Which substance can cause a depressive crash after an initial rush and is an opioid?

• A. Cocaine
• B. Caffeine
• C. Heroin
• D. LSD

Answer: (C)

Opioids like heroin create a rapid, intense rush by flooding the brain’s reward system and producing strong euphoria and analgesia. Once the peak passes, brain activity slows and mood drops, leading to a depressive crash with sedation and slowed breathing. This pattern—a quick, powerful high followed by a pronounced downturn—is characteristic of opioids. The other options are stimulants or hallucinogens, which can have failures or “crashes” too, but not the opioid-specific depressive crash and not the same mechanism. So the substance described is heroin.