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Synergy between drugs and endorphins

N

Norules

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Jul 22, 2004
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I was just thinking- now I know that during strenuous exercise (or pain or sex etc.) our body releases endorphins, which I believe are our bodys 'naturl opiates' in that endorphins have the same effect many opiates and share an affinity with the same rece[ptor sites in the brain.

A lot of people who tke drugs, like MDMA, meth, K, or GHB (or if your more up mmy alley, LSD, 2cxxx, cannabis) like to dance. Now even unjder the influence our body would still have to release endorphins- what type of synergistic effect would be occurring in the interaction between endorphins and {insert drug here} if any.

Pls try to make this readable, I'm not much of a physicist/chem,ist/pharmacologist :)
 
The evidence that strenous excersie release endorphins is pretty weak. That idea is based on erouneous scientific techneques. They looked at the blood of people after excerise, and measure beta-enorphin levels using antibodies. It turned out the antibodies weren't specific for beta-endorphin, and infact were reacting with a lipid. This figure shows what I'm talking about
51144endorphins_and_excerise.gif

Figure A shows the classical results using a single antibody which is actually reacting with the lipid. Figure B shows the actual beta-endorphin level, you can see the effect is far less clear.

The other experiment that is used to support the idea that excersise release endogenous opioids (not neccesarily beta-endorphin) is the fact that "runners high" is blocked by dosing with opioid receptor blockers. These experiments are flawed for two reasons, for one, they only show a partial block of the runners high, and opioid receptor blockers can produce a decrement in mood in normal people.
 
Well i have thought about this myself. In regards to;

The evidence that strenous excersie release endorphins is pretty weak.
Click to expand...

I can say for sure that after heavy exercise i get some kind of intense body high. I always assumed this was endorphins.

I've always considered it likely that this exercise caused body high would have a synergistic effect with many drugs, especially (as you suggest) mdma when dancing. I've also considered that some of the placebo mdma type high a regular mdma user can get when going to a rave sober could be helped along by the endorphin rush (or whatever it is) that the exercise of dancing brings, which in the mdma users mind may become associated with the mdma.

One of my friends who is a very keen cyclist tells me that he loves drinking alcohol after a long cycle ride much more than normal, and he attributes this to the fact that when he starts drinking after cycling it extends the endorphin rush feelings so he maintains the body high for longer. Apparently many of his cyclist friends find this also. This is something i intend to test for myself next time i get an opportunity.

All of this is circumstantial at best, but there you go.
 
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i agree mrm, i have always said that working out mus release a surge of endorphins cuz i truly feel better after a workout...i get a "high" like many runners claim, so this is based on some type of chemical rush..

now, i have taken opiods after working out and that is pure heaven...i used to take ephedrine prior to workout, then bust my ass in the gym, and then snort some OXY after workout and that was a very nice feeling!!unbelievable feeling i must say..
 
Just because you get high doesn't mean it is caused by beta-endorphin
 
Correct, there a number of endogenous opioid peptides. Not to mention the fact that strenuous exercise triggers monoamine release and triggers a number of downstream gene regulation effects.
 
arent endorphins released during an orgasm? Because i know that under the influence of MDMA, or other varius drugs it seems that the endorphins may synergize then. I could be completly wrong though
 
Endorphins

Endorphins must be released big time after an orgasm because when im in withdrawal and I splooge, the pain goes away for a few minutes.
 
Again, there is only very weak evidence, using flawed techneques to show post orgasm, there is a significant release of endorphins.
 
I'm not saying it doesn't release endorphins, I'm just saying there is not much good evidence to show that it does. Personally I suspect they may be an element of opioid mediated effect, though it's more likely to be met-enkephalin in my mind. There is probably a large release of noradrenaline too...
 
I think runnning or high intense sport causes dopamine and noradrenaline release, where as orgasm seems to be more endorphon release to me.
 
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