MODEL RELEASED. Heroin user. Heroin user checks a syringe containing the drug before injecting it into her arm. She is tapping it to remove air bubbles. A belt wrapped around her upper arm acts as a tourniquet. Heroin (diacetyl morphine) induces a psychological state of indifference immediately after it is taken. Repeated use causes a physical dependence and tolerance. Tolerance leads to ever-increasing doses being taken to achieve the same effect, often resulting in a fatal overdose. The withdrawal symptoms for a person trying to stop using heroin include muscle spasms and cramps, anxiety, insomnia, nausea, sweating, cramps, vomiting, diarrhoea and fever.