Speedball (drug)

"Speedball"
Cocaine powder
Heroin powder

Speedball, powerball, or over and under[1] is the polydrug mixture of a stimulant with a depressant, usually an opioid. The most well-known mixture used for recreational drug use is that of cocaine and heroin; however, amphetamines can also be mixed with morphine and/or fentanyl. A speedball may be taken intravenously or by nasal insufflation.[2]

Speedballs often give stronger effects than either drug when taken alone due to drug synergy, and are a particularly hazardous mixture that can easily cause heart attack, respiratory arrest and death.[3] When compared to single drugs, speedballs are more likely to lead to addiction,[4][5] and users are more likely to relapse[4][6] and also to overdose.[7][8][9]

  1. ^ "Drugs slang: what police must learn - I to Q". www.telegraph.co.uk. 8 November 2009.
  2. ^ Martin, Peter R.; Weinberg, Bennett Alan; Bealer, Bonnie K. (2007). Healing Addiction: An Integrated Pharmacopsychosocial Approach to Treatment. Hoboken, New Jersey: Wiley-Interscience. p. 122. ISBN 978-0-471-65630-2.
  3. ^ Martin, Peter; Weinberg, Bennett Alan; Bealer, Bonnie K. (2007). Healing Addiction: An Integrated Pharmacopsychosocial Approach to Treatment. Wiley. p. 122. ISBN 978-0-470-08273-7.
  4. ^ a b Duvauchelle, Christine L.; Sapoznik, Tova; Kornetsky, Conan (1998). "The synergistic effects of combining cocaine and heroin ("speedball") using a progressive-ratio schedule of drug reinforcement. Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior". Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior. 61 (3): 297–302. doi:10.1016/S0091-3057(98)00098-7. PMID 9768564. S2CID 21108950.
  5. ^ Hunt, Dana E.; Lipton, Douglas S; Goldsmith, Douglas; Strug, David (1984). "Street pharmacology: Uses of cocaine and heroin in the treatment of addiction". Drug and Alcohol Dependence. 13 (4): 377. doi:10.1016/0376-8716(84)90005-X. PMID 6479016.
  6. ^ Wapler, M; Mendelson, J. H.; Teoj, S. K.; Mello, N. K.; Kuehnle, J. C.; Weiss, R. D.; Sholar, S. W.; Hanjra, B; Rhoades, E (1992). "Buprenorphine attenuates drug craving in men with concurrent heroin and cocaine dependence". Problems of Drug Dependence: 339.
  7. ^ Ochoa, Kristen C.; Hahn, Judith A.; Seal, Karen H.; Moss, Andrew R. (2001). "Overdosing among young injection drug users in San Francisco". Addictive Behaviors. 26 (3): 453–460. doi:10.1016/S0306-4603(00)00115-5. PMID 11436937.
  8. ^ O'Driscoll, Peter T.; McGough, Jim; Hagan, Holly; Thiede, Hanne; Critchlow, Cathy; Alexander, E. Russell (2001). "Predictors of Accidental Fatal Drug Overdose Among a Cohort of Injection Drug Users". American Journal of Public Health. 91 (6): 984–987. doi:10.2105/ajph.91.6.984. PMC 1446480. PMID 11392946.
  9. ^ Latkin, Carl A.; Edwards, Catie; Davey-Rothwell, Melissa A.; Yang, Cui; Tobin, Karin E. (2018). "The relationship between drug use settings, roles in the drug economy, and witnessing a drug overdose in Baltimore, Maryland". Substance Abuse. 39 (3): 384–389. doi:10.1080/08897077.2018.1439801. PMC 6107432. PMID 29432084.