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flmagi is

doing online traffic school for her tickets.GRRRR

About Me:

Female, 53, Pt.Charlotte - FL, member since Oct 2007

Went thru withdrawels starting Oct.18 2007 stayed clean 2 months then relapsed. Started Suboxone around Jan 30 2008 and feeling great once I got adjusted to it.
Here's s... [More] ome info I copied from the Suboxone site on what happens to your brain when taking pain killers. It's long, but good.

Rewarding survival behaviors
The human brain is designed to promote behaviors it recognizes as directly linked to its survival.

Basic life functions—such as eating and sex—stimulate receptors in the brain's "reward circuit" to release dopamine, a chemical that produces an intensely pleasurable feeling known as "euphoria."1,2

It doesn't take long to learn that certain activities will be "rewarded"—that is, that they will prompt dopamine release and pleasurable sensation. This positive reinforcement is the brain's way of encouraging behavior important for survival.

Triggers
In addition to functioning as a reward, dopamine is also the brain's way of ensuring that the experience itself will not be easily forgotten. Dopamine release activates the areas of the brain involved in memory formation to record details about the environment where the event occurred.3

Which details the brain chooses to record can range from the obvious (where the incident occurred, who was there) to the obscure (a billboard passed on the way, the temperature outside). There is no way to know ahead of time what details the brain has stored. But whatever they were, when those circumstances are encountered in the future, they will trigger memories of the good feelings produced by dopamine, and, often, a desire to recreate that experience. The technical term for these memories is "conditioned associations," but most people familiar with opioid dependence refer to them as "triggers."3

Tricking the brain
The act of rewarding (also called reinforcing) a behavior increases the chances of its being repeated. This is why the most important behaviors to reward are those related to survival.

By coincidence, some drugs have molecular structures very similar to those of chemicals that naturally occur in the body. This similarity allows the drugs to activate the reward circuit, stimulate dopamine release, and cause euphoria.4

One result of this euphoria is that drug-taking behavior is rewarded, thereby increasing the chances that the behavior will be repeated.4

Another result of this reward is that the brain begins to think drug-taking is actually necessary for survival. To the brain, just the fact that an activity is rewarded at all means that activity must be important for survival.4

The ability to activate the reward circuit accounts for some drugs being viewed as potentially addictive.2

Opioids are among those drugs capable of activating the reward circuit to release dopamine and reinforce drug-taking behavior.

However, most people who use opioids do not become opioid-dependent.5 This suggests that, while the reward circuit is responsible for opioids' addictive potential, opioid dependence most likely involves additional factors.

Why Opioid Dependence Is a Disease
Opioid dependence is a chronic brain disease caused by complex, long-term, changes in the structure and functioning of the brain.6,7 The significant changes to brain "circuitry" common to opioid dependence have led physicians to classify it as a disease that interferes with normal brain functioning7 (for more on this subject, see Dependence vs Tolerance).

Most brain diseases are linked to a distinct behavioral symptom—for example, Alzheimer's disease is linked to memory loss, schizophrenia is linked to mood changes, and opioid dependence is linked to compulsive opioid use.3,6

While a portion of opioid-dependent patients may have elected to misuse opioids at some point, this does not mean their condition is not the result of disease. Consider the following:

1. Many chronic diseases either begin or are made worse by (or both) patients' choices—for example, decisions about diet and exercise directly contribute to such common illnesses as high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes.8
2. Regardless of whether patients' opioid use may have begun willingly, once opioid dependence takes hold, drug use is no longer voluntary.7
3. Although opioid dependence is preceded by repeated use of higher and higher doses of opioids, opioid use is actually only one of several factors that causes this disease—opioid use will not "become" opioid dependence all by itself.

Compulsive drug use
Opioid cravings and opioid withdrawal are both very powerful drivers of drug seeking and use.3 However, only opioid cravings are tied to compulsive drug seeking and use. Furthermore, the intensity of cravings can drive compulsive opioid use even though a person is not physically dependent on opioids and is not experiencing any withdrawal symptoms.2

Cravings also seem to be one of the last symptoms of opioid dependence to go away completely. This persistence is most likely a reflection of the time needed for the brain to heal itself and restore some degree of predisease normalcy.7 Opioid cravings can occur months and even years after a patient's last opioid use. Their suddenness and intensity can put patients' at risk for relapse.2

Why opioid dependence affects behavior
In addition to the reward circuit (see Rewarding survival behaviors), the brain has other ways to help ensure its survival. For instance, in response to a threat, survival is always the brain's No.1 priority. In a crisis, certain sections of the brain "take over."1 This is the origin of the "fight versus flight" response as well as the drives for sex and food, among other things.

The behavioral changes seen with opioid dependence may be explained by the result of a combination of different influences. One of these factors may be the brain's "belief" that opioids are related to survival (see Tricking the brain). Another point to take into account is that, by the time a person develops opioid dependence, his or her brain can no longer function normally without opioids.3

Under these circumstances, the motivation to obtain opioids comes from 3 places:
Physical pain and discomfort caused by withdrawal symptoms
Increasing anxiety due to powerful, unsatisfied opioid cravings
Stress resulting from the brain's fear that the current lack of opioids presents a threat to its survival
Regarding this last point, even though, logically, a person may know that opioids are not essential for life, as long as those parts of the brain in charge of survival behavior still believe opioids are necessary, they may override "higher reasoning." Furthermore, to an opioid-dependent brain, not having enough opioids to satisfy cravings or suppress withdrawal is comparable to not having enough food to satisfy hunger.

The need to obtain opioids can become more important than that person's safety because opioid-dependence can impair the mechanism by which information from certain areas of the brain—namely, those involved with judgment and caution—is received.3 The brain responds by taking whatever steps are necessary to see that its opioid "hunger" is met, which usually means pursuing opioids with all the drive of a basic instinct.

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Sometimes

Jun 16, 2008 06:54PM - 2 Comments

Sometimes I just feel like this.

My migraines: Pills or husband?

May 17, 2008 07:02AM

I just realized I haven't had a migraine headache since I've been off the pain pills, or since my husband moved out. They both happ...[more]

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Suboxen in urine??

Jul 23, 2008 05:20PM in the Addiction: Substance Abuse Community

I was told by my doctor and the test lab, that it does not show up on a urine drug test. They must test for it specifical...

Is it okay to tie hubby up and toss him in the closet ?

Jul 21, 2008 08:56PM in the Addiction: Social Community

LOL ...I guess I do have a bit of an attitude right now. I think its probably pretty typical for someone going threw a di...

Cars......

Jul 21, 2008 08:33PM in the Addiction: Social Community

I would be my car. Mitsubishi Spider convertible....Red

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Just a quick note to say hi!

You deserve a big bear hug!

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Welcome to our community!

You are in my thoughts and prayers.

Hope you feel better soon!

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Just wanted to let you know I can relate. If you ever want to talk, you know where to find me.

mimi1313



	Leave a Note Send Message Add as Friend mimi1313 Female, 37 years Member since Jan 2008 Mood: mimi1313 is out for the day Journal Entry: "I think this is important info as this is..." [Read]

Jul 21

Just a quick note to say hi! Hi Magi, I'm glad you're divorce will be final soon. I've been there, I just wanted you to know you're in my prayers. Even when its for the best its still a big change. Melissa

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Jul 21

Oh...hope you don't mind we came last night and took a dip while you were sleeping...and fixed us some snacks.. hope we didn't leave a big mess! Thanks! JoAnn :)

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Jul 20

Thank you for always helping out... you are a doll... I will be over to swim later k? Could you have lunch ready please? LOL JoAnn

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Jul 15

Just a quick note to say hi! Hey Magi. I haven't been around and yes I removed all my photos. I may put one of the pups back up for you! LOL I hope all is well with you! Hugs

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Jul 15

Just a quick note to say hi! hi magi, i have a quick sub question for you. my daughter is going to start it today. she has been without sleep for 2 days and i am wondering if your sleep came when you started taking it?? thanks for your help.

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