Dopamine and Addiction

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Heroin Rapid Detox
As an Opioid heroin use escalates as the body’s tolerance for the drug increases. The increased tolerance is the cause of many overdose deaths given that the heroin user may be injecting 3 to 5 times the lethal dose in order to maintain their high. Rapid detoxification from high tolerance heroin use is extremely dangerous and can be fatal. Relapse for a heroin user after some period of absence can also be fatal as their tolerance level is no longer present and the same amount used during their last episode prior to a period abstinence will often kill the user.

Inpatient Treatment is most often residential in that they require that the client live within the facility during treatment. Inpatient treatment centers and programs are a higher level of care than outpatient programs and provide more intensive services and treatment than lower levels of the care continuum.

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Dopamine and Addiction

It is now clinically understood that the neurotransmitter Dopamine plays a central role in addiction. Most drugs of abuse, with the exception of benzodiazepines, have a direct effect on increasing the dopamine reward cycle in the brain.

Once addicted the mere anticipation of getting high will trigger a marked dopamine response in the addict and/or alcoholic. Likewise early recovery from addictions is often hampered by the lack of dopamine d2 receptors that take many months to return to baseline functioning. The lack of sufficient d2 receptors is a primary reason that many drug addicts and alcoholics fail at abstenence during the first 90 days of their recovery.

The old timers wisdom of AA and NA of 90 meetings in 90 days has real efficacy for it gives the recovery process time to work and gives the brain time to heal.

Rick Murphy, M.A.

On May 15th, 2008 Carl Carino wrote:

My initial thoughts - is there an effective treatment to increase the number of dopamine receptors on the cell; out side of denying dopamines availability?

On May 22nd, 2008 cathy smith wrote:

As what I have read from an article, Dopamine is given to patients with Parkinson's disease and dystonia. This is given to patients with this kind of diseases because it can cross the blood-brain barrier. I only knew then that this is also given to alcoholic person and addicted to drugs.
____________________

cutie_tech123
Comprehensive resources for those looking for recovery from addiction.
<a href="http://www.addictionrecovery.net">http://www.addictionrecovery.net</a>

On May 31st, 2008 micheal smith wrote:

Once you know you are addicted the next step is to stop thinking about it and work on recovering from it.

........................
Micheal Smith
Suffering from an addiction. This website has a lot of great resources and treatment centers. http://www.treatmentcenters.org
<a href="http://www.treatmentcenters.org">http://www.treatmentcenters.org</a>

On Jun 4th, 2008 Gary S wrote:

Rick, I am very interested in the biochemical and physiological aspects of alcohol addiction. What are your clinical sources for the dopamine information? Any other sources you would recommend?

Thanks

On Jul 23rd, 2008 Gary Larareo wrote:

The most important point that was made and that most non-recovery people don't understand is that once a person becomes addicted they effect the number of domapine receptors. As is the case with Opiates (Heroin) the reduce the number of receptor cites. Opiates kill pain. Dompaine helps a person feel pleasure. If Opiates kill pain and effectively reduce the dopamine receptors than when the addict stops using they will feel a whole new level of increased pain...hence horrible withdrawal symptoms. But not only that, the effects of this increase pain will last in some forms for months. Now your an heroin addict and you going through that and your mind tells yout if you get high you won't experience the on-going pain. Now I ask you, what are you going to do?

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