Although insufflation (snorting/sniffing) is perhaps the most common way heroin is now used in the Americas and Europe, we have little information about the pure dosages which are used. Often heroin users will be taught about how much to insufflate from the person they first try it with and then simply titrate their own dose as they wish by increasing or decreasing the size of the line used. Our guesstimate is that doses for insufflation are probably between 10 and 50 mg for less tolerant people and 20 to 80 mg for those who use frequently.

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Intravenous Heroin Dosages   w/ no tolerance w/ heavy tolerance Common 5 - 10 mg 20 - 40 mg Strong 8 - 15 mg 40 - 60 mg

Onset : 10 - 20 seconds Duration : 4 - 5 hours

The charts above shows intravenous (IV) dosages in milligrams (mg) for individuals with different levels of tolerance. Because people quickly develop tolerance to the effects of heroin, and because batches of heroin vary from extremely low (2-3%) to extremely high (98%) purity, dosages will vary dramatically depending on whether an individual has been using regularly, and for how long. The numbers on this page are approximations only and should not be used to determine actual dosages.

For some information about dosage at tolerance levels, see Heroin Tolerance Dosage Levels.

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Smoked Heroin Dosages Common 15 - 25 mg Strong 20 - 30 mg

Onset : 5 - 10 seconds Peak Onset : 10 minutes Peak Duration : 5 - 6 minutes Duration : 3 - 5 hours

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Oral Heroin Dosages Common 50 - 70 mg

Although oral use of heroin is uncommon among party and weekend users, it is sometimes used this way as a pain medication, by field workers, and by addicts trying to ween themselves off.