• N&PD Moderators: Skorpio | thegreenhand

Natural Ways to raise Endorphin Levels/Production

Dope_User

Bluelighter
Joined
Jun 20, 2004
Messages
465
As far as I know, exercise, sex, and even drinking water (can't find the source where I found that about the water) as help raise endorphin levels or production of endurins.

It's my understanding that PART of opiate withdrawal symptoms are due to low levels of endorphins. While other drugs are often used to treat symptoms of withdrawal, it's my hypothesis that attempting to raise endorphin levels naturally could provide significant, or at least some, benefits by reducing withdrawal symptoms. So, what other activities can raise endorphin levels? How helpful do you think these natural ways of raising endorphin levels would be at alleviate some of opiate withdrawal symptoms?

Also, what is actually going on in the brain/body that causes these symptoms? Is there a lack of certain neurotransmitters? I think I heard there are low levels of dopamine during opiate withdrawal so could taking an SDRI (i.e. Wellbutrin) help with symptoms as well? Are there vitamin or mineral defiencies that cause symptoms (that could be at least partially alleviated) by replacing those vitamins/minerals through supplements or better eating habits?

What other chemical changes are going on in the brain/body that lead to withdrawal symptoms? Are there any drugs or natural ways of "returning these chemical levels to normal" that would help with withdrawal symptoms?

Basically, I'm looking for a way to treat the actual cause of withdrawal and not just treating the symptoms (by taking meds such as Imodium, NSAIDS, benzos, sleeping pills, etc.). Any thoughts and have I made any correct assumptions here?
 
You can't treat withdrawals with opiates... all that will do is lengthen the withdrawals, and I've allready told you, withdrawal probably isn't mediated by low endogenous opioids.

Treating the symptomes is the best way, you can't agonise the opioid receptors. Potentially if you could find a way to upregulate opioid receptors that could work.
 
Why would exercise not work to assist withdrawals? Also, im still waiting for an answer to my DLPA thread, which (on the DLPA bottle claims to extend the release of endorphins in the body). Would postloading DLPA assist in WDs?
 
Exercise very well might work.

I'm sure your DLPA claims that, If I was a billionare I spend all of my money sueing the supplement industry for blatant false advertising. There is no proof that DLPA in vivo, at reasonable doses, potentiates endorphin (or enkephalins).
 
sorry to bring up an old thread (i'm new, don't hurt me :]) but no one mentioned this: Accupuncture. western medicine hardly acknowledges the great potentials of meridan stimulation, mainly because it'd put a lot of drug companies out if it was widely received, but what is acknowledged in western medicine is it's ability to relieve pain. it increases endorphin levels greatly, even producing a euphoria. i'm pretty sure i've seen it being used for drug addiction, but i'm not sure.
 
I've also heard of a technique where they use electric current with extremely low intensity but very high frequency. Apparently this technique stimulates the release of endorphins and is apparently used in some centers for withdrawals but i'm not sure this is the kind of stuff that you were asking for...
 
it is in a way, because those electric currents effect the same meridan system that accupuncture does (further proving it works). also, meridans can be stimulated by tapping them with your fingers. i can relieve my headaches instantly by tapping a few places on my face. if you want to know more about this stuff, PM me and i will show you how to do it yourself, i'm sure it would help with withdrawal.
 
what about it? i wouldn't recommend it for opiate withdrawal if that's what you're suggesting.
 
PhorIndicator, please provide some type of evidence with your posts. As for DXM, it seems debatable at best as to whether or not it helps anyone with W/Ds...as for raising endorphin levels, I've NEVER heard of that

Almost the same goes for clonodine; I've never heard of it boosting endorphin production although it has been used with some effectiveness in easing W/Ds. I have personal experience with this when withdrawing from a relatively small (small compared to some on this forum any way) heroin addiction. It worked quite well for me, but again this wasn't a huge addiction. But as I said, I've never seen evidence that either of these have anything to do with raising endorphin levels...if you reread the initial post, it was really about trying to treat the cause of withdrawal, and not merely treating the symptoms.

I still don't understand (and haven't gotten any replies) about what is actually going on that causes withdrawals. BilZ0r did mention that "if you could find a way to upregulate opioid receptors that could work."

If you reread the third and fourth paragraphs of my initial post, that is what I'm now looking for answers for (as BilZ0r debunked my endorphin hypothesis...which I appreciate; I wasn't trying to be right, just trying to understand).
 
Yeah, clonedine is all about reducing withdrawal symptomes, but doesn't really treat the cause.

When it comes to accupuncture, sure so called "western medicine" ignored it for a while, but now, all but the most back-woods doctors know it has power... when it comes to electrical high frequency stimulation... I know there is one paper on the subject, which looked at PLASMA beta-endorphin LIKE material, but it was published in a completely unknown journal, and as I've mentioned before, plasma endorphin levels have no bearing on anything.
 
accupuncture is used widely in the Uk to help treat clucks, I have heard a full body body accupuncture session compared to the equilivent of 30mls of methadone and personally seen hundreds of people reduce cravings and related symptoms with auricular acupuncture.

massage and other alternate therapies are recognised in the Uk as very benificial for people wishing to change substance use behaviour.

I am really rather interested in the use of hypnotherapy for this haveing seen clients access states of euphoria and extreme relaxation during hypnotherapy and would love to see some research into chemical changes in the brain during all forms of treatment, espically permenant chemical changes induced by trance states instead of the same old shit 'addiction can be proven chemically' that the pharm companies churn out to justify £$£$ on research into agonists and antagonists for 'addicitve' substances.

lets look instead at how changes in brain chemistry occur in people who overcome addiction (espically wiht alternate therapies) and how we can teach people to manage this sort of chemical change not only naturally but without external assistance......


oh no theres no money or political agenda for that:X
 
Increase Endorphins with enforced meditation pre withdrawal, and low dose naltrexone?

Meditation 20 minutes , twice a day , is a way to produce massive increases in about 2 weeks to a month. It would require a group setting for most addicts, but if you just want to do it to increase the number and activity of your immune cells it's a great way to do it.

Naltrexone used in high doses is used in alcohol and drug addictions cases,but at a very low dose at bedtime, about 3.75 to 4 mg causes a big increase in endorphins by morning. I don't know how this would work out in addicted people as far as a dosage meant to increase endorphins vs the dosage and purpose of the higher dosage used in addiction. Someone else will have to speculate on that.

This fits nicely with Blackburn's work on stressed caregivers, caring for their very very sick children and family members. Each caregiver was polled on the level of stress they had for the week, a subjective evaluation of course, but it correlated very well with the concurrent blood testing. The blood tests measured the number of T-cells, and their activity, and measured their telomere lengths. The world now understands the mechanism by which emotional stress actually kills T-Cells, reduces their lifespan, and their level of activity. The corporations will never like this, LOL,, but it is a proper indictment of living a stressed out rat race life, or having an overactive never resting emotional state.

I want to stress the importance of a rigid schedule for the meditation, mandatory group settings are best. I'd guess it's a fine way to cut health costs in the general population and in jails too. Prayer would probably work the same way, as long as the twice a day for 20 minute threshold is met.

Healthy Regards,

Prime
 
And you could add excercise instead of inactivity, and the laughter sessions, good comedy movies and sound tracks. Personally I have only achieved noticeable endorphine increases from exercise when I pushed myself to the level of getting that second wind. Of course falling in love has the same effect but isn't something that pills can easily achieve. Viagra is a start but it needs a love potion too for optimal endorphine production :)
 
I remember in school we used to run 1.5 miles every thursday, and I was one of the top runners even I'm generally pretty large and slow. But I would try really hard to stay in front and run the whole way without stopping (for real runners 1.5 miles is a joke), just staying consistent while some people tried to sprint and stop, sprint and stop. And then at the last 100 meters I'd just sprint like hell running faster than anyone else had sprinted.

One time at this last 100 meter runway, there was only one person in front of me, in front of me by 6 or 7 seconds and it was a sure win for him. But I sprinted (ran on my toes) really fast and you'd never imagine what happened. Those 100 or 150 meters or so I just completely disconnected from my body. It was like a giant adrenaline rush/endorphin nod combined. I could see my legs moving but I didn't even feel them, I should remind that I was still "winded" from being out of breath running but I didn't feel that either. It felt like a massive endorphin released and it was making me nod. I couldn't feel anything. It was very euphoric, not a dopamine like euphoric, but just like opiates stronger than I have ever felt. But that was only for about like 10 seconds until my sprint beat the guy in front of me and I came in first, 9 minutes flat.

Anyways if you want to have some massive opiate releases, try running. I find the best is when you try to run some distance completely not stopping to walk at all. Stop once and it's over. From what I read, when it is really hard to breath (i.e. you are winded) that's when you get lots of endorphins released, not from general excercise or mild jogging, although those still increase your dopamine levels. Tell me when you get a nod stronger than any morphine I ever felt from "meditation" or "sex" or "weightlifting".
 
I hope you guys realize this thread is 5 years old...
 
The reason you get tolerant to opiates is because the endorphin receptors desensitize right? They should really work on the beta-arrestin enzyme inhibitors or whatever, then people would be able to never become tolerant or go through withdrawal. PMID: 16750901

As for the taking naltrexone before bedtime, I think that would work albeit it would probably be unpleasant. For example you'd be restless and not fall asleep or wake up during the night. This does explain though for example why people can take medications like amphetamines years after years without losing effectiveness. Because they're still taking the medications during the day, while being off them at night.
 
Something else of interest on those b-arrestins or whatever:

Unlike most μ-opioid agonists, herkinorin does not promote the recruitment of β-arrestin-2 to the intracellular domain of the μ-opioid receptor, or induce receptor internalisation.[6] This means that herkinorin may not produce tolerance and dependence in the same way as other opioids, although some development of tolerance through other mechanisms has been observed,[7] and some other analogues related to herkinorin can recruit β-arrestins.[8]
 
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