Stimulants Can you catch a buzz off dopamine agonists?

[JohnBoy2000]

Typically used in parkinsons, pramipexole, carbergoline, etc.

If not, why?

They activate dopamine receptors, and there's documented cases of psychosis induction with their use.

But, no dopamine reinforcement or pleasure effect.

What gives?

 

[SKL]

Typically used in parkinsons, pramipexole, carbergoline, etc.

If not, why?

They activate dopamine receptors, and there's documented cases of psychosis induction with their use.

But, no dopamine reinforcement or pleasure effect.

What gives?

Yeah, you don't want to OD on Parkinson's meds. Theoretically euphoria might in there among the dopaminergic effects, but I say theoretically because if it's there practically at all then it'd be completely overwhelmed by negative effects both physiological and psychological. Just don't do it. Direct dopamine agonists aren't recreational. Recreational dopaminergics are releasing agents (amphetamines, 4-MAR; MDMA and friends release both dopamine and serotonin) and reuptake inhibitors (cocaine, Ritalin, various cathinones.) It's just different pharmacology. Directly stimulating the receptor doesn't trigger the same effects as manipulating endogenous dopamine. I can't offer a much more nuanced explanation for why, but that's the way it is.

 

[4meSM]

The vast majority of euphoric stimulants are either monoamine releasers or triple monoamine reuptake inhibitors, so they all target monoamine transporters.
I don't think there's any recreational drug that depends only on DAT (dopamine transporter). So "increasing" only dopamine isn't enough, you need to throw some other stuff in there.
I recall reading something about norepinephrine being very important for recreational effects, specially the ratio of DAT:NET inhibition.

As I understand it, good dopaminergic drugs usually have a high affinity for least 2 monoamine transporters, mainly DAT+NET and less frequently DAT+SERT.
Unfortunately that alone isn't always enough either, sometimes the ratios are so fucked up that pharma companies have no other option but to market the drug as an antidepressant...


I'm not entirely sure about dopamine agonists but it's possible that high selectivity also happens to be undesirable when it comes to getting high.
Of course anti-parkinson drugs are supposed to be very selective, possibly even among different dopamine receptor subtypes. That being said, getting relief from your parkinson's symptoms must be a very good high, but for the rest of us those meds aren't worth it.

 

[negrogesic]

Not really but they can make dopaminergic activities more reinforcing (like gambling and sex).

There have been cases of drugs like pramipexole causing compulsive gambling and hypersexuality in individuals who had no history of it.

Its actually one of the funniest listed side-effect of any class of drugs: compulsive gambling.