineffective for psychosis, but it had useful anxiolytic features. Buspirone has recently come into favor, mostly due to its decreased side-effect profile compared to other anxiolytic treatments. Buspirone is primarily used in the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). [8]

Flualprazolam

Flualprazolam is structurally related to the triazolobenzodiazepine, alprazolam. As a class of drugs, benzodiazepines produce central nervous system (CNS) depression and are commonly used to treat, panic disorders, anxiety, and insomnia. The United States Food and Drug Administration has not approved flualprazolam for therapeutic use. [9]

What Makes Purple Heroin Different?

What is purple heroin? The purple color often indicates that the mixture contains more than heroin, and may contain no heroin at all. Commonly packaged as purple, gray, or white crystals or powder, “Purple Heroin” can cause widespread harm, making officials concerned about its impact on public health.

Risks Of Purple Heroin

What is purple heroin and what are the overdose symptoms? The symptoms of a purple heroin overdose are similar to any other opioid overdose involving loss of consciousness, shallow breathing, confusion, respiratory failure, and sometimes death. Overdose symptoms include drowsiness, loss of consciousness, slow breathing/snoring, and skin turning blue.

If you see the warning signs of overdose:

  • Seek help immediately from your nearest emergency department or call 911. Stay with your mate and on the phone with the operator until the ambulance arrives.
  • If someone is not breathing, start CPR if you know how to.
  • Use naloxone if you have it. Call your local emergency hotline or 911 even if naloxone has been given.

Naloxone is a medicine that can treat an opioid overdose when given right away. It works by rapidly binding to opioid receptors and blocking the effects of heroin and other opioid drugs. Sometimes more than one dose may be needed to help a person start breathing again, which is why it’s important to get the person to an emergency department or a doctor to receive additional support if needed.

Naloxone is available as an injectable (needle) solution and nasal sprays (NARCAN® Nasal Spray and KLOXXADO®). Friends, family, and others in the community can use the nasal spray versions of naloxone to save someone who is overdosing.

Overdose symptoms include:

  • Blue lips or nails
  • Dizziness and confusion
  • Can’t be woken up
  • Choking, gurgling or snoring sounds
  • Slow, weak, or no breathing
  • Drowsiness or difficulty staying awake

Purple Heroin Infographic

Purple heroin, a street drug, has been linked to opioid overdose deaths. It is mixed with fentanyl and brorphine, a very potent drug.

The above chart on “What Is Purple Heroin?” Shows the 6 drugs mixed in purple heroin.

Embed the above “What Is Purple Heroin?” Infographic to your Website. This infographic is provided by the We Level Up Addiction Treatment Center team. To use the above infographics, you agree to link back and attribute its source and owner at https://weleveluptx.com/what-is-purple-heroin/

What Is Purple Heroin? image link: https://weleveluptx.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/What-Is-Purple-Heroin-1024×1024.jpg


The above chart on “Risks Of Purple Heroin” Shows the 6 symptoms of purple heroin overdose.

Embed the above “What Is Purple Heroin?” Infographic to your Website. This infographic is provided by the We Level Up Addiction Treatment Center team. To use the above infographics, you agree to link back and attribute its source and owner at https://weleveluptx.com/what-is-purple-heroin/

Risks Of Purple Heroin image link: https://weleveluptx.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/What-Is-Purple-Heroin-1024×1024.jpg

The above chart on “Risks Of Purple Heroin” shows the 3 steps in responding to purple heroin overdose.

Embed the above “Risks Of Purple Heroin” Infographic to your Website. This infographic is provided by the We Level Up Addiction Treatment Center team. To use the above infographics, you agree to link back and attribute its source and owner at https://weleveluptx.com/what-is-purple-heroin/

Risks Of Purple Heroin image link: https://weleveluptx.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/What-Is-Purple-Heroin-1024×1024.jpg

Purple Heroin Addiction Treatment & Inpatient Drug Rehab Texas

What is purple heroin addiction treatment? For those with opioid use disorder or who know an individual suffering from substance use disorder, please consider treatment. Because this is an evolving situation, the opioid you use may contain brorphine or other synthetic opioids.

Clearing opioids from the body and overcoming withdrawal symptoms is the goal of purple heroin detox, which is the first step of treatment for addiction. [10]

We Level Up TX has a comprehensive team prescribing medications that can alleviate your withdrawal pains while monitoring your health 24 hours during the detox. We prioritize your safety and comfort because this is a fragile and challenging time for you.

What Is Purple Heroin?
What is purple heroin? The ingredients of purple heroin can vary, but a common ingredient is brorphine, a synthetic opioid similar in strength to fentanyl.

Once detox is complete, a new doorway in treatment opens up, which is referred to as a residential level of care. The residential care program slowly and effectively introduces the individual into an atmosphere of therapeutic growth, marked by master’s level therapists, clinicians, group counselors, psychiatrists, and a community of like-minded individuals with the same aim: to attain sobriety and live a great life.

Some of the many modalities applied and practiced within our residential treatment facility are:

How We Can Help? Searched for “Texas inpatient consultants or drug and alcohol treatment centers in Houston TX” or are you seeking a national inpatient rehab destination?

We Level Up TX treatment tailors the program to the individual and the individual to the program of recovery. We begin by assessing our client’s history of mental health, drugs, and alcohol-related past.

The needs of each patient are specific and personalized because we aim to provide comprehensive support for mental health, addiction, and dual diagnosis treatment. The supportive environment is designed accordingly to give patients 24-hour care for sobriety. Most importantly, we hope to have our clients live comfortably within the facility during this crucial and fragile time.

We Level Up TX prioritizes removing temptations for relapse and applying an air of recovery into every component of the treatment timeline, including meth addiction treatment. We Level Up TX finds that when clients are living in a supportive community, especially during their early recovery process, they can truly focus on what matters most: their recovery.

If you or a loved one is struggling with purple heroin addiction, reach out to We Level Up TX because we may be able to help you explore treatment options. For any questions such as “What is purple heroin?“, contact WLU TX today.

Sources:

[1] ‘Purple heroin’ tied to a string of overdoses in Michigan, officials warn – https://nypost.com/2020/10/15/purple-heroin-tied-to-string-of-overdoses-in-michigan-officials/
[2] Heroin DrugFacts – National Institute on Drug Abuse
[3] Fentanyl – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
[4] Carfentanil – National Center for Biotechnology Information
[5] Brorphine – Drug Enforcement Administration
[6] AcetaminophenU.S. Department of Health and Human Services National Institutes of Health
[7] NiacinamideU.S. Department of Health and Human Services National Institutes of Health
[8] Buspirone – National Center for Biotechnology Information
[9] FLUALPRAZOLAM – Drug Enforcement Administration
[10] We Level Up » Rehab » Meth Addiction Treatment