Get your health question answered instantly from our pool of 18000+ doctors from over 80 specialties
159 Doctors Online

By proceeding, I accept the Terms and Conditions

Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

HCM Blog Instant Access to Doctors
HCM BlogQuestions Answered
HCM Blog Satisfaction

Death Due To Heroin And Marijuana. Was Lack Of Response Due To Enlarged Heart?

My son recently died. He was overdosing on heroin combined with marijuana. We intervened (not sure if we were past the window of opportunity) and did CPR . He was given Narcan by paramedics and possibly had a heart shocked but they could never get his heart beat above 20 beats per minute. Coroner said he had an enlarged heart which could have contributed to an arrhythmia . I m wondering if his lack of response had more to do with the window of opportunity or the enlarged heart. When all this happened, I was upstairs...I heard snoring downstairs. I finished my bath and went downstairs (still heard snoring but then he stopped snoring). He was in a frog position, face down on the floor. I m not sure what most contributed tohis death.
Wed, 10 Jul 2013
Report Abuse
Psychiatrist,  's  Response
Hi there ~

I understand your concerns. I am sorry to hear about he death of your son due to heroin and marijuana abuse. I believe that he was physiologically and psychologically dependent on those drugs to the point where it was lethal. What happens in dependence is a person starts to like the drug he uses and then starts abusing it to get the high. The high does not last and the person uses more and more of the substance to experience that high that was first experienced. This would make one psychologically dependent. In the meantime, the body also gets accustomed to the medication and when you go off of the medication one starts to have physical symptoms called withdrawals, which make the person go back on the substance again. The physiological and psychological dependence gets to point where one used the drugs too much and ultimately overdoses on the substances and that is usually the cause of death. I hope this helped explain your son's death and I am sorry for your loss.

I hope this helps. Take care and have a lovely day!
I find this answer helpful

 1 user finds this helpful
Note: For further guidance on mental health, Click here.
Disclaimer: These answers are for your information only and not intended to replace your relationship with your treating physician.
This is a short, free answer. For a more detailed, immediate answer, try our premium service [Sample answer]
Share on
 

Related questions you may be interested in


Recent questions on Sleep apnea


Loading Online Doctors....
Death Due To Heroin And Marijuana. Was Lack Of Response Due To Enlarged Heart?

Hi there ~ I understand your concerns. I am sorry to hear about he death of your son due to heroin and marijuana abuse. I believe that he was physiologically and psychologically dependent on those drugs to the point where it was lethal. What happens in dependence is a person starts to like the drug he uses and then starts abusing it to get the high. The high does not last and the person uses more and more of the substance to experience that high that was first experienced. This would make one psychologically dependent. In the meantime, the body also gets accustomed to the medication and when you go off of the medication one starts to have physical symptoms called withdrawals, which make the person go back on the substance again. The physiological and psychological dependence gets to point where one used the drugs too much and ultimately overdoses on the substances and that is usually the cause of death. I hope this helped explain your son s death and I am sorry for your loss. I hope this helps. Take care and have a lovely day!