Anhedonia from Dopamine-agonists? Reversability?

[Rogozjin]

I've taken a lot of AntiPsychotics, and I think a lot about not being able to experience joy anymore.

And then I read this thing this morning:

Abuse of direct dopamine agonists, such as cocaine, decreases dopamine receptor activity and has the potential to increase anhedonia. This phenomenon is commonly referred to as "drug tolerance".

The striatal pathway in the brain processes "reward". Did my intake of Dopamine agonist burn out my reward system and make me develop "tolerance" to physiological sense of joy and reward?

Have you had lack of joy after Dopamine-agonism?

 

[bdomihizayka]

Of course dude... too much amphetamine back in the days left me hurting for a year or so. Nothing interests you... living in a fog.

Antipsychotics are not dopamine agonists though..... we're talking about something very different than cocaine. In fact, they are the opposite... they are antagonists.

 

[Blennz]

hey bro, I read your other threar, read mine if your up for it allthought I couldn't write litericacy because I suffer so bad every word is a effort on the computer, but DARK night of soul, look it, I had an extensive spiritually journey and was allways very fluent and had many friends and so forth, but now I am suffering beyond, I feel anhedonia but not because im depressed, but because I feel nothing whatsoever, and after being sp[iritually alert after thought broadcast, everyone reading my thoughts, and thus repenting forthwright, I got left in a dilemma of nothing to fullfill my life, and thus my excistance is meaningless, and without god (this ishow I feel) and not Christian or anything but more Buddhist, but still enquiring, this is how I feel. I am with nothing, because that's all of us, and us is all of us.

 

[_DankOpiAmp_]

Neuroleptics have the exact opposite effect of cocaine. Several people have mentioned lingering anhedonia from neuroleptics (antipsychotics). This is however their primary effect. They rape your ability to enjoy anything. Ironically, long-term use just makes this worse and cessation does not seem to cause pleasure. Doctors are far too willing to prescribe these passive-aggressive poisons because they cause dysphoria (pleasure being taboo). They crudely reduce undesired thoughts, behaviours and emotions by reducing all of these things with their lobotomizing effect.

A drug that burns out your reward pathways would have been orgasmic until this happened....

 

[belfort]

well dunno about anti-psychotics but hardcore usage of opiates and stims mixed together, or ghb over years tends to cause long lasting anhedonia in my experience..or is it the anhedonia causing us to use the drugs?i cant figure that out lol..

 

[Vaya]

Almost all antipsychotics occupy D2 receptors, but they don't agonize them in the same ways as stimulant drugs do. Your experience of anhedonia is a very common reaction to AAPs due to their antagonist activity on serotonin receptors.

Although part of me feels like this may better fit into Mental Health, I'm going to try moving this to Basic Drug Discussion so that your specific pharmacological question can be more universally addressed... If you'd rather it remain in TDS, I'll move it back for you - just kindly PM me something to that effect

Vaya

Atypical antipsychotics: mechanism of action.

 

[_DankOpiAmp_]

Almost all antipsychotics occupy D2 receptors, but they don't agonize them in the same ways as stimulant drugs do. Your experience of anhedonia is a very common reaction to AAPs due to their antagonist activity on serotonin receptors.

Although part of me feels like this may better fit into Mental Health, I'm going to try moving this to Basic Drug Discussion so that your specific pharmacological question can be more universally addressed... If you'd rather it remain in TDS, I'll move it back for you - just kindly PM me something to that effect

Vaya

Atypical antipsychotics: mechanism of action.

According to your article they do not agonize dopamine receptors at all, like I said. Both agonists and antagonists occupy the receptors. The atypical antipsychotics simply bind more transiently than the typical ones so that some normal dopamine transmission still occurs, which results in reduced extrapyrimidal side effects.

 

[enkephaline]

i assume you were taking antipsychotics because of mental health issues (why else would you?).
maybe that's where your anhedonia is coming from. are you sure you're not suffering from depression
(which often goes hand in hand with disorders for which antipsychotics are usually prescribed)?