# Result of Heroine injected into a muscle? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 8, 2009, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/result-of-heroine-injected-into-a-muscle/513033 "2009-10-08T10:24:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2009, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/result-of-heroine-injected-into-a-muscle/513033/1 "2009-10-08T10:24:09Z")
OK in one of my many weird dreams, someone was trying to inject me with heroine, I grabbed the syringe and jammed it into his thigh. It is usually injected into a vein. What would the result be if injected into a muscle? (This would qualify for MPSIMS, except I’m sure it has a real answer.) ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2009, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/result-of-heroine-injected-into-a-muscle/513033/2 "2009-10-08T10:40:37Z")
I’d expect it would still work, but the effect would be a lot weaker. The drug, by the way, is spelled “heroin”. “Heroine” means “female hero”. ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2009, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/result-of-heroine-injected-into-a-muscle/513033/3 "2009-10-08T10:42:59Z")
Yes, the drug takes effect more slowly and you lose the highly pleasurable ‘flash’ of intravenous injection. ---
**Author:** ![WarmNPrickly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2009, 10:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/result-of-heroine-injected-into-a-muscle/513033/4 "2009-10-08T10:46:45Z")
Frankly, I always imagined injecting myself into a heroine rather than the way you suggest. It sounds quite painful. I think I might need some sort of opiate just to endure. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2009, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/result-of-heroine-injected-into-a-muscle/513033/5 "2009-10-08T11:14:01Z")
> [@Shakester](#): > > I’d expect it would still work, but the effect would be a lot weaker. > > The drug, by the way, is spelled “heroin”. > > “Heroine” means “female hero”. 😃 Thanks - but I warn you, if you try to correct _all_ my typos, you’ll find it to be a full time job. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2009, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/result-of-heroine-injected-into-a-muscle/513033/6 "2009-10-08T13:03:20Z")
Didn’t this happen with Raquel Welch in **Fantastic Voyage**? The result is beautiful SCUBA suit shots, and Ms. Welch covered in fake cellophane “antibodies”. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2009, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/result-of-heroine-injected-into-a-muscle/513033/7 "2009-10-08T13:12:46Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Didn’t this happen with Raquel Welch in **Fantastic Voyage**? She was injected into a vein. As already noted, IM heroin will have a typical opiate analgesic and euphoric effect (along with possible nausea, respiratory depression and constipation) and can be just as dangerous if not done properly, but the extreme euphoric ‘rush’ associated of IV use will not occur. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2009, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/result-of-heroine-injected-into-a-muscle/513033/8 "2009-10-08T14:31:44Z")
> [@](#): > > She was injected into a vein. Okay Mr. Literal (Doctor). Ruin my setup for the payoff. See if I care. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2009, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/result-of-heroine-injected-into-a-muscle/513033/9 "2009-10-08T14:43:56Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Okay Mr. Literal (Doctor). Ruin my setup for the payoff. See if I care. I apologize. I was wrong. She was actually injected into an artery, and ended up in the venous system due to an AV malformation. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2009, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/result-of-heroine-injected-into-a-muscle/513033/10 "2009-10-08T15:46:34Z")
Some of us were too interested in that white skinsuit to notice the details of the patient’s circulatory system. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![natural](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e19adc/32.png) [@natural](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/natural)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2009, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/result-of-heroine-injected-into-a-muscle/513033/11 "2009-10-08T16:01:20Z")
Hmm, blood in the arterial system soon ends up in the venous system anyway. But since it has to pass through the capillaries first, would it not be better to inject into the vein (unless you inject into the carotid artery!). ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2009, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/result-of-heroine-injected-into-a-muscle/513033/12 "2009-10-08T16:05:07Z")
> [@natural](#): > > Hmm, blood in the arterial system soon ends up in the venous system anyway. But since it has to pass through the capillaries first, would it not be better to inject into the vein (unless you inject into the carotid artery!). She was injected into the carotid artery. They were supposed to go right to the clot in the brain, but got caught up in an AVM which kicked it to the venous side. They needed to backtrack, go through the heart (which had to be stopped, lest its beating destroy the ship as it passed through), then head back to the brain. The ship was too large to traverse capillaries. ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2009, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/result-of-heroine-injected-into-a-muscle/513033/13 "2009-10-08T16:21:14Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > She was injected into the carotid artery. They were supposed to go right to the clot in the brain, but got caught up in an AVM which kicked it to the venous side. They needed to backtrack, go through the heart (which had to be stopped, lest its beating destroy the ship as it passed through), then head back to the brain. The ship was too large to traverse capillaries. Great Scott! Is there nothing you don’t know?😉