Once a opioid addict has stopped using, are the dopamine and serotonin receptors completely fried, or do they heal themselves and begin to release the chemical without the intoxicant
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A follow up question would be – when they come back, do they come back all the way or is there permanent downregulation?
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They are not fried, their numbers decrease just temporarily. SSRI or SNRI (antidepressant or anxiety drugs) users also experience a similar change thanks to receptor down-regulation. If they suddenly stop using their medicine they suffer from some side effects that takes a few weeks before the body turns back to normal but in some cases it takes longer. I don’t know how much it takes with opiods though and there can also be some long-term effects sometimes.
It’s not that the receptors are damaged, it’s that there’s less of them. Because the body becomes used to opioids circulating in the blood, those receptors are downregulated so they aren’t being overstimulated- essentially, the system becomes recalibrated for a higher baseline level of opioids by reducing the number of receptors those opioids can hit, while also reducing its own endogenous opioid production.
When usage stops, the body’s own opioid production suddenly isn’t enough to have the same effect on those receptors because there are less of them to stimulate. This dysfunction is what leads to withdrawal symptoms. Over time the body adapts, recalibrating those receptors once again for a new baseline, and bringing the system back to normal function.
Do a search for PAWS (post acute withdrawal syndrome) and you’ll find a good deal of insight and information.
I realize I didn’t fulfill the request of explaining this like you’re 5, but if you’re genuinely curious about this topic, that search term will act as a doorway to a plethora of useful info…
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What many people dont know is that a large dose of gabapentin will alleviate almost all of the opiate withdrawal symptoms. Unfortunately, I’m all to familiar the the rollercoaster ride referred to as opiate addiction. In all actuality, you can get through the worst of the withdrawal symptoms with sone gabapentin and 1 1/2-2 8mg suboxone strips. Instead of making this information readily available, suboxone doctors have decided to mimic the methadone clinic approach by giving out way to high of a suboxone prescription for entirely too long in order to handcuff opiate addicts to the suboxone clinic amd bring in all that sweet sweet addict revenue.
Does it really matter anyway? Even if it does, the sober release of opiate chemicals is nothing like actually using an opiate.
Does this also happen with years long Kratom use?
I guess I can comment on this because I was a heroin addict ten years ago. If you would have asked me this ten years ago I would have told you no. I was in a constant cycle of addiction. Once the physical addiction was over I thought I was in the clear but I didn’t find joy anything.. Like literally anything. I always wondered what and how non-addicts experienced pleasures in life such as accomplishments, love, sober activities, etc. I just didn’t get any kind of pleasure from that and so I’d stay sober for a month or two and even six months once but I’d always go back because I thought I’d never be able to feel good again and that’s just how my brain was wired because I “fried” my receptors. What changed me eventually was the realization that it can take a year or two for the brain to come back and all the receptors firing the way they should. It took me 2 years to feel like I was getting pleasure from things. What really kicked it in high gear was when I met my first love. So yes. It is possible. At least I believe it is from my personal experience. Present day I do recreationally and I still feel like my receptors are firing because I love sober activities and find people pleasurable.
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