Intravenous Drug Use: Risks, Signs & Treatment Options

Every physician taking care of IVDU should advise them on reducing health risks, overcoming addiction, preventing intravenous drug administration, or using safe injection techniques if the latter is not feasible 45. Intravenous drug use increases the risk of abscesses and systemic infections, posing health threats to people who use drugs in this manner. Furthermore, injecting drugs can damage the skin and underlying soft tissues, providing entry points for pathogens. Chronic IV drug use can be confirmed by observing track marks due to repeated injections into subcutaneous veins. Track marks are what is alcoholism a linear area of tiny, dark punctate lesions (needle punctures) surrounded by an area of darkened or discolored skin due to chronic inflammation.

ExcludeTraining GuideGetting Off Right: A Safety Manual for Injection Drug Users

Since illicit drugs are usually not created in sterile conditions, this creates the opportunity for pathogens to enter the bloodstream even if injection techniques are perfect. This form of administration is commonly utilized for administering rehydration or other oral solutions. IV is commonly used to provide nourishment to people who cannot orally ingest food or water. IVDU patients trended toward more complex procedures such as amputation and flap coverage of https://ecosoberhouse.com/ open wounds, which may be a significant finding in a larger cohort. Finally, IVDU patients had overall longer hospital admissions and were more likely to require discharge to a rehabilitation facility.

Structural factors and unstable drug injection environment

• National Harm Reduction Coalition creates spaces for dialogue and action that help heal the harms caused by racialized drug policies.
• Cardiothoracic surgery is consulted, and the patient is admitted to the hospital.
• As recent data shows, the amount of buprenorphine being prescribed by doctors’ offices in recent years has been increasing.
• However, the D-dimer test produces false-positive results after trauma or surgery, limiting its application in these conditions 84.

This may be related to limited knowledge and omission by healthcare providers surrounding the multiple potential amplifiers of bacterial infection risk during the injection process. Social-ecological models with respect to drug-related risk and harms emphasize the complex interplay between both behavioral and structural factors, with the need for a multi-level approach to harm reduction 31, 32. Among the IVDU, sex workers have the highest risk for developing DVT, and this is related to the fact that they typically use high amounts of stimulants that usually have a very low pH and cause a stronger sympathetic reaction at the site of injection. Long-term problems are common in IVDU, and DVT may occur several times in every user, with an increased risk for septic DVT.

Table 1. Differential diagnosis of a painful, swollen limb.

Multimodal imaging plays a key role in facilitating prompt diagnosis and treatment, and early imaging should be performed in PWID presenting with signs or symptoms suspicious for osteomyelitis 17, 18. Osteomyelitis due to haematogenous spread tends to result in a slow, insidious progression of symptoms whereas osteomyelitis from direct local extension presents with more pronounced and aggressive local manifestations. Given its insidious onset, primary or metastatic malignancy is an important differential for haematogenous osteomyelitis, particularly Ewing’s sarcoma in young adults 17, 19.

• Like strokes or heart attacks, sepsis is a medical emergency that requires rapid diagnosis and treatment.
• PTS causes loss of mobility and significantly reduces the patient’s quality of life 115,117.
• As seen in the sections above, intravenous drug use has a plethora of potential complications.

Harm Reduction Journal

This section collects any data citations, data availability statements, or supplementary materials iv drug use complications included in this article. National Harm Reduction Coalition creates spaces for dialogue and action that help heal the harms caused by racialized drug policies. Symptoms of wound botulism include droopy eyelids, blurred or double vision, and a dry, sore throat which may progress into difficulty speaking and swallowing, a weakness of the neck, arms, and legs, and difficulty breathing.

Who gets skin infections among people who inject drugs?

The most commonly injected drugs are opioids, but cocaine, amphetamine and amphetamine derivatives, benzodiazepines, barbiturates, or any water-soluble drug may also be injected (1). Plain radiographs are the initial imaging test and can show a joint effusion and soft tissue swelling initially while peri-articular osteopenia due to local hyperaemia, joint space loss or osseous erosions may develop later (Fig. 14) 24, 25. Radiographs cannot reliably detect effusions in many joints, however, including the hips and shoulders.

• Nearly all drugs can be injected intravenously, but some are more commonly used than others.
• IV drug use can increase the risk of developing an abscess significantly, as well as skin infections and inflammation.
• Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) may be added in certain cases, such as to assess for abscess formation.
• Every year in the United States, about 20 people are diagnosed with wound botulism.
• Skin infections present classically with swelling, erythema, warmth, and tenderness.