Mistakenly shared a needle with Hep C positive person

[dougrounds (OP)]

My dealer gave me what I thought was a clean outfit today when I copped some dope...

I got home, and when I drew up a little water to fix my shot, I noticed a little bit of blood in the barrel.

Anxious to get well, I cleaned the syringe with bleach.

Rinsed with water, filled with bleach and let sit for 30 seconds (three times in a row), then rinsed with water again.

I then injected my drugs. (goofball... .3 grams heroin+ .25 grams meth)

Shortly after, I spoke with my dealer, only to find out that the person who had previously been using the needle is postive for Hep C..



I feel like such a fucking idiot... I typically do not pull this type of degenerate junkie stuff... but it was the only dart I had, and I was anxious to get well...



Considering the fact that I tried to clean the syringe thoroughly with bleach... what do you think the chances are that I have contracted Hep C?


Thanks in advance for your answers guys. I know... I am a moron.

[Chip]

You'll have to get tested, it's hard to say.

Luckily there is Harvoni and it beats HepC but may be expensive.

You may be ok though. 1 in 5 clear it themselves.

I hope you had a fresh container of water for the draw.

[Lolleedee]

First of all, you are not an idiot.  Most of us have done some questionable things in an effort to get well.  You know that it isn't good to share injecting equipment so there is no need for us to gang up on ya!

There is a great section in the "getting off right" download at the harm reduction coalition that has instructions on how to clean injection equipment if you are in a pinch.  Here is the link http://harmreduction.org/drugs-and-drug-users/drug-tools/getting-off-right/

Definitely get tested, as no one can tell with any scientific certainty what the odds are that you will get infected.  Also, get tested for HIV, as that is also passed through needle-sharing (I know you already know that, but just in case someone missed that lesson.....)

Make sure that during this "not knowing" period that you use a condom with all sexual partners.  I would definitely go see a doctor or go to a clinic and follow ALL tsting recommendations.  Not knowing is a scary place to be!  Knowledge is power!!!!!!

Hang in there and don't worry too much. Also, your dealer is an asshat for giving used rigs out...this type of "accident" is unacceptable!

[Dopeless Hopefiend]

First of all... Fuck that guy who gave it to you. Obviously he knew it was used when he gave it to you, since he knows who used it before you.
You should absolutely get tested, but I think it can take a few months to show up. So follow whatever instructions they give you about getting retested later.
Fwiw, if you cleaned it out with bleach 3 times you will probably be fine. It's still a good idea to tested of course, but I wouldn't drive myself crazy stressing about it. 

[mickeyaye6989]

Had a similar experience and didn't end up getting HCV, so don't beat yourself up too bad. As others have said, we all do stupid things to get well, but often times it's not even ourselves we have to watch out for. Hopefully the bleach took care of it, as I know a couple people who have gotten used rigs from Hep C patients and didn't contract it,since the rigs were bleached. I do feel like they let the rig soak a bit longer than 30 seconds, but honestly I wouldn't be surprised if not. I mean, we all know how anxious you'd be if you had a shot waiting. 30 seconds probably seems like hours.

My little scare was in the midst of a pretty gnarly coke shooting bender. Ended up going to meet a buddy at 5am to score some roxi's so I could get some sleep after shooting coke all night, and had to meet him at a the apartment of a guy I didn't know. While I was there, the host asked me if I would mind giving him a little shot of coke since he was letting me use his place to score, which I obliged as I was wanting sleep anyway. As I was shaving some off the rock, I fumbled and dropped it right into his spoon that he had been using all day for multiple shoots and washes. Picked up the soaked rock, broke him off a chunk, and promptly banged the rest. Five minutes later the motherfucker casually mentions that "he has hep C but doesn't know how he got it because he never shared needles, but did use spoons and cottons from hep C positive people becuause he was convinced only needle sharing transmitted it." I lost my shit because i just shot a bunch of his wash water, but he had failed to mention his Hep C status. He fires back again with the "yeah but you can't get it from sharing water, just needles" bullshit.... THEN HOW DID YOU GET IT JACKASS??? Anyway, I spent a year feeling like, in the back of my mind, that I KNEW I had it. Started drinking heavily to drown out the thoughts, and got up to about a liter per day liquor habit, before getting tested a year after  the fact. Turns out I was actually fine.

Long story short, you never know til you get tested, and while you may expect the worst and be CONVINCED that you have it, you never can be sure either way. I fucking KNEW that I had it for a year, but ended up testing clean when I finally went to get checked. Better to be sure than to worry over something that isn't there. At least the tests are free!

[dougrounds (OP)]

Thanks everyone... but I can't help but beat myself up over this...

I am normally very up tight about using clean and new utensils... but my addict tendencies got the best of me today.

Yeah, I am definitely pissed at the dude who gave me the outfit. He had hit me up this morning, telling me had had some fire dope for sale. He was kind of far from me, and I told him I'd only make the trip to go meet him and cop the dope assuming he had a clean rig I could get.

He obviously just told me yes just to get me to make the trip out to him and buy the dope. 

Ugh... I hope that bleach did the trick.

[jonnyr3b]

I love how they banned the sale of needles in orange county to try to get people to stop doing drugs but it only facilitated the sharing of needles. At least you bleached it bro, if I was sick and the shot was ready to go and I saw a little blood I would have have easily said fuck it and just done it. I haven't bought needles in a couple years but the only place I know of was a Walmart in the city of orange. Wasn't that you who was all spun out and picked a gnarly whole in your belly?

[dougrounds (OP)]

Wasn't that you who was all spun out and picked a gnarly whole in your belly?

Wow... You remember that.

Yes.... that was me... IV meth instantly turns me into a pyschopath. I still have a noticeable scar alongside my belly button from that manic, speed fueled episode. I don't quite remember what I was thinking, or if i thought something was buried inside of me... but i was definitely out of my damn mind when I did that..


... In regards to not being able to purchase needles in Orange County... there are a couple of places I know of that will sell you a bag of darts.

But I agree. Especially with it being an area with no needle exchanges, access to clean syringes should be definitely be permitted.

[Dog Food]

As long as you bleached it real well i think youll be good for sure.  I know one of the first times i had a buddy try to hit me while i was still sniffing it, i had bleached one of his rigs very well.  Well we both happened to go to the same rehab and this place tested you.  I was clean like 6 months after that shot and he found out he had hep.   I know they say its not perfect, but its pretty good at killing it imo.

I was very cautious about people not dipping their rig in a water bottle and all that for years.  Havent been tested again, and ill freak if i still got it somehow cause you never really know if that dope you just bought has been contaminated like that recently, as the virus only lives maybe a week in open air

[Thoms]

Do the right thing and get tested.bottom line is it's better to know. Either way.whats done is done. Don't dwell on it. Just do what you need to do, get tested.

[dizzle]

You probly be straight bro I wouldn't trip. 3x with bleach is good. Letting it sit 30 seconds is great too.

Unfortunately hep c is much more hearty than AIDS but I do believe bleach kills them both. That being said that dealer is a piece of shit. At least he could've told u "hey bro all I have is a used one and the chick/dude has hepc. It's urs if u wanna clean it"

What a cocksucker. I'd be salty af at him. Seriously that's the kinda shit that would make me do something crazy if I ended up with a positive result after that. Like I'm talking pistol whipping a mfer for some shut like that and even then I probly wouldn't stop there.

[Thoms]

Yeah I know diZle gets down like me, whooping a mother fuckers ass would be fucking way high on my to do list. Wait for the tide, to get low. And now is the time to get low.

[Iamonheroin]

I did the same thing years ago.  When I was like 18 first getting into this shit I would hang out with this chick who I thought was older turns out she was 17. I was 19 or 19 tho so whatever.  But her and dad and family had been getting down for years so idk

 anyway i got down she needed a rig I let her use mine. then and hour later i used the rig again....and several more times prolly.

Then some shit pops off down the line yada yada yada All us go to jail including her and while in there I found out she had Hep c. Didnt get tested til I finally went to prison after all that but I was clean. I requested a full panel test me for all that shit lol and was surprisingly clean across the board.

But yea shred a needle with a girl that had it and never got it and i know its rare through sexual contact but never had a problem there either n have pushed my luck. So get tested in next couple months sometime but don't freak out and I mean at least go in knowing chances are pretty good you're ok. 

[dougrounds (OP)]

I did the same thing years ago.  When I was like 18 first getting into this shit I would hang out with this chick who I thought was older turns out she was 17. I was 19 or 19 tho so whatever.  But her and dad and family had been getting down for years so idk

 anyway i got down she needed a rig I let her use mine. then and hour later i used the rig again....and several more times prolly.

Then some shit pops off down the line yada yada yada All us go to jail including her and while in there I found out she had Hep c. Didnt get tested til I finally went to prison after all that but I was clean. I requested a full panel test me for all that shit lol and was surprisingly clean across the board.

But yea shred a needle with a girl that had it and never got it and i know its rare through sexual contact but never had a problem there either n have pushed my luck. So get tested in next couple months sometime but don't freak out and I mean at least go in knowing chances are pretty good you're ok.

Its funny... I posted a similar thread on another forum... and the contrast between the nature of the posts on this forum and the other is astounding...

On the other site, despite it supposedly being a site for narcotic enthusiasts, most members were very quick to judge me and make assumptions about me based on an admittedly stupid mistake...

Here, however, not only did I get some good feedback, but you guys didnt attempt to make me feel like a total scumbag... (which i TOTALLY am, btw  )

Every time I pop in on this site, I am glad I did so. Not only is it good to see the old opiophiles holding it down... but all in all... this forum is made up of some solid people.

[Dog Food]

I would even take it a step further and poke him with that same needle regardless of if you know he has hep or not.

If you do get it, its a 90000 dollar fuckup that dude knew it was contaminated with.

Let him worry about it for a couple months even if you do it with a clean rig