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Anhedonia/Dopamine Depletion

cyberius

cyberius

Bluelight Crew
Joined
Mar 11, 2013
Messages
1,571
After a slight stint with meth I don' t really experience pleasure anymore except when I'm on some kind of drug, my focus is very blurry and I feel numb. I just noticed today that when I went to work very stoned I actually had some fleeting degree of motivation to work for a little while.

Am I experiencing some kind of dopamine depletion or anhedonia? What can I do to remedy it (I already go to the gym and sleep 8 hours a night which is helping very slowly).
 
Sounds like a consequence of dopaminergic stimulant abuse. The only remedy I know that works for sure is a period of abstinence. You can get back to your pre-stimulant state of being but the time necessary for this to happen varies depending on the individual and the amount of time they spent using. Some other posters here may know of some nootropics or something that'll supposedly expedite recovery but that's not something I know much about.
 
Burnt Offerings said:
Sounds like a consequence of dopaminergic stimulant abuse. The only remedy I know that works for sure is a period of abstinence. You can get back to your pre-stimulant state of being but the time necessary for this to happen varies depending on the individual and the amount of time they spent using. Some other posters here may know of some nootropics or something that'll supposedly expedite recovery but that's not something I know much about.
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Can I use weed during recovery? It's really helping me recover lost social/work related functionality. Are there any dopamine supplements I could take to improve my condition?
 
Ideally complete abstinence is the solution unfortunately. While I personally love marijuana, I find that it has an odd tendency to increase anxiety and anhedonia over time thus making the situation worse. The best thing you can do for your situation is to force yourself to exercise, and exercise hard everyday:/
 
cyberius said:
Can I use weed during recovery? It's really helping me recover lost social/work related functionality. Are there any dopamine supplements I could take to improve my condition?
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This is really a question that only you can answer for yourself; it's extremely personal.

Personally, I still use cannabis because I do enjoy it and I feel strongly that it helps me stay away from heroin. But Moreaux is right--for many people, weed can aggravate anhedonia in the long run. So I've had to be careful to keep my weed consumption to a relatively modest level.

Be really honest with yourself. Interrogate your motives for wanting the cannabis, and periodically evaluate it's role in your life (if you do decide to keep using it). I think that, so long as you're honest about these things, you'll make the right call.
 
cyberius said:
Can I use weed during recovery? It's really helping me recover lost social/work related functionality.
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I mean, if you think it's contributing positively to your quality of life while simultaneously not undermining your efforts towards recovery, sure you can. But it's a judgement call you have to make as an individual, as the poster above me mentioned.
 
I think what you're experiencing is normal. It just takes a few days. What's a "short stint" to you? How much were you using, what ROA?
 
Captain.Heroin said:
I think what you're experiencing is normal. It just takes a few days. What's a "short stint" to you? How much were you using, what ROA?
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I had a 2 day binge recently, but I had used a bit heavily (everyday at 10-30mg doses with common all night binges) 3 weeks ago.
 
Ah I see...

I (ab)used street speed for approx. 4 years, on and off...longer than that if we're going to include pharmaceutical speed. I've never understood the speedfreaks who are old and have been doing it for a long time...those people are made of stronger stuff than me, that's for sure. Methamphetamine is an extreme drug that definitely takes a toll on the user.
 
cyberius said:
True, but my brain is extremely weathered from multiple overdoses and heavy mdma abuse.
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Meth releases more serotonin than I think most people realize - its not like its solely a dopaminergic/noradrenergic drug. So with the MDMA use there could be some already present compensations by the serotonergic system that mean it may take a bit more time than if a MDMA-naïve person went on a bender.

I would say go it sober if you can, and you might find some power in knowing that you are completely sober. I personally found weed to cause depression when used long term, and somehow it caused even worse depression on the withdrawal. But if the issues persist, there is nothing wrong in talking to a doc about antidepressants. Past MDMA users have had success with SSRIs.
 
I'm six months sober and still feel foggy and lack of pleasure...ive been using for 10 years heroin and booze. it takes time. fake It till you make it tbh
 
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