So what is he on?

February 19, 2008 7:05 PM

Hello MeFites, I'm trying to determine what drug(s) a member of my family is using.

A tiny bit of background information

We are sure that he has been abusing prescription painkillers for quite sometime but we have been at a loss as to what precisely he has been using. We would love to have this information so that we may confront him with certainty and not allow him to use any ridiculous excuses.

Recently we have discovered some of his paraphernalia I was hoping that this will help determine what he is using, hopefully with your help

Together in a box was:

a single syringe

a prescription bottle filled with clean cotton

a prescription bottle filled with small bits (approx 1/4 inch in diameter) of grey/green colored cotton that smelled of what I can only describe as tylenol/aspirin

a baggie filled with strips of crumpled up wax paper

I really don't know what to make of it and I don't know how to begin researching it. Also worth noting is that he was caught cutting up a pill into a powder.

And, finally, yes, we have attempted to drug test him but unfortunately he has been, well, less than cooperative.

Thank you so much for any help and information you can provide

posted by Evan Gaffney to health & fitness (15 comments total)

Are you sure that gaining this information will benefit you in the confrontation? (i.e. You are already certain and he is still likely to come up with some excuse)
posted by winston at 7:08 PM on February 19, 2008

Most likely any opiate he can get his hands on, with OxyContin being the holy grail.

Could be benzodiazepenes such as Xanax or Valium, but the oxy family is statistically much more likely.

But winston makes a good point, truly.
posted by Roach at 7:19 PM on February 19, 2008

From the information you've given, it's impossible to tell exactly what he's using. There's not a lot of pills that inject cleanly, however, and the most common of those is Oxycontin.

When you think he's high, look at his eyes. Do his pupils 'pin' (get really small) or do they dilate? If they pin, it's a downer like Oxy and if they dilate then it's an upper like speed or coke.

I strongly suggest that you talk to a professional interventionist before you confront him. Good luck.
posted by Item at 7:21 PM on February 19, 2008 [1 favorite]

He does make a good point and although we are certain this informarion would still help us out. He has a way of manipulating situations. Knowing exactly what is going on will help us explain to other members of the family what is happening in a real and inarguable way. Having a "united front" would help with a confrontation
posted by Evan Gaffney at 7:28 PM on February 19, 2008

My bets on OxyContin. Check his pupils if possible. Can you score a unbroken pill from his kit? You could then tell for sure, likely.
posted by the dief at 7:43 PM on February 19, 2008

The time release coating on 80mg OxyContins are a gunmetal greenish grey color, remnants of which are maybe what you saw clotted in the cotton he was using to filter the mixture before injecting it.

When you say wax paper, do you mean glassine? Like the glassine envelopes heroin is packaged in? Could be that he's moving on to street dope, if that's the case.
posted by The Straightener at 7:44 PM on February 19, 2008

You might try calling a pharmacist.
posted by Brocktoon at 7:46 PM on February 19, 2008

(If you decide that you don't want this question associated with your full name, the moderators can make it anonymous if you MefiMail them.)
posted by LobsterMitten at 7:59 PM on February 19, 2008

That definitely sounds like a heroin junkie's kit. He may be injecting whatever narcotic he can get but you can be pretty sure that he's shooting the highest-potency opioids he can find.
posted by ikkyu2 at 9:23 PM on February 19, 2008

Agree that it's opioids and agree that it really doesn't matter. If he's a manipulator, he'll have a slippery answer even if you had videotapes. That's one of the things that happens with drug abuse- people will try to talk their way out of the situation, they'll agree with anything, they'll deny everything, they'll try to blame it all on you. Anything to get out of that room at that time.

Deal with the tangibles, the cold hard reality of the bad behavior. Not showing up for work, stealing, the fact that he has drug paraphernalia.

Good luck!
posted by gjc at 9:34 PM on February 19, 2008

Thank you to all who responded you have been very helpful. Unfortunately, It seems that oxycontin or heroin is the likely scenario. The image linked to by The Straightener is a dead ringer for the wax paper like wrappers that we found.

BTW, in response to Lobster Mitten, Evan Gaffney is not a member of the family... I/we have been allowed to post a question using his acct. after receiving his advice that this community may be able to help provide some information. Again, thank you all so much for your thoughtful responses.
posted by Evan Gaffney at 10:55 PM on February 19, 2008

Sounds like a typical "works" kit as ikkyu2 said. Only thing that is missing is a spoon for cooking up. At it's most basic he'll be adding heroin / crushed opiate pill to a spoon, mixing with a little water, heating gently with lighter, dropping in a cotton ball, straining the liquid through this filter into syringe then injecting. Works for Heroin and pill alike. Most kits will also have alcohol swabs and some sort of citric acid / lemon juice to help things along.

The small pieces of grey/green cotton you found will be the old pieces used for filtering the drug as the straightener suggested.

Never seen heroin bagged in these wax strips but this I'm the UK.
posted by brautigan at 3:01 AM on February 20, 2008

it's always disappointing when physicians use pejorative/discriminatory language about injecting drug users. it helps no-one and further alienates an already marginalised population.


such folk were my client base before i took off to mummy toddlertaff.... anyhoo... in my experience, many injecting drug users are not too fussy about what pills they'll break down and inject. obviously they'd prefer morphine but valium and sleeping pills (normison was a popular favourite in sydney several years ago) are also popular second choices.

the injecting really really damages their veins. it also leaves them wide open to hideous abscesses and blood infections. and if they're sharing any equipment, even just tourniquets.. heps b+ c and hiv.

what's important is that this person is not judged. they have a medical condition. and possibly even a psychological/psychiatric issue. they need support and help.

in the worst case scenario this person is going to need some effective harm minimisation education. i.e. how to inject as safely as possible, if they are not able to change their method of delivery or abstain from taking these substances.

can i suggest this site as a starting point. there is probably a local equivalent in your area... but just in case you live in a country that doesn't think it needs a harm minimisation program.... have a look at ours. click here to enter nuaa territory

i concur that it's not really important what they are injecting. it could change from day to day, episode to episode. they need lots of support, kindness and understanding. even if they've behaved appallingly. that doesn't mean you're supposed to let them walk all over you... but when you think about it..... picking up a needle and injecting yourself with a narcotic is hardly the action of a happy, safe and stable person in a "good place".

one other thing... dental hygiene. it's a real issue, the dry mouth and rotting teeth. encourage them to floss, brush regularly and use some sugar free gum.... and drink lots of water. once a tooth has fallen out, it's never going to come back. it labels that person as a likely injecting drug user... and they may never have the money to have it fixed. it's a bit like a big tattoo on the forehead.... it affects job opportunities in their future. but i've just got waaaaaay ahead of myself. the whole teeth thing used to really worry me, on top of everything else. it also can make eating difficult and maintaining adequate nutrition becomes increasingly difficult.


as i said, this was my area most recently. i'm sorry for raving. i'm happy to bore you to tears via email if you prefer. this is a worrying and confronting time for all of you. and i'm sorry it's happening. let's hope your loved one is safe and well-ish for now and that with open lines of communication they can stay that way. things are not over. it's not the end of the world.

all the best, possum. see you in me-mail if you like.
posted by taff at 3:03 AM on February 20, 2008 [2 favorites]

Most kits will also have alcohol swabs and some sort of citric acid / lemon juice to help things along.

This is an English vs. US thing, brautigan. Our heroin comes mostly from Afghanistan/Pakistan and is produced primarily for smoking, so it needs the acid to break it down for injection. Most US heroin (esp. on the East Coast) comes from South East Asia -- Burma, Thailand, etc. and is produced for injection, so it really only needs a bit of heat to do the business.

Also, they'll probably only have swabs if they are in contact with a Needle Exchange Scheme. My impression from the original post is that this person is a relative novice -- old timers don't usually keep all their paraphernalia together in a neat little box -- so it's fairly unlikely that they will be, but I'd second taff's advice that someone suggests to this person that if they plan on continuing to inject, it would be an excellent idea to do so.

Final comment: the average duration of a heroin user's drug career is about twelve years. I know that the OP really want to see changes happen fast here, and sometimes they do, but please be aware that it may be an unlikely outcome. I do disagree somewhat with taff in that I think it's perfectly appropriate to judge the behaviour that an injecting drug user engages in, but I agree that it's important that your clear that this doesn't mean that you don't love them, and care about them and want what's best for them, regardless of what drugs they take.

If they're going to live in your house, you might want to think about clear (but achievable) guidelines regarding what's acceptable and what isn't. Something like 'don't use drugs ever again' may not be achievable. However, using drugs in this house, or taking other people's property is completely unacceptable and should be perfectly manageable -- but you'll need to figure out your own boundaries.

Sometimes, this means making difficult choices. All too often, I see sympathy turn into enabling, and that does nobody any good. The converse though, is that an overly rigid approach turns kids out onto the streets and escalates their problems rapidly and dramatically. If this kid is going to continue to use and to live in your house, you need to find a workable balance.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 4:59 AM on February 20, 2008

I think the judging issues Taff refers to are important. Being judgmental gives them an opportunity to defend. Those dealing with dependency are really, really, really good at that--remember, they are defending against their own voices telling them this really isn't a good idea. You don't stand a chance unless you convince those voices that this is right.
posted by Ironmouth at 6:39 AM on February 20, 2008