Filtering Pills
This article takes a look at the effectiveness of filtering pills or capsules. These photographs were made using MS Contin and Kapanol mixed in cold water but can equally relate to Oxycontin and other pharmaceutical drugs. A note here: hot water is dangerous because it can appear to dissolve particles but these will reform later when cooled down - in your veins.
These images show how well different kinds of filters get rid of the non-soluble, non-drug particles (called excipients) that give the tablet bulk and form and can be dangerous for people who inject drugs. They are not sterile, are not soluble in water and are toxic when injected. On top of this, when tablets are handled by people, microbes such as bacteria may be present. Injection of bacteria can lead to infections, such as septicaemia (blood poisoning) and endocarditis (inflammation of the lining of the heart) and long-term damage to your health. When tablets are prepared for injection, all of these components are added to the mix. So, even if the water was sterile, it becomes contaminated with bacteria and the non-drug particles as well as the drug itself.
Some of the non-drug particles do not dissolve in water, and can cause some serious health problems, like:
• formation of tissue granulomas (nodules of inflamed tissue) in various body organs, particularly the liver and lungs; blockage of lung capillaries, which potentially leads to high blood pressure and right-sided heart failure;
• larger particles can become lodged in blood vessels, decreasing and potentially stopping the blood supply to the surrounding tissue, resulting in death of that tissue (gangrene).
Some of the harmful effects of injecting tablets can be reduced, but not completely removed, through the use of filters. Using filters when preparing tablets for injection can remove particles and/or bacteria; however no filter can remove viruses such as hepatitis C, hepatitis B or HIV.
Nothing can remove all of the unwanted particles from a tablet, but wheel filters can help keep your veins and your body a lot healthier. All filters removed some particles from the samples so any filtering is better than none. Wheel filters (both 0.22 and 0.45 micron) were the most effective. The 0.22 micron wheel filters also removes bacteria. - but they still can’t remove viruses like hepatitis C, hepatitis B and HIV. An effective way to filter is to use a cotton ball or roll-your own filter first, to remove the larger particles, and then use a wheel filter. This first step, using a cotton ball or roll-your-own filter also helps to stop the wheel filter getting clogged up. However even wheel filters leave more than 200 times the recommended number of particles considered safe for a medical injection.
Re-use of filters is not recommended because bacteria grow on the filter after use, thereby increasing the risk of bacterial infections for the user. Filters also should not be shared between people as this can increase the risk of transmitting a blood borne virus such as hepatitis C.
In summary, try to use wheel filters wherever you can. If you get caught short, small snips of cotton balls, roll-your-own filters or tampons are pretty good too. Use all filters once only.
[Thanks to the Tasmanian Council on AIDS, Hepatitis and Related Diseases (TasCAHRD), Illicit Drug Reporting System (IDRS) and the Pharmacy School at the University of Tasmania for this piece and the amazing photos.]
