# If you miss a vein & inject heroin or cocaine directly into flesh what happens? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 23, 2005, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-miss-a-vein-inject-heroin-or-cocaine-directly-into-flesh-what-happens/286303 "2005-01-23T21:49:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2005, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-miss-a-vein-inject-heroin-or-cocaine-directly-into-flesh-what-happens/286303/1 "2005-01-23T21:49:10Z")
Still get high? Local irritation? What happens? ---
**Author:** ![ninetypercent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/9de0a6/32.png) [@ninetypercent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ninetypercent)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2005, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-miss-a-vein-inject-heroin-or-cocaine-directly-into-flesh-what-happens/286303/2 "2005-01-23T21:52:51Z")
Yep, you still get high. It makes injection pointless, though. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2005, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-miss-a-vein-inject-heroin-or-cocaine-directly-into-flesh-what-happens/286303/3 "2005-01-23T21:55:18Z")
Still get high _and_ local irritation. Subcutaneous injection is called skin-popping. (Muscle injection is called muscle-popping.) It’s used by many addicts because there is less chance of an overdose if the heroin is not injected directly into a vein, but it also isn’t as quick or powerful a rush so those with the worst addictions no longer do it. Even so, there are lots of health risks involved: [http://www.harmreduction.org/heroin.html](http://www.harmreduction.org/heroin.html) > [@](#): > > Injecting heroin (“shooting up”) presents more health risks for the user than any other method. If needles, syringes, cottons, cookers, spoons, or water are shared, viruses and infections like hepatitis-B, hepatitis-C, syphilis, and HIV can be passed from one user to another through blood left in the works. Bacterial infections, blood poisoning, and endocarditis (an infection of the heart lining) can result if bacteria is injected along with the shot. Abscesses, cellulitis, and other injection-related injuries can result from the cuts in street heroin, especially for skin- and muscle-poppers; and after repeated use, a mainliner’s veins can collapse and become unusable. Finally, hitting a nerve while injecting can result in paralysis, and hitting an artery can lead to a large loss of blood or the loss of a limb. ---
**Author:** ![Andy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/aeb1de/32.png) [@Andy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2005, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-miss-a-vein-inject-heroin-or-cocaine-directly-into-flesh-what-happens/286303/4 "2005-01-23T22:11:44Z")
Is cocaine injection common? I’ve never seen it described before. ---
**Author:** ![rfgdxm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c0e974/32.png) [@rfgdxm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rfgdxm)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2005, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-miss-a-vein-inject-heroin-or-cocaine-directly-into-flesh-what-happens/286303/5 "2005-01-23T22:20:52Z")
> [@Exapno Mapcase](#): > > Subcutaneous injection is called skin-popping. (Muscle injection is called muscle-popping.) It’s used by many addicts because there is less chance of an overdose if the heroin is not injected directly into a vein, but it also isn’t as quick or powerful a rush so those with the worst addictions no longer do it. > > Even so, there are lots of health risks involved: > > [http://www.harmreduction.org/heroin.html](http://www.harmreduction.org/heroin.html) Skin popping is also sometimes used by non-addicted recreational users. Mainly if they feel the rush of heroin taken IV is _too_ intense. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2005, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-miss-a-vein-inject-heroin-or-cocaine-directly-into-flesh-what-happens/286303/6 "2005-01-23T23:13:25Z")
IV cocaine injection is common, but much more common in conjunction with heroin as a “speedball” than by itself. The very short and frighteningly intense high associated with IV cocaine injection by itself and the need for repeated dosing causing extensive track marks makes most cocaine users to shy away. Most IV drug users will lament “missing” a shot of heroin, but will not be terribly distraught over it since they will eventually get the full effects of the dope, albeit much more slowly than they would like. However, the effects of a “missed” shot of cocaine are so slow as to usually be considered a tragic and complete waste of the drug. Additionally, intramuscular amphetamine and cocaine carries a high risk of abcess. I just visited a client who was at the tail end of a month in the hospital because he nearly lost his arm from a necroticizing fasciitis due to a “missed” shot of amphetamine, and shall I just say hooolllleeeeey shit. You remember that scene of the guy’s infected arm in _Requiem for a Dream_? In comparison to the real thing, that was so tame as to be considered quaintly naive. ---
**Author:** ![somedudefromphoenix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@somedudefromphoenix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/somedudefromphoenix)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-miss-a-vein-inject-heroin-or-cocaine-directly-into-flesh-what-happens/286303/7 "2011-03-08T21:11:17Z")
Hello, I know this is a really old thread, sorry, but when you search “missed iv coke shot” on Google this is number one. Anyway, I wanted to add that adding heat from a heating pad or warmed wet rag is supposed to help. When I do that it usually seems like it goes down a little easier and faster. Supposedly helps prevent abscesses too. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-miss-a-vein-inject-heroin-or-cocaine-directly-into-flesh-what-happens/286303/8 "2011-03-08T22:00:46Z")
Adding heat causes the blood vessels in the area to dilate. That causes more blood to flow into the area which then carries the injected drug into the (rest of the) body more quickly. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2011, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-miss-a-vein-inject-heroin-or-cocaine-directly-into-flesh-what-happens/286303/9 "2011-03-08T23:44:23Z")
Since we’re into illegal activity, let’s close this one. **samclem** Moderator