Stimulants Question about low-dose amphetamine / dopamine sensatization?

[Fornax55]

So i've been studying this phenomenon a bit lately. While there isn't a lot of research on the topic, what research there is seems to be consistent. Low, sub-therapeutic doses of amphetamines or dopamine releasing agents seem to create a reverse reaction to tolerance through a process known as hormesis, especially following regular usage in the therapeutic/abuse range. The result in this is the rapid and drastic sensitization of dopamine receptors which, both anecdotally and in studies, seems to last at minimum for 12 days (in rats) and up to a year or more, in people and primates.

My question is this. Given that these results seem to be so consistent among studies, shouldn't these be a regular phenomenon among most, if not all, users (or at least addicts) to stimulants? I'm willing to bed the majority of people who have been in the throes of a serious stimulant addiction have used sub-threshold doses. Whether that means smoking a shard you found on the carpet, licking a baggie, or scarfing down an Adderal you found in an old bottle - most people who have been through a serious stim addiction have done something similar.

And yet if the studies are accurate, the result of this should be the rapid desensitization of dopamine which would then significantly increase the potency of future stimulants. Anecdotally, those who have experienced this found that their normal dosage became so potent as to make them uncomfortable. Both studies and anecdotes also report a baseline state marked by excess dopamine: motor tics, loss of sleep, improved focus, etc.

I was considering experimenting with this but decided against it for two reasons, firstly I get motor tics once or twice a month and the risk of dealing with them permanently would make me blow my head off. Secondly I realized that without a doubt I've done this countless times throughout my years of stimulant abuse and have certainly noticed no such effects. My stimulant tolerance remains where it should be in regards to use, my baseline ADHD remains and I get good sleep.

Curious if anyone has any thoughts on the matter.

 

[Jabberwocky]

I have never heard of any active user having a declining tolerance curve. Plus which addicts take sub-therapeutic doses of anything.

If you mean abstinent users who after some time find a small shard, smoke it, and then find it super strong and get back into their habit there are other plausible explanations.

Meth always feels stronger after abstinence (basically a tolerance break) as your dopamine system recovers. Then your hit reminds your reward system just how good the stuff feels and you are off again.

I don’t know enough about the science to know if your theory is more or less plausible. So I’m not rejecting it.

 

[thegreenhand]

And yet if the studies are accurate, the result of this should be the rapid desensitization of dopamine which would then significantly increase the potency of future stimulants.

was this study done in healthy individuals or chronic users of amphetamines? Assuming the former, trying to generalize this to abusers is unlikely to be fruitful

 

[Fornax55]

Hi folks, apologies for not posting the studies. I've done some more research and it looks like the original posters were all incorrect and/or do not know how to understand studies. It would seem they were interpreting the studies thinking that "mg/kg" meant simply "mg," and thus the doses in the studies were actually either therapeutic or post-therapeutic and neurotoxic (i.e. in the primate study doses were at 0.4mg/kg which is hardly a low dose)

For example here's the original posting on longevity that includes all of the aforementioned studies which I briefly skimmed

However I just found this post with study links on Reddit that corrects the mistakes the original myth made. However this result confuses me even more and seems to suggest that repeated therapeutic or post-therapeutic doses actually cause dopamine sensitization which I certainly know not to be true.