A 37-year-old woman in California was taken to the emergency department with severe muscle pain, headaches, and anxiety after intentionally injecting black widow spider venom into her bloodstream. The woman admitted to crushing a black widow spider and mixing it with 10 milliliters of distilled water before self-injecting the liquid in an attempt to experience a high. She had a history of heroin use. Upon arrival, she showed abnormally high blood pressure and a rapid breathing rate, along with intense cramps in her back, abdomen, and thighs. Her condition worsened over the next few hours, leading to difficulty breathing and wheezing, which required her to be moved to intensive care. Medical professionals directly linked her symptoms to the spider venom exposure. Black widow spider venom is known to be neurotoxic, meaning it interferes with nerve signals in the body. This can lead to muscle pain, spasms, rapid heart rate, and high blood pressure. The venom can also cause inflammation, which may worsen breathing difficulties, especially in individuals with pre-existing conditions like asthma. The patient had asthma, and doctors believed her breathing issues were likely exacerbated by an allergic reaction to a protein in the venom. Several treatments were attempted but did not significantly improve her condition. Doctors gave her intravenous calcium gluconate to ease muscle cramps, morphine for pain, and three doses of albuterol, a medication used to open airways. These treatments failed to make a difference. Eventually, they administered methylprednisolone, a corticosteroid, and used a nebulizer to help with breathing. A combination of morphine and lorazepam was later used to manage muscle spasms and cramps. Doctors chose not to use antivenom, which is typically used for black widow bites, due to the risk of severe allergic reactions. Given the patient’s breathing difficulties, the use of antivenom was considered too risky. After two days of treatment, her condition improved, with normal breathing and the disappearance of muscle pain. She was moved to a general medicine department and released the following day. Doctors recommended continuing asthma treatment and taking oral corticosteroids to manage any remaining inflammation. This case is unusual because it involves deliberate exposure to potentially lethal spider venom, rather than an accidental bite. Most reported cases involve accidental bites, which deliver only a small amount of venom. The woman’s self-injection likely exposed her to a much higher dose. This is not the first instance of people intentionally using spider venom for recreational purposes. In 2023, an 8-year-old boy in Bolivia allowed a black widow spider to bite him, believing it would give him superpowers like Spider-Man.