Why does dihydrocodeine make me drowsy while heroin stimulates me

[CrimpJiggler]

I did heroin every day for a couple of weeks before I moved to another country because I knew that I wouldn't be able to get it. It was brilliant, when I was on it I was bursting with energy but fully relaxed. Everything was 1000 times more interesting on it. That was a few years ago, I started taking dihydrocodeine a while ago hoping to get similar effects and although DHC gives me some of the positive effects, it makes me drowsy as hell and also restless, kinda like it amplifies my ADHD. I've been on dexedrine for 2 years and I don't take it when I'm on DHC. Could it just be that I have lost a lot of dopamine/norepinephrine/epinephrine receptors as a result of my dexedrine use and that I get this drowsiness now when I'm not taking dexedrine? If thats the case then I should just have to take a small amount of dexedrine to feel normal but thats not what happens at all. A small amount of dexedrine doesn't make me feel normal, it makes me feel like I'm on a small amount of dexedrine. I haven't done any opioids other than DHC in years, do other opioids like hydromorphone or heroin just stimulate you a lot more than weaker opioids like DHC and codeine?

 

[effie]

It's quite subjective. Oxycodone is one of the more stimulating opioids that I know of, a lot of people don't find heroin at all stimulating.. I believe it is sometimes cut with caffeine (can't remember where I read this though sorry so could be wrong) - perhaps that could be the explanation? DHC is a funny opioid too, not everyone finds it recreational.

I'm not sure about the dexedrine side of things, sorry..

 

[sekio]

DHC and Heroin are two different drugs with different effects. (They do share a lot of commonalities though, like being painkillers and making you feel good)

Generally people find the semi-synthetics derived from thebaine eg. oxycodone/oxymorphone the least "drowsy", while hydrocodone, codeine, DHC, (presumably) DHM, and morphine are all said to be fairly sedating. Heroin is actually a prodrug for 6-monoacetylmorphine which is another drug entirely... I do know that heroin and acetylmorphine have unique effects (and sometimes other opium alkaloids as impurities) that "straight" pharmaceutical alkaloids won't provide.

 

[TheLostBoys]

I have done DHC many times & find it to be the least exciting out of any opiate I have taken. I like it the least of any opiate myself. I rather do codeine than DHC but thats just me............