When was the first speedball used, and what is a speedball? It is a combination of heroin and cocaine. Physicians combined cocaine, heroin, alcohol, and chloroform in the 19th century to relieve extreme pain. In essence, the definition of “speedball” is just a cocktail of dangerous ingredients. Speedball drugs are scary enough on their own, but in the combined form, they can be life-threatening.
In today’s medical settings, this mixture is known as a “Brompton cocktail” and is obsolete. Using speedballs puts you at risk of overdose, multiple drug dependency, and addiction. If you want to stop using opioids or stimulants, the opioid and cocaine addiction rehab center in Tacoma, Washington, at Bayview Recovery can help.
What Are the Physical Effects of Speedballs?
Speedballs combine heroin, a depressant, with cocaine, a stimulant. People take speedballs for an intense cocaine rush combined with opioid euphoria. Euphoria is a feeling of intense well-being and happiness. Heroin artificially causes euphoria when it floods your body’s opioid receptors. The motive for a speedball high is to combine the natural effects of both drugs while reducing their adverse effects.
However, because both cocaine and heroin are addictive, combining them in one dose dramatically increases your risk for addiction. Additionally, the depressant properties of heroin can slow your heart rate and breathing to a dangerous level. Cocaine can also increase your blood pressure and heart rate to potentially deadly levels. Speedballs can quickly cause seizures, coma, or even death.
Despite the risks, people continue to take speedballs because of the intense high they produce. If you are considering taking a speedball, be aware of the dangers and seek help from addiction professionals if you become addicted.
What Happens During a Speedball Overdose?
Are speedballs dangerous? As already discussed, the answer is clearly “yes.” Both cocaine and heroin are potent chemicals. They each have opposite effects on your nervous system. Speedballs have a significant overdose and health risk because of how each drug affects your body and how long they last.
Cocaine is shorter-acting than heroin. When cocaine and heroin affect your nervous system, the cocaine rush can counteract heroin’s effects. After the cocaine wears off, heroin effects continue. Heroin depresses breathing and heart functioning. An overdose occurs when you stop breathing and your heart stops beating. People who are already high can take enough heroin to overdose when the cocaine wears off.
Why You Should Consider Speedball Addiction Treatment
In addition to physical symptoms from cocaine and heroin misuse, you can experience addiction, which affects your mental, physical, and spiritual health. Addiction doesn’t just impact your life. It impacts everyone around you. Using two of the most addictive and potent drugs together in a speedball carries an immediate overdose risk and potential delayed effects. Cocaine use can lead to heart irregularities and heart attacks after you use the drug. If you use alcohol and do speedballs, you’re adding more risk of heart problems.
If you know all the facts about speedballs and think you can control your use of cocaine and heroin, remember that cocaine and heroin have high addiction potential. The drugs work directly in your brain and central nervous system. They directly cause long-term changes in your brain. These changes cause some addiction symptoms, and they can also cause co-occurring mental health disorders like anxiety and depression.
What You Can Expect from Evidence-Based Addiction Treatment
Evidence-based treatments that can help you to recover and build a sober lifestyle include:
- Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) – This type of treatment uses medications, like buprenorphine or methadone, to help manage cravings and withdrawal symptoms.
- Men’s and women’s residential rehab – These treatments can help you understand your addiction’s root causes and develop healthy coping mechanisms.
- Partial hospitalization (PHP) – PHP is a type of intensive outpatient treatment that helps people addicted to heroin or cocaine stay sober and live in the community.
- Intensive outpatient programs (IOP) – IOP is another form of outpatient treatment that provides structure and support for people struggling with heroin or cocaine addiction.
If you need help to stop using heroin, cocaine, or both, Bayview Recovery can help.
Find Speedball Rehab in Washington at Bayview Recovery
Contact Bayview Recovery today at 855.478.3650 to learn how we can help you recover from addiction to cocaine, heroin, and other substances—like speedballs.
Dave Cundiff, MD, MPH is an experienced leader in the field of Substance Use Disorder treatment. He works with patients suffering from Substance Use Disorder to evaluate their medication needs and prescribe treatments accordingly. In addition, he regularly participates in all-staff debriefing sessions involving peers, nurses, and other prescribers. He also reviews and advises on policies, procedures, and techniques for treating substance use disorder.
