Opiate immunity possible?

[TeachEmToThink]

Six years ago was my wild college drug phase... I messed around with opiates and was always curious about what happened back then. The three phenomena I'm talking about are:

1. Repeated use of Oxycontin over the course of a week... ranging from 80 mg to 400 mg per use over a two hour period. Varied between oral consumption and insufflation. Results never amounted to more than slightly heavy eyelids and occasional vomiting (long after the OCs had been digested.)

2. Oral ingestion (chewed) of Morphine up to 480 mg over the course of three hours. Again, slightly heavy eyelids and vomiting only when a liquid was consumed.

3. Repeated intravenous use of heroin over a 20 day period. Approx. 3 times per day. Each use resulted in regular vomiting along with heavy eyelids and vomiting but not much more. Upon stopping after 20 days of repetitive use, there were no withdrawal symptoms. The person I'd been doing it with exhibited significant withdrawal symptoms.

In the former two cases, I only arrived at those doses when nothing smaller did anything for me, either. I'm aware how reckless my behavior was and how large the doses were... I was a miserable depressed kid back then and I have long since grown out of my drug phase.

However, I've always been curious about why my body had no real reaction to those drugs... that is to say, I was barely high at all. Whenever I tell this to someone trying to figure it out they either say I'm lying, or the drugs must've been fake... but I know beyond any doubt they were real in all cases.

It is a blessing that my body didn't take to such highly addictive drugs, but does anyone know why? Are some people born without receptors for opiates? Also, should I be worried if I ever need to go to the hospital for major surgery?

I tried researching this on my own but I can't find any articles on this phenomenon. Any ideas?

 

[Broshious]

This isn't answering your question, but why in hell would you keep shooting heroin after it didn't do anything for you except make you puke?

 

[TeachEmToThink]

Well, my roommate was offering for free in most cases... and I was figuring that maybe it was one of those things that you have to do several times before your body takes to it.

Of course it sounds really dumb in hindsight but I was a dumb kid... It's kinda like boredom eating. You snack on something when you're not even hungry just cuz you're bored and want something to do with your hands.

 

[LuxEtVeritas]

have you tried other drugs and if so what effects?

especially anything dopaminergic such as cocaine, meth, et al....?

even nicotine/smoking?

that is curious as ceratinly some people have naturally high tolerances but that seems bizarre and seems to possibly speak to the reward pathway (dopamine?) with the lack of addiction

als you had no physical withdrawal...hmmm...maybe you produce a natural partial antagonist or something ??????????????????????

 

[TeachEmToThink]

I've tried most drugs. (weed, acid, shrooms, E, coke, crystal, etc.) I think I react pretty normally to all of them, compared to people I've done them with.

I am a naturally energetic person... Have been diagnosed bipolar, but I'm not being medicated for it. Smoke a pack a day. I do it mostly because I'm compulsive and need something to do with my hands/mouth. Whenever I do stop for a while, I don't go through any of the standard withdrawal symptoms.

The only drug of the above I really like is cocaine. The only thing I've used semi-regularly over the past several years. With that, I actually seem to be a little more sensitive to it than most people. It's not hard for me to fly into "I can't get words out of my mouth mode." Use it once or twice a week.

Crystal was kinda fun, but staying up for three days in a row and sleeping for the next four got old really fast.

Everything else on the above list, I don't care for, although I certainly got messed up when I tried em.

But yes, I am a fan of speedy things.

 

[Reminisant B]

Were you sure they were real drugs?

Even if your mates were "high" , fake OC's / Opiates (either 0% or much diminished amount of active ingredient, highly cut) & placebo effect would not be a completely unheard of explaination. [Your roomate offering them for free could part explain this, not to generalise but more cases than not things like OC's are probably not given out for free as much as say MDMA, people can get quite selfish with opiates]

^It does also seem a bit odd - repeated administration even though you didn't feel anything.

But anyway OC & Opiate addiction can be quite serious and nasty , so whatever the explanation you may have been very lucky.

 

[TeachEmToThink]

Well, no... trust me. Everything was real. With all the OCs, I was buying them. I spend $1200 in one week. I saw the way they hit my friend (and he was taking 1/10 the amount as me.)

Likewise with the heroin... I'd watch my friend take some out of the bag for him and put some in the spoon for me from the same bag and he'd proceed to get jammed. Likewise, a few times, I went out and I was the one that bought. Gave my roommate some, he'd shoot up and get jammed and I'd shoot three times as much as him and nothing. And, trust me, it's hard to impersonate a dope high.. the way they talk and walk and nod out... Trust me, I know for a fact that everything I was taking was real. Outside of the heroin, I was the one paying for all the drugs and giving them out to friends for free and watching how high they got and thinking "Dammit! Why not me?!"

 

[phr]

It is a blessing that my body didn't take to such highly addictive drugs, but does anyone know why? Are some people born without receptors for opiates?

I tried researching this on my own but I can't find any articles on this phenomenon. Any ideas?

I'm not sure if anyone can be born without opiate receptors, but people can react differently to them. Some have a natural tolerance, while others are especially sensitive to them.

Also, should I be worried if I ever need to go to the hospital for major surgery?

If you're ever going to go in for a major surgery where opiates may be used(I'm thinking fentanyl), be sure to mention this to the doctor.

 

[Broshious]

But does the fact that he didn't get high mean that they wouldn't have prevented pain if he'd had any?

 

[spacefacethebassace]

Are you especially sensitive to pain? Insensitive? Normally reactive to pain?

It sounds to me like your body is rapidly and wholly metabolizing the opiates into inactive metabolites, because I can't imagine that your opiate receptors just aren't working. How very strange, a blessing though, you'll never have to suffer the depths of opiate withdrawal.

 

[hussness]

If you're ever going to go in for a major surgery where opiates may be used(I'm thinking fentanyl), be sure to mention this to the doctor.

On the other hand, if you admit this to your doctor your post-op pain management will likely be severely undermanaged, if you get anything at all. I would let the situation play out and not mention your past. Asking for higher doses after mentioning past drug abuse is a good way to get no drugs. This all depends on where you live and how old you are though...

 

[Ness]

If you can still get opiates, try taking a massive dose of a potenator (try drinking lots of grapefruit juice) and then dose. Could be you have a ridiculously efficient liver or something. *shrug*

 

[LuxEtVeritas]

maybe someone at a University neraby would like to do some research on ya

have you taken other sedative/narcotic substrates like benzos and muscle relaxants and the like and what effect did those have...

 

[blase deviant]

I'm not sure if anyone can be born without opiate receptors, but people can react differently to them. Some have a natural tolerance, while others are especially sensitive to them.



If you're ever going to go in for a major surgery where opiates may be used(I'm thinking fentanyl), be sure to mention this to the doctor.

I have the same problem as the OP with Oxycontin (120mg with no tolerance just makes me itch and feel better when I smoke cigarettes basically).

How do you word it to a surgeon that you have a high opiate tolerance when he can look at your charts and see you weren't prescribed opiates for anything but your wisdom teeth?

 

[phr]

But does the fact that he didn't get high mean that they wouldn't have prevented pain if he'd had any?

Good point. They may still be good analgesics. Maybe someone can take this point further...



As to how to tell your doctor/surgeon: You could do what hussness said. Work your way up.

 

[kidamnesiac]

I'm pretty similar.

Hydrocodone in large amounts usually just makes me ill and itchy because of the tylenol accompanying it. Poppy tea has little effect. Never got into the stronger ones, whats the point, I aint gots $1200 a week to blow on nothing!

However, I am particularly sensitive to plain amphetamine. The once I did coke it did nothing for me, but that could be for many reasons.

Also, when I was younger (12-17) I had several anesthetic-needing procedures. During every procedure I would wake up, reasonably conscious about what was going on around me (I still have the memories of each time). Not much pain, but the general anesthetic was unable to keep me out.

Also, what is your reaction to benzos? .1mg of alprazolam will knock me out cold, and I can feel 10mg of diazepam for at least two days later. I loathe benzos for their half lives (and primary effects too). Curious if you are the same.

 

[Splatt]

I am simnilar, needing 160mg of Oxy to nod properly, then i just itch and yeah the hevay eyelid feeling, no real great euphoria, codeine doesnt do shit, nio high just a shit feeling in doses from 400-800mg, same with dihydrocodeone. Havent tried H as its expensivem, probably shit quality and it probably wouldnt work

 

[blase deviant]

Good point. They may still be good analgesics. Maybe someone can take this point further...



As to how to tell your doctor/surgeon: You could do what hussness said. Work your way up.

How could I tell him I have a high natural tolerance without admitting that I used them illegally before?

 

[TeachEmToThink]

Actually, despite all of the above not working for me....

One night my back was really hurting and I told my friend about my superhigh opiate tolerance. He gave me two Flexeril (but said I should only take one.) I took two of those, and then another friend gave me four Clonipin 30 minutes later.

I don't really remember much more from that night, but friends told me I was at the bar and they had to hold me up and I was just mumbling nonsense words and not making any sense.

But I don't know if it was the Flexeril that got me, or the Clonopin... or a combination. Is either of those an opiate?

 

[Recept]

^ Neither of those are opioids. Flexeril is a CNS depressant, which is thought to act by increasing the release of NE in the locus coeruleus, and Clonopin (Clonazepam) is a benzodiazepine derivative.