Long Term Pleasure Receptor Deficiencies:
Found in Abusers of Alcohol,
Heroin,
Cocaine and "Meth"
Dr. Volkow is the Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse. She knows substance abuse. She showed that cocaine abusers had markedly decreased dopamine receptors, compared with a control group. This very serious problem was still present after a full four months. So patients do not rebound back in days or weeks either with cocaine, or with other drugs like excess alcohol, heroin, and "Meth." People who are addicted to these four substances have prolonged reductions in the dopamine pleasure receptors. So if dopamine is released, it has few receptors to bind to and make you feel good. Or at least feel normal.
Dr. Volkow gave methylphenidate (Ritalin) to some of these individuals with addiction trouble and few dopamine2 receptors and they described it as pleasant. People with normal dopamine receptors were unsettled by the stimulant and hated it.
www.neuropsychiatryreviews.com/jul04/npr_jul04_addiction.html
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