Mixing cocaine (a stimulant) and heroin (a depressant) is called a speedball. This combination is very dangerous and can easily cause a deadly overdose.
Read on to learn more about the effects of a speedball, what is speedball drug addiction, and how to get effective treatment.
What Is Speedball Drug?
A speedball is a mix of cocaine and heroin. Usually, people who speedball inject both drugs, but sometimes they snort them together. Those who do this say they feel a stronger, longer high than when they use either drug on its own.
Heroin is an illicit drug that comes from morphine. It slows down breathing and causes you to stop breathing, especially if mixed with other drugs like alcohol. Cocaine, on the other hand, speeds things up. It makes your heart beat faster and gives you more energy. Some people think that mixing cocaine with heroin will balance out the bad effects. This is not true. Mixing these drugs is more dangerous because their harmful effects can become even more powerful.
Speedballing is very dangerous because it makes the body handle different drugs at the same time. Using a stimulant and a depressant together triggers a push-pull reaction. Heroin slows breathing, while cocaine makes the body need more oxygen. This strains the heart, lungs, and brain, causing physical problems and confusion.
This form of drug abuse makes it harder for the body to get enough oxygen and balance out cocaine’s effects. Even worse, cocaine’s effects wear off faster than heroin’s, so those who speedball often take more than those who use only one of these drugs.
Other Common Names for Speedball
Besides speedball, people might call this mixture by other names, including:
- Powerball: Another term for the same mix
- Snowball: Refers to the white color of cocaine in the mix
- Bombita: A Spanish slang term for speedball
- Heaven and Hell: Because it combines a stimulant and a depressant
- Belushi: Named after actor John Belushi, who died from a speedball overdose
- Dynamite: Expresses the potent nature of a speedball
- Dragon Rock: Heroin and crack cocaine
- Screwball: Heroin and meth
Knowing these names can help you understand conversations about this dangerous drug mix.
The Dangers & Effects of a Speedball
Cocaine side effects include hypersensitivity, anxiety, high blood pressure, and rapid heartbeat. Opioids such as heroin are associated with slowed breathing and drowsiness. Combining the substances leads to side effects which mainly affect the brain.
Using a speedball can lead to a mix of serious side effects. Some of these include:
- Confusion: The mix of drugs can make it hard to think clearly.
- Blurred vision: Your eyesight can become fuzzy or unclear.
- Drowsiness: You might feel extremely sleepy or even fall into a deep sleep.
- Paranoia: You may feel scared or think people are out to get you.
- Mental fog from lack of sleep: Speedballing can disrupt your sleep, making it hard to think straight.
- Uncontrollable movements: Your body might move in ways you can’t control.
- Stupor: You might become almost unconscious and unresponsive.
Speedballs can also trigger serious long-term side effects on the heart, liver, and lungs.
Potentially fatal side effects of a speedball include:
- Stroke: This is a sudden, severe problem in the brain.
- Heart attack: The heart can stop working properly.
- Aneurysm: A dangerous swelling in a blood vessel.
- Respiratory failure: Breathing can slow down or stop, which can be deadly.
Other factors making speedballs particularly dangerous include:
- Fentanyl lacing: Cocaine and heroin are not always pure. They can be mixed with dangerous substances, like fentanyl. Fentanyl is a strong synthetic opioid, much stronger than morphine. Only a tiny amount is needed to get high, so drug dealers use it to cut costs. While fentanyl is mostly found in other opioids, it is also being combined with other drugs, including cocaine.
- Increased chance of overdose: Most deadly overdoses happen because people use more than one drug at a time. Cocaine and heroin are two drugs often involved in these overdose deaths in the U.S. When you use both together, you might not feel as high because the effects of each drug can cancel each other out. This can lead you to take more and more, which can cause an overdose.
- Respiratory failure: Cocaine makes your body use more oxygen, while heroin slows your breathing. When you mix them, this can make your breathing dangerously slow. This is called respiratory failure, and it can be fatal because your body doesn’t get enough oxygen.
Speedball Addiction | FAQ
What are signs of speedball addiction?
Signs of speedball addiction include constant cravings, using heroin and cocaine despite harmful effects, and experiencing withdrawal symptoms like fatigue and anxiety when not using the drugs.
How can I stop speedball addiction?
To stop speedball addiction, seek help from a doctor or addiction specialist. Support from friends, family, and peer support groups can also make a big difference.
What are some treatments for speedball addiction?
Treatments for speedball addiction include therapy, medication, and attending rehab programs. Support groups and counseling can also help in the recovery process.
Get Affordable Addiction Treatment with Ohio Recovery Centers
If you’re concerned about heroin and cocaine abuse, get help right away by contacting Ohio Recovery Centers. We treat all types of addictions at our rehab center in Cincinnati.
By choosing outpatient treatment at Ohio Recovery Centers, you can continue at home, work, and school while attending therapy sessions at our rehab. If you need more support, we offer more intensive outpatient programs.
All addictions are unique, so all our treatment programs offer personalized therapies, such as:
- Medication-assisted treatment
- Talk therapy
- Family therapy
- One-to-one counseling
- Group therapy
- Holistic treatments
- Aftercare
Call our recovery specialists today to get started at 877-679-2132.
