If Drug Addiction and Pleasure Are Based on Dopamine, Why Such Different Effects? Friend Becoming Loser?
Question by Ian: If drug addiction and pleasure are based on dopamine, why such different effects? Friend becoming loser?
I ask this because I really am trying to understand what’s going on in my friend of 9 years head, who recently pretty much gave up his cocaine habit – a great suprise which would be great- if he hadnt also picked up a prescription pill habit… Ill call him Dave for anonymitys sake.
So far my Google research has got me this far:
Supposedly dopamine is the “pleasure/reward” neurotransmitter that’s responsible for the perceived positive effects of drugs of abuse and why they’re so addictive.
Yet stimulant drugs release so much of this dopamine that first the person gets really “jacked up,” and eventually straight up weird and paranoid if they keep doing it (Seen that firsthand). Eventually tho it depletes the brains supply of it, leading “Dave” to spend the next day or two very crappy, mopey and lazy.
Opioid painkillers on the other hand inhibit the release of chemicals (GABA) that break down dopamine. And while painkillers are a downer, the brain is still using more dopamine that didnt get broken down, hence the good feeling, if I understand it right.
Heres how this all relates:
When “Dave” was doing coke thats exactly what wouls happen (party hardy Friday, Saturday, spend Sunday in misery), but he’d also be relatively sober and out of trouble, enough so he kept his crap together during the week… Mostly.
But now that he claims he’s done with coke (which I questioned at first, but he’s changed enough now I do beleive it) and instead is using oxy and other painkillers, which I figured out firsthand when an old bottle of Lortab disapeared from my medicince cabinet… Which is a whole other story…
At first I thought “Oh, at least he’s not using hard drugs now.” But no, its worse, he likes his new addiction even more it seems, and he’s just not stopping. Its like theres no crash or hangover to slow him down… I admit its harder to tell when he’s messed up, but he’s constantly broke and not really fun to be around anymore. His frisbee golf game is really suffering too.
My question is, why, if it supposedly feels just as good, and it uses all that dopamine, is there no check or balance to make him feel the oppisite the next day?
Will that come eventually or does he have to hit rock bottom life-wise? Because that would be just awful. He’s actually not a bad guy and him being a hobo would seriously stress our friendship….
As bad as it sounds I miss my old partied-and-drugged out, hungover friend with his weekly vows to “Never do that again.”
Come on science, help me out… The idea of rehab would make him laugh, and at the least sign of my concern he’d turn my anxiousness around on me and more likely than not talk me into shotgunning a beer… So please, inform me of his pharmalogical comeuppance
Best answer:
Answer by Jack
Here’s something that will be very useful to you.
It’s very simple to understand and does go into it a bit.
Although quite a bad video for people who know*, but as I said, it’s fairly knowledgeable and easy to understand.
If you want to skip the high school information on neurons.
Fast forward to 24:00
And Cocaine is at 30:00.
That should explain everything much faster than you can surf or wait for answers.
Cocaine is a Dopamine Re-uptake inhibitor.
Dopamine is not the only neurotransmitter which tells you, you “feel good”.
Don’t forget that addiction is psychological and physical.
Your own thoughts and behaviours play a big role in addition to addiction as well as dopamine
Answer by Jody
Oxycodone is an opiate based narcotic pain reliever, as such it desensitized pain signals throughout the body and dopamine is released in the brian, therefore sensations of pain are arrested and relief is found.
There absolutely is a checks and balances to the drug, but most people avoid that by taking more of the drug. Then tolerance and addiction take hold. He will need more of the drug to feel high and he’ll need it more often. Without it, he’ll begin to detox.
Once the addiction is in place, you may see the following withdrawal symptoms when he’s out of the drug or the drug wears off:
Varying degrees of muscle and joint pain all over the body
feelings of panic
restlessness, he will crave more of the drug
disturbance in sleep patterns, sometimes insomnia
general irritability, nervousness, mood swings, anxiety
nausea an dvomiting; abdominal pain and cramps
flu symptoms (fever, goosebumps, headache, runny nose, sneezing, sweating)
possibiliy of hallucinations
depression; feeling sedated and groggy
memory loss and confusion
The stronger the addiction and the higher the tolerance, the worse his symptoms will be.
Drug Addiction Effects – New Project.
More Effects Of Drug Addiction Information…