Syringe Filter - Harm Reduction in Recreational Drug Use

Harm Reduction in Recreational Drug Use

Syringe filters may be used to filter solid drugs (powder and pill forms for example) prior to injection. Commonly filtered recreational drugs include heroin, methadone (Physeptone - See below), amphetamines, ecstasy or benzodiazepines. The filter still lets the drug through, but gets rid of many impurities such as fungal spores, bacteria or 'filler' used in the drug. Filters with 0.1 µm compared with 0.2 µm pore size have enhanced bacterial removal according to a study. The use of wheel filters is strongly recommended when illicit drug users seek to inject prescription medications such as morphine and benzodiazepines that come in tablet form. However it should be noted that some benzodiazepines, such as diazepam, have a very slight solubility in water, so there may potentially be no more benefit gained from injecting a diazepam tablet, even with a filter, than swallowing it. For the best advice on injecting such tablets, information should be sought from a harm reduction service with a good knowledge of the drugs that "wheel" filters are best used for. If, however, you feel that you must inject crushed diazepam tablets, (despite the fact that there is potentially no difference in the effect gained from the drug), it is much safer to use a filter than nothing at all, as the potential for particles to become lodged in veins or arteries carries serious health risks.

Pills like prescription opiates or benzodiazepines which are often converted by users into crude injectables, have ingredients such as chalk and wax as a 'filler', and illicit drugs are often adulterated with fillers to increase profits. Correctly used, wheel filters with at least pore size 0.5 µm may reduce these impurities entering the blood stream and help avoid vein problems such as collapsed veins, abscesses, infections, embolism, 'dirty tastes', disease and septicemia.

While wheel filters are the most effective filter available for injecting drug users along with luer lock syringe tip filters, other more common types of filters used include cotton wool, tampons, and cigarette filters. While these can serve as basic filters, they have a greater risk of bacterial infection or contamination from pieces of the filter itself. The condition known as cotton fever is caused by cotton used as a filter.