Un50_inside_15-6 web.indd

use new injecting equipment, swab the site you intend I’ve been buying my gear from the same dealer for the past to use before injecting, use sterile water to mix up, and 12 months. Last week I rang my ‘man’ to score on pay day, wash your hands before injecting. Normal bacteria in but to my disappointment he answered the phone from a the mouth can lead to endocarditis if it ends up in the hospital ward and told me he was off tap for a month bloodstream so it’s particularly important to never lick due to endocarditis. Now I’m a bit concerned I could your skin in the area you intend to inject before having also be at risk of endocarditis as we have used together a shot or to lick the needle prior to injecting. (The mere many times before. Can you please tell me exactly what droplet of gear at the end of the fit is unlikely to have any endocarditis is and how I catch it? discernable effect on you and you are putting yourself at Worried
Endocarditits can be classified into either short incubation Dear Worried
or long incubation. Short incubation endocarditis develops Sorry to hear about your friend. Firstly, endocarditis isn’t in less than six weeks whilst long incubation endocarditis contagious and you aren’t at risk of contracting it from develops over a period of weeks, months or even years. someone you use with the way you are at risk of contracting Endocarditis involves a long fever which is characterised a blood-borne virus such as hep C. Endocarditis is actually by tiredness, excessive sweating at nighttime, blood in the a bacterial infection which affects the heart valves. As urine, stomach pains, skin rashes, painful lumps in the the valves do not actually receive a blood supply of their hands and generally feeling lousy. If you have any of these own, they miss out on defense mechanisms such as white blood cells. So if organisms such as bacteria enters the If diagnosed early, endocarditis can be treated. bloodstream and establishes hold on the valves, the body Treatment will usually involve a 2-6 week stay in hospital whilst antibiotics are fed directly into the bloodstream. Injecting is a primary route for bacteria to be introduced Sometimes it may be necessary to replace the heart into the bloodstream. This can happen if you use needles valves once the infection has cleared. Endocarditis has that aren’t sterile or if you inject through skin which resulted in fatalities, however lengthy treatment will has not been thoroughly cleaned. Hence, it in order to usually heal the condition. Remember, as with all health- avoid developing endocarditis it is important to always related issues, prevention is preferable to treatment.
is strictly physiological and that you still find him/her My partner and I use crystal to enjoy long love making desirable. There’s been an increase in the last few sessions. I used to stay hard for hours after using crystal, years of the recreational use of erectile dysfunction however over the last few months it’s had the opposite medications, however, as with the non-prescribed use of effect, which as put some strain on our relationship. any restricted medication, there are some risks.
Through a friend I’ve had access to Viagra and have Viagra works by increasing blood flow to the penis; been using it recreationally on the weekends to increase however an erection will not occur unless sexual my stamina in the boudoir. The friend who supplies stimulation is present. Internationally, non-prescribed my Viagra has told me about a drug called Aprostadil Viagra has been implicated in the deaths of a number (the brand name is Caverject) which is injected into the of seemingly healthy young men from cardiovascular penis. He prefers it to Viagra as it comes on quickly and failure. A person with a history of heart problems should he doesn’t have to wait an hour to party. My friend is never use Viagra. Similarly a person with kidney or liver an experienced injector and says there’s no difference problems (including hepatitis) should consult a doctor between injecting into the penis and injecting anywhere before using erectile dysfunction medications. There is else. I’m thinking about trying it myself, but I have some some evidence to suggest that using Viagra with alcohol, concerns. I’ve heard that injecting any drug into the penis poppers and/or illicit drugs can increase the possibility can leave you with a permanent erection. What’s the go? of coronary failure. If after taking Viagra you experience Should I try it or are there too many risks? chest pain, nausea, or any other discomfort during sex, From Injecterector
seek immediate medical attention.
Alprostadil works by increasing blood flow through the Dear Injecterector
body which then causes the blood vessels in the penis Firstly, your loss of an erection after using crystal is not to expand, causing an erection. An erection powered at all unusual. Some crystal users have reported they by Alprostadil will take 5-10 minutes to come on and either experience raging erections or nothing at all. Loss will probably last for up to one hour. Alprostadil can of erection can certainly put strain on a relationship, so either be administered via suppository (thru the tip of it may be helpful to reassure your partner the problem the penis) or injection.Viagra and Alprostadil should User’s News #50 Autumn 2007 www.nuaa.org.au not be used together. When Alprostadil is prescribed by can be both painful and can interfere with sex. This a doctor, the doctor will instruct the patient in penile condition is called Peyronie’s Syndrome and is a result injecting technique. Without medical guidance it is of a buildup of plaque or scar tissue inside the lining of important to be fully informed of this technique.
the corpora cavernosa (the two spongy tubes running A side effect of injecting any substance into the penis down the length of the penis, into which Alprostadil is is an uncomfortable condition known as priapism. injected). Peyronie’s Syndrome is relatively rare and can Priapism involves a prolonged erection, which may last be treated with relative ease. The cause of Peyronie’s for hours or days. Priapism is easily managed, but can Syndrome is usually attributed to poor injecting have potentially serious consequences including severe technique and failure to rotate injecting sites.
pain and eventual complete impotence if it is ignored. As with injecting any substance, always remember the Applying an ice pack to the penis or inner thighs can basics: wash your hands before you touch the site you help to reduce the erection, as can showering under cold intend to inject into; use new injecting equipment; water. If any substance injected into the penis results in thoroughly wash the penis with warm soapy water an erection lasting more than four hours, seek prompt prior to injecting; and dispose of used equipment in a puncture proof container. If you have severe scarring of Another possible side effect of penis injecting is the the penis or active sores and infections on the penis, you development of curvature of the erect penis, which should avoid injecting there altogether.
NUAA has been trialing the distribution of Steri-Filts for I was at friend’s house last week and saw she something about eight months, both at the NUAA needle/ syringe which looked like a small plastic goblet attached to the end program and through outreach workers. Feedback from of her fi t and used it to fi lter the mix with instead of using a users indicates that Steri-Filts are incredibly effective cotton ball. Do you know what she was using and what its for use with base amphetamines. To access Steri-Filts, purpose is? My friend told me it’s a special fi lter you can or for a demo on how to use them, drop into NUAA and use for pills as well as powders but it can only be used on speak to the workers at the needle/ syringe program.
some fi ts. I don’t understand. Please explain!
Frustrated by Fantastic Filters
Dear Frustrated by Fantastic Filters
It sounds like your friend was using a Steri-Filt fi lter. Steri-Filts are custom made fi lters which slip onto the end of 1ml BD brand disposable insulin-style needles. Steri-Filts won’t work with Terumo 1mls as they rely specifi cally on the shape of BD syringes to create a vacuum to draw up the mix (however, just to confuse you, Steri-Filts will work with either Terumo or BD barrels). As you described, Steri-Filts are shaped like a small goblet. The ‘cup’ of the Steri-Filt slips over the needle and the circular fl at bottomed part of the Steri- Filt is placed into the mix. The plunger is then used to draw up the mix through the Steri-Filt.
Steri-Filts remove fi ne particles from the mix to reduce the possibility of injecting-related health mishaps. A fi lter made from cotton wool will fi lter down to 50 microns (microns are the measurement used to gauge how effective a material is at fi ltering a solution). A Steri-Filt will fi lter a solution down to fi ve microns. Your friend is right in that Steri-Filts can be used to fi lter either pills or powders. The beauty of Steri-Filts is that they are also more effective than cotton wool fi lters in drawing up every last drop of the mix.
User’s News #50 Autumn 2007 www.nuaa.org.au

Source: http://www.nuaa.org.au/files/usersnews/UN50/UN50_Ida.pdf