What are Open Sores?
Open sores are exposed wounds, ulcers, or abscesses on the skin. In the context of substance use, they’re most often seen in people who inject drugs particularly when needles are shared, reused, or not properly sterilized and result from repeated trauma to injection sites, bacterial infection, or reduced circulation from long-term drug use. Left untreated, these wounds can progress to serious infections such as cellulitis, abscesses, or sepsis.
Open sores related to injection drug use are treated as a medical priority alongside, not after, the substance use disorder itself the wound care and the addiction treatment happen in parallel. That typically means wound cleaning and antibiotic treatment where needed, harm-reduction education on safer injection practices, and enrollment in a structured medical detox or treatment program so the underlying drug use that’s causing repeat injury is addressed directly rather than just the symptom.
“An infected wound is the body telling us this has been going on a while,” says Dr. Ehab Abdallah, MD. “We treat it, but we don’t stop there the goal is making sure it’s the last one.”
Recognizing the Signs Behind Open Sores
Open sores from injection drug use rarely appear in isolation they typically show up alongside other physical and behavioral warning signs of ongoing substance use, including track marks, collapsed veins, unexplained weight loss, and a pattern of covering the arms or legs even in warm weather. Because heroin and other opioids are among the most commonly injected substances, families often notice these wounds well after other signs have already emerged. Our guide on signs of heroin addiction breaks down the physical, behavioral, and emotional patterns that tend to appear alongside skin and injection-site issues.
When Open Sores Signal Something More Serious
An open sore that keeps recurring, or that’s paired with fever, spreading redness, or swelling, is often a sign that infection has moved beyond the skin which can quickly become life-threatening if left untreated. Because injection drug use, and heroin in particular, carries a high risk of these complications, Legacy Recovery Center’s Heroin Recovery program is built to treat the medical urgency of wound care and the underlying addiction together, including access to Medication-Assisted Treatment where appropriate, rather than sending someone home with antibiotics and no further support.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Have questions about treatment, insurance, or what to expect? We’ve answered the most common ones below. If you don’t see your question, our team is always available.
Are open sores always a sign of drug use?
No. Open sores can result from many causes, including diabetes, poor circulation, or skin conditions. In the context of substance use, they’re most commonly linked to injection drug use, particularly with shared or reused needles.
What infections can develop from untreated open sores?
Untreated wounds from injection drug use can progress to cellulitis, abscesses, or in severe cases, sepsis a life-threatening blood infection.
Can open sores heal if the person keeps using drugs?
Healing is significantly harder while injection drug use continues, since new trauma to the same or nearby sites, along with a weakened immune system, keeps reinjuring the area.
Why is wound care alone not enough?
Treating the wound without addressing the underlying substance use disorder usually leads to repeat injury, since the behavior causing the wounds hasn’t changed.
What treatment approach addresses both the wound and the addiction?
Effective treatment combines medical wound care and antibiotics where needed with structured addiction treatment, harm-reduction education, and, when appropriate, Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT).