Sharing Needles or Works ?

Sharing Needles or Works

Sharing needles means using a needle or syringe after someone else used it to inject drugs or medicine or for tattoos or piercings, or letting someone else use a needle or syringe you've already used. Sharing works means using someone's drug preparation equipment (e.g., cookers, cotton, or water) after they've been used.

What we know about sharing needles:

About 1 out of every 10 HIV diagnoses in the United States is from injection drug use. The average chance that an HIV-negative person will get HIV from a needle stick when the needle is known to contain HIV-infected blood is 24 out of 10,000 exposures.

Hepatitis B and C are viruses that infect the liver. Many people with hepatitis B or C don't know they have it because they don't feel sick. Even if you don't feel sick, you can transmit the virus to others. The only way to know for sure if you have hepatitis B or C is to get tested. Your health care provider will recommend a hepatitis B or C test if you have risk factors for these infections, such as injection drug use. If you don't have a health care provider, click here to find contact information for your local health department.

There are medicines to treat hepatitis B. If you've never had hepatitis B, there's a vaccine to prevent it. There are medicines to treat hepatitis C, but they aren't right for everyone. There's no vaccine to prevent hepatitis C. Talk to your health care provider to learn more about hepatitis B and C.

What you can do

People use needles for many reasons - to inject drugs for medical purposes (like insulin to treat diabetes), get high, change their appearance, or for tattoos and piercings. No matter the reason, never share your needles or works with anyone to lower your chances of getting or transmitting HIV and hepatitis B and C.

If you inject drugs to get high, therapy, medicines, and other methods are available to help you stop or cut down on your drug use. + Talk with a counselor, doctor, or other health care provider about substance abuse treatment. Some treatment programs provide medicines such as methadone or buprenorphine to people on an outpatient basis to help them quit using drugs like heroin, OxyContin, Opana, or Vicodin.

To find a substance abuse treatment center near you, check out the locator tools on SAMHSA.gov or AIDS.gov. Through the AIDS.gov locator, you can also find mental health service providers, HIV testing sites, housing assistance, family planning services, and health centers near you.

If you keep using needles, here are some things you can do to protect yourself and others:

Use only new sterile needles and works each time you inject. Many communities have needle exchange or syringe services programs where you can get new, sterile needles, works, and other supplies (e.g., alcohol pads), as well as health care services. Some pharmacies may also sell needles.
Never share needles or works. +

Be aware that HIV can survive in a used needle for up to 42 days depending on temperature and other factors.
Clean used needles with bleach only when you can't get new ones. Bleaching a used needle may reduce the risk of HIV but doesn't eliminate it. Needle exchange and syringe services programs often give out free bleach kits and can teach you how to use the kit. Here are instructions on bleaching needles.
If you inject drugs to get high, use sterile water to fix drugs. You can buy sterile water from a store, but if you can't get it, you can use water that has been boiled for 10 minutes or clean tap or bottled water.
Clean your skin with a new alcohol swab before you inject.
If you inject around other people, be careful not to get someone else's blood on your hands or your needle or works.
Dispose of needles safely after one use. Use a sharps container or make sure to keep used needles away from other people. Some communities may have drop boxes where you can dispose of your used needles safely.

Learn about other things you can do to prevent getting or transmitting HIV. +

Get tested for HIV. CDC recommends that everyone between the ages of 13 and 64 get tested for HIV at least once as part of routine health care and that people with certain risk factors get tested more often. People with more than one sex partner, people with other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), and people who inject drugs are likely to be at high risk and should get tested at least once a year. If you're HIV-positive and taking antiretroviral therapy (ART), take your medicines as directed by your health care provider. If you learn that you have HIV, the most important thing you can do is to take antiretroviral therapy (ART) the right way, every day. ART is recommended for all people with HIV, regardless of how long they've had the virus or how healthy they are. Being on ART and taking it the right way, every day lowers the amount of HIV (viral load) in your body. If your ART is working, you can stay healthy for many years, and greatly reduce the chance of transmitting HIV to someone who's HIV-negative.
Consider taking daily medicine to prevent HIV (called pre-exposure prophylaxis or PrEP). If you've injected drugs to get high in the past 6 months and during that time you've either shared needles or works or been in drug treatment, PrEP may be right for you. Talk to your health care provider about PrEP. If you don't have a health care provider, click here to find contact information for your local health department.
Don't have sex if you're high. If you do have sex, taking medicines to prevent or treat HIV and using a condom the right way every time you have sex can reduce your risk of getting or transmitting HIV. Learn how to talk to your partner about condoms and safer sex. And here are some tips for learning how to use a condom the right way.

Additional Resources

Which behaviors put you at greatest risk of getting or transmitting HIV?

Learn about the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's HIV prevention campaigns:

Act Against AIDS: Encouraging all Americans to learn more about HIV/AIDS.