Drugs: The new candy?

[mmcd]

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EDIT2: You can trip off nicotine, i've done it before. Ever heard of a sugar-buzz?


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As I suggested before, get a 5lb bag of sugar and a spoon. Report back later.

[xadrez]

This doesnt make sense. We should not call something addictive, or research these matters because it might give someone an excuse to use that fact as a crutch or an excuse?

[theRealMacoy]

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"research in the last few years has shown that the areas in the brain activated by such addicting substances as nicotine or heroin are pretty much the same (particularly once you become a regular user). "

Uh, no. You are a [censored] moron.

"Addiction pathways" have nothing to do with effect jackass.

Heroin and Nicotine have nothing in common other than the fact that they are "addictive," as is, of course sugar.

Oh no!

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hello?
reread [censored], i said nothing about effect...simply the areas of the brain that relate to addiction.

obviously the initial "effect" of nicotine / heroin / sugar are markedly different....although many researchers are proposing a "pleasure pathway" that is common to all and plays a major role in addiciton.

thus what i was getting at is that addiction to a drug relates to very much the same areas of the brain...regardless of the drug.

this is one reason why many drugs that were originally developed to treat a specific drug-addiction were found to be useful in the treatment of many types of addiction....often this is because they neutralize the effect of the drug on the pleasure pathway.

let me try and put this another way....
in the past it was thought that different drugs (e.g., nicotine, alcohol, heroin) had different pathways within the brain relating to addiction/pleasure.


today we know this is not the case in that if you compare the mri's of various types of addicts (with regard to the areas causing addiction NOT the specific short-term effects) they tend show activities in very similar areas of the brain.

cheers,
sean

[craig r]

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"research in the last few years has shown that the areas in the brain activated by such addicting substances as nicotine or heroin are pretty much the same (particularly once you become a regular user). "

Uh, no. You are a [censored] moron.

"Addiction pathways" have nothing to do with effect jackass.

Heroin and Nicotine have nothing in common other than the fact that they are "addictive," as is, of course sugar.

Oh no!

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I thought both effected your dopamine levels (of course that just may be uppers such as coke and speed).

craig

[theRealMacoy]

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[ QUOTE ]
"research in the last few years has shown that the areas in the brain activated by such addicting substances as nicotine or heroin are pretty much the same (particularly once you become a regular user). "

Uh, no. You are a [censored] moron.

"Addiction pathways" have nothing to do with effect jackass.

Heroin and Nicotine have nothing in common other than the fact that they are "addictive," as is, of course sugar.

Oh no!

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I thought both effected your dopamine levels (of course that just may be uppers such as coke and speed).

craig

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you are correct

specifically, cocaine attaches to the same neurostransmitter binding sites as dopamine.

when cocaine is introduced, dopamine cannot bind to the transporters and is stranded in the synapses, whic leads to increased dopamine levels.

...interstingly it is dopamine that is thought be primarily
responsible for the pleasure pathway (it is at least quite clearly a pleasure chemical).

release of dopamine is enhanced in a brain system called the limbic system (which is basically the emotional brain).

....(as i mentioned above) ALL ADDICTIVE DRUGS have the common ability to increase dopamine activity within the limbic system in some way.

finally, for those of you wondering why not to do cocaine consider that diseases such as parkinson's and schizophrenia are characterized by abnormal dopamine levels (the former with elevate levels and the latter with depressed levels)....

cheers,
sean

[craig r]

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[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
"research in the last few years has shown that the areas in the brain activated by such addicting substances as nicotine or heroin are pretty much the same (particularly once you become a regular user). "

Uh, no. You are a [censored] moron.

"Addiction pathways" have nothing to do with effect jackass.

Heroin and Nicotine have nothing in common other than the fact that they are "addictive," as is, of course sugar.

Oh no!

[/ QUOTE ]

I thought both effected your dopamine levels (of course that just may be uppers such as coke and speed).

craig

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you are correct

specifically, cocaine attaches to the same neurostransmitter binding sites as dopamine.

when cocaine is introduced, dopamine cannot bind to the dopamine transporter and is stranded in the synapses.

this blocking action leads to an increase of dopamine levels

cheers,
sean

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Which is why the comedown is so rough I assume and why it is so psychologically addictive. Plus, the depression, when you quit, is really hard, because the body is very stingey (sp?) when it comes to releasing dopamines and restoring dopamines. What tends to happen is that things that would usually make you happy does not, because the body will not release any dopamines. Once again, I could be wrong.

craig

[InchoateHand]

Dopamine activity has nothing to do with heroin jackasses, its a tangential effect.

You guys just make this [censored] up right, because anyone with half a clue disagrees with your gross mischaracterizations. I would hate to think this is being taught in health classes somewhere.

I just ate a 5oz resees santa filled with peanut butter.

I was buzzing, but now I am coming down, and I have a tummy ache.

[theRealMacoy]

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Dopamine activity has nothing to do with heroin jackasses, its a tangential effect.

You guys just make this [censored] up right, because anyone with half a clue disagrees with your gross mischaracterizations. I would hate to think this is being taught in health classes somewhere.

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jackass smackass...

now you are simply illustrating your lack of even a rudementry understanding of brain activy associated with addiction.

let me restate in case you missed it:
ALL ADDICTIVE DRUGS (including heroin) have some effect on the limbic system of the brain (the so called pleasure pathway).

dopamine is the main neurotransmitter in the limbic system.

mri's of an addict using an addictive drug will basically always light up the limbic sytem of the brain.

that's strike two......

cheers and thanks for playing.

sean

ps. if you don't believe me why don't you try and googling it (i'll even help you out: brain + "pleasure pathway")

....if you didn't act like such a beligerant ahole i would provide one

[InchoateHand]

Asshat, know what a tangent is? How about a tangential effect?

There you go.


I am far, far, far more enlightened as to the functioning of the limbic system than you. The fact that there is dopamine activity is...


wait for it....



A TANGENTIAL EFFECT.



Nobody keeps using heroin to light up that "pathway." Learn about a little guy named enkephalin mu if you are interested in the feedback mechanism most directly associated with heroin use.


Asshat.


Glad google is your source. Pharmacology is mine.