Harm Reduction: Common misconception about 'cotton fever' [Published]
fr0st_Byte
Sumpin' c00L
After being around opiate users for many years I think this is the most misunderstood thing involving opiate use. Even people I thought were seasoned vets still think this.
99% of the people I meet that I hear talk about cotton fever think for some reason this aliment is caused by a piece of cotton going into your vein. I guess this got started because of the name people gave this problem, cotton being in the term that is. This is completely untrue.
Think about it, do you really think a piece of cotton is going to be able to go into your vein, or even into a small gauge needle? I have had cotton go into a needle and it completely clogs it.
Cotton fever is caused by people saving their wet cottons up and using them to make another shot when the desired amount of cottons are reached. They save these wet cottons which are pretty much the perfect environment to harbour and grow bacteria. Once again, think about it... What causes a fever? An infection. What causes an infection? Bacteria.
So to avoid cotton fever. First off, don't save cottons. But if you do want to save your cottons: make sure you separate them and set them out in open air on a dry non-porous surface. The idea is to let them dry out.
If you do get cotton fever, take some APAP and drink plenty of water. Just keep telling yourself it will go away within 4-12 hours. You do need to monitor your temperature though. Because it it does get past 103F you need to go to the doctor. I hope that part is common sense.
I hoped this helped anyone that may have been mistaken.
99% of the people I meet that I hear talk about cotton fever think for some reason this aliment is caused by a piece of cotton going into your vein. I guess this got started because of the name people gave this problem, cotton being in the term that is. This is completely untrue.
Think about it, do you really think a piece of cotton is going to be able to go into your vein, or even into a small gauge needle? I have had cotton go into a needle and it completely clogs it.
Cotton fever is caused by people saving their wet cottons up and using them to make another shot when the desired amount of cottons are reached. They save these wet cottons which are pretty much the perfect environment to harbour and grow bacteria. Once again, think about it... What causes a fever? An infection. What causes an infection? Bacteria.
So to avoid cotton fever. First off, don't save cottons. But if you do want to save your cottons: make sure you separate them and set them out in open air on a dry non-porous surface. The idea is to let them dry out.
If you do get cotton fever, take some APAP and drink plenty of water. Just keep telling yourself it will go away within 4-12 hours. You do need to monitor your temperature though. Because it it does get past 103F you need to go to the doctor. I hope that part is common sense.
I hoped this helped anyone that may have been mistaken.
Comments
BUMP
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For Harm reduction purposes for new users
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LOL if this was the old &T we had a ton of IVers. Thryfing and myself were always trying to one up each other.
He would shoot 75-100 micrograms of Fentanyl and I would shoot a combo of pure molly mixed with a VERY small shard of pure crystal (small because I hate meth, but the molly offset it.)
Then he would blast a 30 rock while IVing two .1g tar balloons. Then I would shoot a mixture of good crystalline-type, shinny cocaine mixed with 12mg of Hydromorphone while I was inhaling a good balloon of nitrous. :eek: These types of things went on for a while.
Also to anyone that does not have enough common sense, these activities were not undertaken in the same night.
Damn I wish I could find those threads. We all had taken pics and vids of it too.
That was around the same time that dude TheRipper ODed and died on webcam in IRC from taking (I think about) 300mg of methadone (it was from the clinic, take-home bottles of liquid, and he had a VERY high tolerance) and ate a shit-load of k-pins with it. He literally threw more then a few clonazepam tabs in his mouth and swallowed 'em with the liquid 'done like it was water. That was epic and tragic shit. :sad: That was pretty stupid. I'm pretty sure he had taken more benzos before and wasn't thinking using rational thought, obviously. :facepalm: