What Is Heroin Cut With?
Heroin is known as a powerful and illegal street drug and opiate, derived from morphine.
As a Schedule I substance, it has no medical use, and it is only available illicitly. Because of this, however, nobody really knows what they will get in a substance marketed as heroin.
This drug can easily be “cut” with a variety of different substances. This means that drug dealers will add other drugs or non-intoxicating substances to the drug so they can sell more of it at a lesser expense to themselves.
Because heroin typically comes in a white powder, clear solution, or black tar-like substance, it’s easy to hide substances of a similar appearance to the drug and pass it off as pure. This practice is so widespread that it’s expected that no heroin found on the streets is actually pure. Heroin can be anywhere between 3% and 99% pure, making the effects of any batch highly unpredictable.1
Common Cutting Agents
Common substances that heroin may be cut with include:
- Baking soda.
- Sucrose (sugar).
- Starch.
- Crushed over-the-counter painkillers.
- Talcum powder.
- Powdered milk.
- Laundry detergent.
- Caffeine.
- Rat poison.
Depending on what adulterants are used, the practice of cutting opioids (adding other substances to increase the volume of the product) may increase the danger of opioid use by any route of administration.3
For example, heroin and counterfeit opioid pills are often cut with fentanyl because fentanyl is cheap to produce.3 And because fentanyl is so potent, it makes these drugs even more addictive and dangerous. Synthetic opioids like fentanyl are the primary driver of fatal overdose in the United States.4
Opioid overdose involves severe depression of the respiratory system and other essential bodily functions as this class of drug depresses the entire central nervous system. This can cause an individual who uses opioids to begin to breathe very slowly or take very shallow breaths to the point that not enough oxygen reaches the brain. This leads to rapid cell death, coma, and brain damage.
Heroin overdose symptoms can include:
- Disorientation.
- Slow or shallow breathing.
- No breathing.
- Snoring or gurgling sounds.
- No response to stimuli.
- Unconsciousness.
- Floppy arms and legs.
- Blue lips or fingernails.
An opioid overdose is very dangerous, but with quick medical intervention, most people can be saved.
Call 9-1-1 if you see an individual showing signs of heroin overdose and administer naloxone if it is available.
Finding Heroin Addiction Treatment Near You
Addiction is a treatable disease, and recovery is possible. If you believe that you or someone you care about is addicted to heroin, reach out to American Addiction Centers (AAC). AAC’s treatment centers, spread throughout the country, offer a complete continuum of care—including detox, inpatient or residential treatment, and varying levels of outpatient care. Connecting with an AAC admissions navigator can help you answer your questions, understand your options, and help you begin your journey to recovery.
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