ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SKIN AND NEEDLE HYGIENE FOR COCAINE

Cocaine (hydrochloride) is a highly addictive stimulant and a local anaesthetic that operates on the central nervous system. It is snorted after being derived from the leaves of coca plants. Crack cocaine is available in the form of crystals known as rocks or stones, which can be smoked. Injecting crack or cocaine powder is possible, but it is extremely dangerous and causes several side effects. Long-term cocaine consumption and addiction can result in a variety of health issues, some of which are permanent and fatal.

Cocaine can be smoked, snorted, or injected. Snorting cocaine can harm the tissues in your nostrils, producing holes in the septum, and the cartilage between your nostrils, in some cases. Cocaine smoking can harm the lips, mouth, and lungs. Injecting cocaine can result in needle injuries, skin infections, and, in the worst-case scenario, amputation of limbs.

In this guide, we will discuss about skin and needle hygiene for cocaine.  Follow the following instructions on skin and needle hygiene for cocaine if you want a safe injection.

Needle hygiene for cocaine 

First of all, we will discuss about needle hygiene for cocaine. Avoid injection if you want to avoid catching Hepatitis C and other blood-borne viruses including HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis B. Injecting is the most dangerous way to get Hep C. There is no way to totally eliminate the possibility of viral transmission from syringes that have been used.

• If you wish to inject, use new needles, sterile water, new swabs, a clean spoon, tourniquet, filter, a clean injection place, and clean hands each time.
• If you have no new needle then wait till you can buy new equipment if you want to.
• Smoking, snorting, swallowing are some alternative ways to use your narcotics.
• If you are unable to obtain new equipment, use clean equipment that has only been used by you previously. Reuse of needles is not recommended at all but if you do, then follow the needle hygiene guide below.

Instructions to clean used equipment

Three different containers will be required:

• For rinsing blood out of your own fit, fill one with clean, cold tap water. It is better to use soapy (detergent) water. Use cold water from the tap. Any blood in the fit can coagulate and stick within the needle, shedding small particles into your mix if the water is too hot or too cold.
• One filled with full-strength bleach (at least 5.25 percent sodium hypochlorite; check the ‘use by’ date) for soaking/bleaching used needles.
• One filled with clean, cold tap water for rinsing the bleach off your needle/syringe.

After injection 

• Even if you are throwing your needle away, immediately after your hit, rinse it with clean, cold tap water.
• Remove the rinsing water as soon as possible so that no one else can use it and potentially contaminate their equipment with your blood.
• Put the container to your NSP once you have disposed of the needle in a trash container or a childproof, puncture-proof container. Recap the needles of others.
• Sharing needles can spread Hepatitis C and HIV, so avoid it. Use several coloured needles to distinguish who is using which needle. These can be found in smashing packs.
• Needles dull after a few uses, so do not use them again. They might harm your arms if they get blunt.

Skin hygiene for cocaine

• Inject correctly – If you inject incorrectly, your veins can narrow, collapse, or entirely shut down over time. It can also tear down tissue, leading to sores and abscesses that can get infected and spread.
• Never administer injections below the waist.
• Injecting into veins in the hands or feet is not a good idea.
• You should never inject more than 5mm deep since you risk hitting an artery or nerve. Arteries are deeper and more difficult to penetrate than veins, and their blood is brighter and spurts rather than oozes.
• Injecting into a painful, swollen, or tender area is not a good idea.
• Do not repeat the injection in the same location. Change up where you inject to give the vein a break and a chance to heal.
• Apply pressure and hold the bleeding location instead of bending your elbow to halt the bleeding.
• Before and after injecting, clean your hands with warm soapy water.
• Use single wipes with fresh swabs if you cannot wash your hands. It is important to remember that rubbing swabs back and forth distributes dirt and bacteria.
• With clean cotton wool, tissues, or clean toilet paper, stop the flow of blood after injecting.
• With hot water and soap, scrub the injection site thoroughly. Then use a new alcohol swab to clean the area. Bacteria that can cause abscesses, endocarditis, and other infections can be reduced with a good soap wash followed by an alcohol swab.

Unsafe injection

The practice of unsafe injection (such as sharing or reusing injecting equipment) increases the likelihood of a blood-borne virus (HIV/AIDS, Hep B, and Hep C) being transmitted. Sharing or reusing injecting equipment puts people who inject or are injected with narcotics in danger. Hepatitis C is the most prevalent of the illnesses that can occur in people who inject drugs, with an extraordinarily high percentage of persons who inject being exposed to a new virus and being at risk of chronic (long-term) infection. Take precautions and be mindful of your surroundings when it comes to blood. Safer use is being aware of the dangers of injecting drugs and taking steps to protect yourself and others. If you are a drug addict then must follow the above-mentioned skin and needle hygiene for cocaine. 

Conclusion

Cocaine is a highly addictive illegal stimulant substance. To experience the stimulant effects of cocaine, such as heightened mental alertness and euphoria, people commonly smoke, snort, or inject the drug. Injecting cocaine is especially risky since the needles you use are a potential source of disease transmission. The skin is affected by cocaine injections as well. So, for safer injection, follow the instructions for skin and needle hygiene for cocaine in this guidance.