use new injecting equipment, swab the site you intend
I’ve been buying my gear from the same dealer for the past
to use before injecting, use sterile water to mix up, and
12 months. Last week I rang my ‘man’ to score on pay day,
wash your hands before injecting. Normal bacteria in
but to my disappointment he answered the phone from a
the mouth can lead to endocarditis if it ends up in the
hospital ward and told me he was off tap for a month
bloodstream so it’s particularly important to never lick
due to endocarditis. Now I’m a bit concerned I could
your skin in the area you intend to inject before having
also be at risk of endocarditis as we have used together
a shot or to lick the needle prior to injecting. (The mere
many times before. Can you please tell me exactly what
droplet of gear at the end of the fit is unlikely to have any
endocarditis is and how I catch it?
discernable effect on you and you are putting yourself at
Worried
Endocarditits can be classified into either short incubation
Dear Worried
or long incubation. Short incubation endocarditis develops
Sorry to hear about your friend. Firstly, endocarditis isn’t
in less than six weeks whilst long incubation endocarditis
contagious and you aren’t at risk of contracting it from
develops over a period of weeks, months or even years.
someone you use with the way you are at risk of contracting
Endocarditis involves a long fever which is characterised
a blood-borne virus such as hep C. Endocarditis is actually
by tiredness, excessive sweating at nighttime, blood in the
a bacterial infection which affects the heart valves. As
urine, stomach pains, skin rashes, painful lumps in the
the valves do not actually receive a blood supply of their
hands and generally feeling lousy. If you have any of these
own, they miss out on defense mechanisms such as white
blood cells. So if organisms such as bacteria enters the
If diagnosed early, endocarditis can be treated.
bloodstream and establishes hold on the valves, the body
Treatment will usually involve a 2-6 week stay in hospital
whilst antibiotics are fed directly into the bloodstream.
Injecting is a primary route for bacteria to be introduced
Sometimes it may be necessary to replace the heart
into the bloodstream. This can happen if you use needles
valves once the infection has cleared. Endocarditis has
that aren’t sterile or if you inject through skin which
resulted in fatalities, however lengthy treatment will
has not been thoroughly cleaned. Hence, it in order to
usually heal the condition. Remember, as with all health-
avoid developing endocarditis it is important to always
related issues, prevention is preferable to treatment.
is strictly physiological and that you still find him/her
My partner and I use crystal to enjoy long love making
desirable. There’s been an increase in the last few
sessions. I used to stay hard for hours after using crystal,
years of the recreational use of erectile dysfunction
however over the last few months it’s had the opposite
medications, however, as with the non-prescribed use of
effect, which as put some strain on our relationship.
any restricted medication, there are some risks. Through a friend I’ve had access to Viagra and have
Viagra works by increasing blood flow to the penis;
been using it recreationally on the weekends to increase
however an erection will not occur unless sexual
my stamina in the boudoir. The friend who supplies
stimulation is present. Internationally, non-prescribed
my Viagra has told me about a drug called Aprostadil
Viagra has been implicated in the deaths of a number
(the brand name is Caverject) which is injected into the
of seemingly healthy young men from cardiovascular
penis. He prefers it to Viagra as it comes on quickly and
failure. A person with a history of heart problems should
he doesn’t have to wait an hour to party. My friend is
never use Viagra. Similarly a person with kidney or liver
an experienced injector and says there’s no difference
problems (including hepatitis) should consult a doctor
between injecting into the penis and injecting anywhere
before using erectile dysfunction medications. There is
else. I’m thinking about trying it myself, but I have some
some evidence to suggest that using Viagra with alcohol,
concerns. I’ve heard that injecting any drug into the penis
poppers and/or illicit drugs can increase the possibility
can leave you with a permanent erection. What’s the go?
of coronary failure. If after taking Viagra you experience
Should I try it or are there too many risks?
chest pain, nausea, or any other discomfort during sex,
From Injecterector
seek immediate medical attention. Alprostadil works by increasing blood flow through the
Dear Injecterector
body which then causes the blood vessels in the penis
Firstly, your loss of an erection after using crystal is not
to expand, causing an erection. An erection powered
at all unusual. Some crystal users have reported they
by Alprostadil will take 5-10 minutes to come on and
either experience raging erections or nothing at all. Loss
will probably last for up to one hour. Alprostadil can
of erection can certainly put strain on a relationship, so
either be administered via suppository (thru the tip of
it may be helpful to reassure your partner the problem
the penis) or injection.Viagra and Alprostadil should
User’s News #50 Autumn 2007 www.nuaa.org.au
not be used together. When Alprostadil is prescribed by
can be both painful and can interfere with sex. This
a doctor, the doctor will instruct the patient in penile
condition is called Peyronie’s Syndrome and is a result
injecting technique. Without medical guidance it is
of a buildup of plaque or scar tissue inside the lining of
important to be fully informed of this technique.
the corpora cavernosa (the two spongy tubes running
A side effect of injecting any substance into the penis
down the length of the penis, into which Alprostadil is
is an uncomfortable condition known as priapism.
injected). Peyronie’s Syndrome is relatively rare and can
Priapism involves a prolonged erection, which may last
be treated with relative ease. The cause of Peyronie’s
for hours or days. Priapism is easily managed, but can
Syndrome is usually attributed to poor injecting
have potentially serious consequences including severe
technique and failure to rotate injecting sites.
pain and eventual complete impotence if it is ignored.
As with injecting any substance, always remember the
Applying an ice pack to the penis or inner thighs can
basics: wash your hands before you touch the site you
help to reduce the erection, as can showering under cold
intend to inject into; use new injecting equipment;
water. If any substance injected into the penis results in
thoroughly wash the penis with warm soapy water
an erection lasting more than four hours, seek prompt
prior to injecting; and dispose of used equipment in a
puncture proof container. If you have severe scarring of
Another possible side effect of penis injecting is the
the penis or active sores and infections on the penis, you
development of curvature of the erect penis, which
should avoid injecting there altogether.
NUAA has been trialing the distribution of Steri-Filts for
I was at friend’s house last week and saw she something
about eight months, both at the NUAA needle/ syringe
which looked like a small plastic goblet attached to the end
program and through outreach workers. Feedback from
of her fi t and used it to fi lter the mix with instead of using a
users indicates that Steri-Filts are incredibly effective
cotton ball. Do you know what she was using and what its
for use with base amphetamines. To access Steri-Filts,
purpose is? My friend told me it’s a special fi lter you can
or for a demo on how to use them, drop into NUAA and
use for pills as well as powders but it can only be used on
speak to the workers at the needle/ syringe program. some fi ts. I don’t understand. Please explain! Frustrated by Fantastic Filters Dear Frustrated by Fantastic Filters
It sounds like your friend was using a Steri-Filt fi lter.
Steri-Filts are custom made fi lters which slip onto the
end of 1ml BD brand disposable insulin-style needles.
Steri-Filts won’t work with Terumo 1mls as they rely
specifi cally on the shape of BD syringes to create a
vacuum to draw up the mix (however, just to confuse
you, Steri-Filts will work with either Terumo or BD
barrels). As you described, Steri-Filts are shaped like
a small goblet. The ‘cup’ of the Steri-Filt slips over the
needle and the circular fl at bottomed part of the Steri-
Filt is placed into the mix. The plunger is then used to
draw up the mix through the Steri-Filt. Steri-Filts remove fi ne particles from the mix to reduce
the possibility of injecting-related health mishaps.
A fi lter made from cotton wool will fi lter down to 50
microns (microns are the measurement used to gauge
how effective a material is at fi ltering a solution). A
Steri-Filt will fi lter a solution down to fi ve microns. Your
friend is right in that Steri-Filts can be used to fi lter
either pills or powders. The beauty of Steri-Filts is that
they are also more effective than cotton wool fi lters in
drawing up every last drop of the mix.
User’s News #50 Autumn 2007 www.nuaa.org.au
not be used together. When Alprostadil is prescribed by
can be both painful and can interfere with sex. This
a doctor, the doctor will instruct the patient in penile
condition is called Peyronie’s Syndrome and is a result
injecting technique. Without medical guidance it is
of a buildup of plaque or scar tissue inside the lining of
important to be fully informed of this technique.