Posted by BrittPark on November 9, 2002, at 19:41:57
In reply to Re: Opiates = very weird, Britt? » BrittPark, posted by Jerrympls on November 7, 2002, at 20:06:50
How small a dose of morphine were you given? The current belief is that mu-opioid receptors mediate analgesia and euphoria, and that kappa-opioid receptors mediate dysphoria. Then there is the evidence that at exceedingly small doses of opiods hyperalgesia is the result. Most doses of opioids in a medical setting are far above those levels.
Some people (my wife for instance) don't like the experience of opioids, because they induce dysphoria, or because they find the sedation and other effects unpleasent.
Switching gears, different opioids have different relative effects at different receptors. Most people find morphine pleasurable. Most people feel more euphoria from hydrocodone than from codeine.
Switching gears again, I wouldn't be surprised if there were genetic polymorphisms for opioid receptors, and thus the different effects on different people. I don't know if there is any evidence for this.
The fascinations of biochemistry,
Britt
poster:BrittPark
thread:126471
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20021108/msgs/127073.html