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Natural Endorphin Production/Release

J

Jktm

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May 19, 2012
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Recently my pain has been increased significantly, partially due to recent falls, as well as a discogram (a nasty invasive diagnostic procedure in which needles are shoved into your discs which are the pressurized with liquid to see if you need fusion surgery - I would have rather gotten thrown out of a moving vehicle and landed face first again).

Anyway, as I've been sitting here today (and I haven't taken my opioids yet because of severe nausea), in emense pain I've felt the tingling sensations associated with an endorphin release. Is it possible for the body to release endorphins from just sitting still in enough pain? I thought there had to be some sort of distressing stimulus to kick your nervous system off like that. I know that chronic pain is a distressing stimulus, but I didn't think it could cause that type of reaction.

Or could this be some other neurotransmitic release?
 
It's possible that by concentrating on the pain your body perceived that as an increase in the pain signal, and that triggered an endorphin release. Just a thought, that may or may not be realistic.
 
Nope lol. I got GI, psych, and endocrine issues as well the pain problems. I'm pretty limited as to what I can put in my body. When I made this post, all I had, had was coffee that morning, and, well, I was a bit wreckless the night before and got plastered the night before on bourbon for new years. Funny how you can go from DD to first to passed out in two glasses. The benzo's and opiates probably didn't help, though I'm usually more alert on my pain meds and xanax, but I think that's just because I have a hefty tolerance to both, and they make me clearer-headed in clinical doses.
 
Try light work-out , swimming is a great way to release endorphins with very low risk of causing further damage , also it adds balanced muscle mass which is beneficial IMO.


sex is good too...
 
I think that pain can release endorphins.. this is likely why people self harm and the reason people get addicted to it as well. Also isn't the runner's high created to allow a person to overcome the pain of strenuous workout.
 
neversickanymore said:
I think that pain can release endorphins.. this is likely why people self harm and the reason people get addicted to it as well. Also isn't the runner's high created to allow a person to overcome the pain of strenuous workout.
Click to expand...

Pain in general releases all sorts of opioids. The body does this because pain isn't good. It's a very effective motivator, but constant pain eventually kills you (with or without actual physical injury) because of the stress it puts on the body. So how does the body cope with this? By releasing opioids to help suppress that stress a bit. So yes - pain always releases endorphins as well as enkephalins, dynorphins, and the rest of the opioid peptide spectrum (except nociceptin. That actually get's reduced by pain but that's a hard one to explain).

Opioids release a massive amount of Dopamine in general. That's one of the main reasons why they're so psychologically reinforcing. Dopamine is purely responsible for your motivation and the fact that Opioids releases Dopamine is a very good thing. If they didn't - we would never be motivated to ever stop the pain. However, you can exploit this system to your advantage (such as in the case of self-harm). You are aware that pain makes you feel slightly better. As humans, our entire goal is to do things that make us feel good.

The fact that you know that pain oddly makes you feel good, in some weird backass way, actually motivates you to want to feel pain. Like I said above, how does the brain motivate you to get things done? through Dopamine. Just by thinking about inflicting pain upon yourself, makes you motivated to actually commit the act because you want to feel better and because Dopamine (specifically D2a and D2b receptors) reduces anxiety and motivates you to want to be in less pain. This is sort of a "loop hole" in the system. By inflicing just a very small amount of pain - you get that opioid release and that dopamine release which makes all the pain go away.

Just knowing this makes you want to go ahead and start cutting yourself or peeling your skin or chewing off your fingernails or what not.
 
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