As per the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Controlled
Substances Act (CSA) reports, heroin is a Schedule I drug. Heroin causes addiction to
the brain like any other addictive substance. Heroin addiction has both long-term and
short-term effects on the body. The brain has natural opioid receptors. Heroin is a
synthetic opioid. When taken regularly, the brain stops making its own natural opioids.
This affects the pain/reward system and causes withdrawal symptoms in patients.
Heroin addiction damages the brain's reward system and breathing. Less breathing
causes less oxygen supply to the brain. There are reports that state that dementia-like
situation is created in the brain due to heroin abuse. Heroin lipophilicity allows the
entry of it into the Blood Brain Barrier. μ-opioid receptors (MOR), causing the
addictive effects of the heroin in the brain. Dementia symptoms, memory issues, and
mental health changes like depression or anxiety are the symptoms that are caused by
heroin abuse. Both individual and environmental factors influence a person's ability to
abuse heroinanopioid which provides intense feelings of pleasure.
Keywords: Anxiety, Dementia symptoms, Depression, Heroin, Memory issues, Opioid, μ-opioid receptor (MOR).
