Opioids Does opioid tolerance ever truly diminish entirely?

[Bomb319]

From a histological standpoint, it makes absolute sense that the human body would develop lifelong analogues to antigens produced when we encounter particles which cause disease. Remember, our bodies don't treat the substance as a pleasant trip we remember fondly - it considers it to have been a repeated ingestion of poison. When we come across a disease we have had many years before (or were vaccinated against), our memory B cells which had stored information about the pathogen, can very rapidly begin producing antibodies which can quickly mitigate any damage done. It stands to reason that there exists an analogous system containing "memory" if previously ingested toxins - especially ones we repeatedly subjected our bodies to for years.

This is backed up chemically as well; research shows that ex-opiate addicts have a significantly higher than normal concentration of bDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor). While this correlation undeniably exists, it has not yet been proven to be a cause or an effect. Yet if you ask almost any former addict who has previously relapsed, they will tell you how quickly their tolerance came back upon using again - even when enough time had passed since their last episode of addiction that one would logically assume the body was completely tolerant to the drug once again.

 

[jackie jones]

I find it does, because I have gone extended periods without using and was able to get very high on 120mg of Codeine or the like.

I also feel, however, that your mind and body know how to react to the experience, so the overall naivety is lost.

 

[cj]

Ohhh yeah. And the more intense the drug, the more intense the feeling. Whenever I think about slamming coke, I literally get nauseated and sometimes vomit, and I get that tingly feeling in my nether regions that I get when something is in my bloodstream.

I will sometimes get so excited that i start throwing up when I'm close to meeting my dope man.