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What makes us feel high on drugs? *How* ??

Visionary_Kpsycho

Visionary_Kpsycho

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Can someone please explain why mushrooms, cannabis, lsd, heroin, meth Datura and others make us feel the way we do. I know it has to do with receptors, but I don’t even know what a receptor is (not that good in biology) Can someone please explain what are receptors and why we feel the way we do while ingesting different chemicals?
 
They work on a variety of receptors - different drugs on different receptors. They most common ones, for psychedelics amongst others, are Seretonin receptors (5-HT receptors), specifically 5-HT2a for LSD, Mescaline, Psilocin etc.

I'll have to pass over there, I have some understanding beyond this but don't want to spread false information.
 
A receptor is a protein molecule in your nervous system.
Depending on what drug you take it will bind with a certain group of receptors (5ht for psychs, nmda for alcohol and dissociatives, GABA for benzos etc)

the reason you feel high is due to the drug binding with those receptors
 
um, thats kind of beyond my scope of knowledge but ill take a guess and say that those receptors are partly responsible for our perception, and these foreign chemicals binding to them alters it.
thats just a guess tho
 
So basically there's a synapse, which is kind of an open space between the receptors and the carrier blobs (forgot what they're called :S)

Anyway, this type of system works the same for Dopamine and Serotonin. Dopamine is pleasure, motivation, and attention. Serotonin is positive thinking, confidence and the sense of well-being.

Nobody knows exactly why these molecules do what they do... yet.

So for the time being let's focus on the serotonin one.

So there's a bunch of serotonin molecules in the carrier blog thing. In normal life, there's a rate at which serotonin is released from the carrier blobs into the synapse and a rate of which it goes back in. The more serotonin is in the synapse, the more likely a receptor is going to touch a serotonin molecule, making you feel better.

Before I continue, I'd just like to say a disclaimer: This is all of memory so if some of these are wrong please correct me. Thanks.

MDMA (Ecstasy) prevents ecstasy from going BACK into the carrier blobs. This means that, as serotonin is released into the synapse, it is unable to go back in. It continuously will touch the receptors, making you feel fuckin awesome. Eventually your brain will kill off all that serotonin in the synapse and the MDMA will be flushed out of your sistem.

LSD and Psilocin (Mushrooms) work in a different. These ones "pretend" to be Serotonins. Now without going into much detail, there are many types of serotonins, each one has a specific(s) function(s). The 5-HT2a is where you see things morph and stuff. These drugs activate the 5-HT2a mostly which is why you trip out.

The dopamines work the same way. These (in my opinion) are drugs that are less eye-opening and more "feel-good" drugs. The don't provide any spiritual benefits or long-term happiness (IN MY OPINION).

Weed works on dopamine. Weed act the same way as endorphins. Endorphins encourage dopamine molecules to be released into the synapse. It basically amplifies good feelings.

Cocaine is to Dopamine as Ecstasy is to Serotonin. Cocaine blocks dopamine molecules from re-entering the carrier blobs. This makes you feel like the fuckin man (a "rewarded" feeling - like when you win the lottery, that's what dopamine is for).

These is where things get interesting:
Speed (amphetamine) is like cocaine, except that it not only blocks re-uptake, it also pumps out dopamine. So, it's a lot more powerful. Why it's less potent - I don't know. Someone else will have to explain this. I have a theory but it's too complicated to write here.

Okay - so - what happens when you run out of dopamine in your carrier blobs to be pumped into the synapse? Well, that's where meth comes in handy.

Not only does meth block the re-uptake, AND pump dopamines back into the system, it also has your body CREATE more dopamine. So what you get is a tripple wammy effect of awesomeness.

Heroin is basically endorphins x 1000 (like weed, but they probably work on different types of dopamines).

Hope that helps
 
Take MDMA for example. When MDMA gets ingested it will bind to a receptor. Different substances bind to different receptors, and some (like MDMA) will bind to multiple receptors. Once effect this has (in the case of MDMA) is that it will inhibit what is called the vesicular monoamine transporter. This will lead to an increase in several neurotransmitters (serotonin, dopamine, etc.) At this same time it prevents the body from reabsorbing them so there is an above normal amount in the body. Serotonin is plays a role in the body having to do with mood, appetite, sleep regulations, and other functions. This is partly why MDMA causes an increase in your mood (either positive or negative depending on the situation), affects appetite, etc.

It is a very complex process because then drugs are metabolized and the metabolites are usually active also. Some of these metabolites may counteract the parents chemical and some may potentiate it. Here is a very good article on it. http://www.mdma.net/#ecstasymagic
 
sheep-speed isnt nearly as strong as a DRI as cocaine. Speeds main action is just a HUGE release of dopamine, without nearly as much reuptake inhibition. Amphetamine and methamphetamine put out similar amounts of dopamine for example, something to the area of 3x what cocaine will, but cocaine mainly works via its DRI effects as stated above.
 
LSDMDMA&8456954 said:
sheep-speed isnt nearly as strong as a DRI as cocaine. Speeds main action is just a HUGE release of dopamine, without nearly as much reuptake inhibition. Amphetamine and methamphetamine put out similar amounts of dopamine for example, something to the area of 3x what cocaine will, but cocaine mainly works via its DRI effects as stated above.
Click to expand...

So in the end cocaine gives you more dopamine in the synapse?
 
Conscious experience itself is completely mysterious to modern science. We can study the brain and notice patterns (like the effects of messing with different receptors, via drugs or other means), but how exactly all that chemistry translates into a subjective experience cannot be explained by biology or physics. The questions you are asking are very good ones, and ones we really can't answer yet - that's part of what makes 'drugs' so fascinating to me and, I suspect, many others on here. Depending on your approach, if you keep thinking about these issues in relation to drugs, you will either never find a satisfactory explanation, or you will find a multitude of them and probably adopt different ones at different times. Half the fun of taking psychedelics is the crazy mindfuck of trying to decipher 'what it all means' ;)
 
solistus said:
Conscious experience itself is completely mysterious to modern science. We can study the brain and notice patterns (like the effects of messing with different receptors, via drugs or other means), but how exactly all that chemistry translates into a subjective experience cannot be explained by biology or physics. The questions you are asking are very good ones, and ones we really can't answer yet - that's part of what makes 'drugs' so fascinating to me and, I suspect, many others on here. Depending on your approach, if you keep thinking about these issues in relation to drugs, you will either never find a satisfactory explanation, or you will find a multitude of them and probably adopt different ones at different times. Half the fun of taking psychedelics is the crazy mindfuck of trying to decipher 'what it all means' ;)
Click to expand...

i agree with this completely.
great post.

great post to Sheepie also.
 
sheepie said:
So basically there's a synapse, which is kind of an open space between the receptors and the carrier blobs (forgot what they're called :S)

Anyway, this type of system works the same for Dopamine and Serotonin. Dopamine is pleasure, motivation, and attention. Serotonin is positive thinking, confidence and the sense of well-being.

Nobody knows exactly why these molecules do what they do... yet.

So for the time being let's focus on the serotonin one.

So there's a bunch of serotonin molecules in the carrier blog thing. In normal life, there's a rate at which serotonin is released from the carrier blobs into the synapse and a rate of which it goes back in. The more serotonin is in the synapse, the more likely a receptor is going to touch a serotonin molecule, making you feel better.

Before I continue, I'd just like to say a disclaimer: This is all of memory so if some of these are wrong please correct me. Thanks.

MDMA (Ecstasy) prevents ecstasy from going BACK into the carrier blobs. This means that, as serotonin is released into the synapse, it is unable to go back in. It continuously will touch the receptors, making you feel fuckin awesome. Eventually your brain will kill off all that serotonin in the synapse and the MDMA will be flushed out of your sistem.

LSD and Psilocin (Mushrooms) work in a different. These ones "pretend" to be Serotonins. Now without going into much detail, there are many types of serotonins, each one has a specific(s) function(s). The 5-HT2a is where you see things morph and stuff. These drugs activate the 5-HT2a mostly which is why you trip out.

The dopamines work the same way. These (in my opinion) are drugs that are less eye-opening and more "feel-good" drugs. The don't provide any spiritual benefits or long-term happiness (IN MY OPINION).

Weed works on dopamine. Weed act the same way as endorphins. Endorphins encourage dopamine molecules to be released into the synapse. It basically amplifies good feelings.

Cocaine is to Dopamine as Ecstasy is to Serotonin. Cocaine blocks dopamine molecules from re-entering the carrier blobs. This makes you feel like the fuckin man (a "rewarded" feeling - like when you win the lottery, that's what dopamine is for).

These is where things get interesting:
Speed (amphetamine) is like cocaine, except that it not only blocks re-uptake, it also pumps out dopamine. So, it's a lot more powerful. Why it's less potent - I don't know. Someone else will have to explain this. I have a theory but it's too complicated to write here.

Okay - so - what happens when you run out of dopamine in your carrier blobs to be pumped into the synapse? Well, that's where meth comes in handy.

Not only does meth block the re-uptake, AND pump dopamines back into the system, it also has your body CREATE more dopamine. So what you get is a tripple wammy effect of awesomeness.

Heroin is basically endorphins x 1000 (like weed, but they probably work on different types of dopamines).

Hope that helps
Click to expand...

I thought Marijuana worked on the cannabinoid receptors. It has very little (if any) effect on dopamine.
 
i think so (more dopamine in teh synapse) for cocaine. 99% sure if i remember right. Amphetamine is an inhibitor of Serotonin (amphetamine does release a small amount of serotonin) and a slight inhibitor of dopamine, but a releaser of both. get what i mean? yea, the inhibition effects are there, but its the massive release thats responsible for the effects. ^ and i agree with the dude above me. cannabinoid receptors bro. Dopamine is mainly stimulants, although opiates can as well. and meth doesnt BLOCK the reuptake very much at all. 90% of an amphetamines (meth included) high is from the RELASE of dopamine. read the article releasing agent on wikipedia. I am 100% sure that MDMA isnt too strong of a SSRI....and that again, most of the effects are from the flood of serotonin released
 
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