Loss of Euphoria in weed after rolling?

[CHILL5392]

Ever since rolling a month ago ive felt as if smoking weed doesnt really do much for me like it use to, i smoked almost everyday twice or three times a day and loved it, and now every time i smoke i either feel like its not really doing much of anything, or its more of an annoying high. Has this happened to anyone else, and does it come back?

 

[cryptix420]

You can have reduced enjoyment of a lot of things after using too much MDMA. Personally after I binged back in 2010, there were a couple months where orgasms just weren't fulfilling, and I felt like nature was impossible to enjoy; colors just didn't pop. I also would get much more anxiety from smoking weed.

But, eventually it cleared up, nature is beautiful and green and blue again and my orgasms are full intensity..maybe even better. I also enjoy smoking daily now. I believe the disorder is called anhedonia, I think it's pretty common after any kind of stimulant binge.

 

[First Bad Comedown]

^ good point.

Orgasms were more than disappointing for me...
They were SO devoid of sensation it was disorienting.
Kinda like a light switch being flipped off - I went from enjoying sex to NOTHING in a second!

It took about 4 months for them to start returning.
To be honest, I had a few great ones in month 3 and 4...but only a few.
Around month 8 they started improving more, but only after a full year can I say that they are full intensity.
Sometimes...
Still waiting for it to level out.
I have read many emails from former SSRI users that claim it took them up to 2 years to restore not only orgasmic sensation, but basic erections too. Some of them never recover.

So, there are more important things to be lost than the feeling of getting stoned.
But to stay on topic...weed still isn't a straight shot for me even after a year.
I can take a lot more hits now, but for a while it was only one or two.
I can remember the two WORST panic attacks of the ENTIRE last year were induced by WEED.
Well, MDMA neurotoxicity first....then weed.

Cannabis increases serotonin in the brain.
Normally the brain is able to handle serotonin spikes through its normal recycling mechanism, the SERT.
MDMA damages the SERT - this is seen in many studies of former MDMA users.
It takes a LONG time for SERT to recover, and many higher level SERTs do not appear to recover at all within the time frame that most subjects are studied (1-2 years).

What happens when serotonin increases in the brain without proper SERT function?
Well, serotonin inhibits the function of neurons...including dopamine.
It can even off-balance the flow of blood in the brain!

Your most important dopamine pathway is in the prefrontal cortex.
MDMA prefers to damage the SERTs in the higher brain - so excess serotonin here is directly inhibiting the action of dopamine down the meso-limbic reward pathway.
This is bad news for many different drugs....or orgasms.

If you aren't having 'panic attacks' when smoking, consider yourself very lucky.
What I wouldn't give to trade places...

Remember this lesson next time you want to roll.
By the way, re-dosing is the most efficient way to damage SERT with MDMA.
Consecutive doses are used in most neurotoxic animal models.
If doses are kept small, say 1-2 mg/kg...and not repeated...
'Toxicity' does not occur.

At least not to a degree that can be detected through current means.
Let us know when you can smoke and enjoy again.
I feel lucky tonight...I'm gonna give a good college try. :D

 

[Renz Envy]

Orgasms can lessen dopamine sensitivity. It's normal for men to become slightly depressed 24-36 hours post orgasm depending on their age and health and sexual activity.

I imagine when you're messing with meth, mdma and amph it's not much different.

To be honest with OP's issue it's probably psychological. Before I discovered MDMA and amphetamines marijuana was pretty amazing. Now I find it to be pretty boring- despite how safe and relaxing it is.

 

[First Bad Comedown]

Renz it right.
Anything that stimulates dopamine release can down-regulate or 'desensitize' the dopamine receptors in the Nucleus Acumbens, your pleasure center.

Porn is a very important consideration - esp. for young men.
Never before has a man been able to look at hundreds of vaginas before he even has breakfast!

Ok, but seriously...
MDMA releases large amounts of Prolactin.
This is known to happen just as the cortisol response is tapering - so when you 'peak' your cortisol is dropping and your prolactin AND oxytocin are both going up.

Prolactin is obviously used to stimulate breast feeding in women.
In men it is less well-understood.
But it is normally only released in large amounts during orgasm.

This is a key reason that sex while rolling feels SO good, almost like a non-stop orgasm.
But prolactin does something VERY important.
It down-regulates dopamine in the nucleus acumbens.

That's right - the orgasm involves a chemical release (prolactin) that both increase pleasure temporarily and turns it off immediately after.

But MDMA increase BOTH dopamine and prolactin - for LONG periods of time.
This is bad news for the nucleus acumbens.

Those poor dopamine receptors don't know what to do, but shrivel.
In SSRI users this is the leading theory of sexual dysfunction - hyperprolactinemia.
I think I spelled that right.

The dopamine system is quite resilient, much more so than serotonin.
This is why MOST SSRI users recover evetually....even METH/stim users recover with LONG periods of absintence.
But for some unlucky few, esp. for cocaine users, the 'up-regulation' never occurs.
Perhaps the dopamine neurons actually 'die'.
Another cause would be an alteration in gene expression at the mitochondrial level.
Epigenetics is the term.

Don't ask me why cocaine is the worst of all.
I have seen other studies that suggest coke users score the WORST on important cognitive tests even after five years abstinence.
Maybe they are including crack as a form of cocaine...who knows.
I believe that cocaine is more capable of traveling STRAIGHT to the NA than other dopamine agents.

Oh, and Renz....
Long-term cannabis use changes the size and shape of the PFC.
It also increases the risk for mental disease, esp. in MDMA users.

As a man devoted to being in good health, I hope you recognize the risk of using ANY drug on a regular basis.
The brain, esp. the PFC, is more important than any muscle group.
I have been working out daily for over two years - and it didn't save me from real consequences.
Just a polite reminder, one man to another.