weird reactions

[Two222]

I always wondered why, when you are getting off pills, do you yawn and sneeze a lot? Does this only happen to me?

[Two222]

thanks

[beachtowel]

Baclofen


Baclofen acts as the GABA-B receptor.

GABA receptors are fast receptors of the inhibitory variety.

GABA-A receptors are found predominantly centrally while GABA-B receptors are found primarily in peripheral locations. Baclofen stimulates the GABA-B receptor and this can relieve the stretching and yawning associated with opiate withdrawal, whether it is due to an abstinence syndrome or a precipitated withdrawal with an opiate antagoinst.

[tooklastdose]

Still really does not give a solid answer, but I thought it was interesting??

“What is a Yawn?”

Yawning is defined in the Miller-Keane medical dictionary as “a deep, involuntary inspiration with the mouth open, often accompanied by the act of stretching.”It is an involuntary respiratory reflex. One theory as to why we yawn is to regulate carbon dioxide and oxygen levels in the lungs.People yawn when they are tired or bored—whenever the oxygen levels in the lungs are low.Yawning is also sometimes thought of as contagious.Reasons for this are still unknown.One theory is that we yawn as a form of communication—when someone yawns, and we subsequently yawn, we are reflecting that we are a part of a particular social group, or the larger social group of people as a whole.Yawning is thought of as a way to become more alert.This is because yawning intakes oxygen, increasing heart rate, expelling carbon dioxide from the lungs and bloodstream and bringing oxygen to the blood vessels in the brain.When oxygen is supplied to the brain and the body, a person becomes more awake, at least at a surface level.Normal breathing, which has been compromised by an oxygen-deprived state, is restored. Excessive yawning occurs in people with brainstem

damage, brain tumors, multiple sclerosis and epilepsy. Individuals experiencing opiate withdrawal also yawn excessively.Individuals with Parkinson’s disease yawn less than average. Most yawning occurs in the hour before waking up and in the hour before falling asleep.Many animals yawn.The animal that has been noted to yawn the most is the cat. Fetuses yawn while in the womb, as early as the 15th week of development. From my research, it is still not known why fetuses yawn.Newborns have been noted to yawn shortly after taking their first breath.It is not understood why this occurs.Dopamine, amino acids, acetylcholine, serotonin, nitric oxide, adenocorticotropic hormones  

(ACTH hormones) and oxytocin facilitates yawning. Opiod peptoids inhibit yawning, which would explain why people experiencing withdrawal from opiates yawn excessively. The paraventricular nucleus in the hypothalamus is thought to control yawning.When amino acids in the brain are activated by dopamine, neurons release oxytocin at sites away from the paraventricular nucleus, such as the hippocampus, the pons and the medulla oblongata.Other chemicals involved in yawning are gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA,) noradrenaline, and neuropeptides such as neurotensin and luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LH-RH).When a person is in a coma and begins to yawn, it is often a sign that the person will wake and regain consciousness.Overall, yawning, as simple as the actual reflex is, is a misunderstood phenomenon. We understand what is happening—we are restoring oxygen levels in the brain and bloodstream and expelling carbon dioxide.Yawning is thus a physiological reflex to hyperplaxia, or low oxygen levels in the blood.However, fetuses are being supplied oxygen in the womb, and they still yawn. Also, the fact that people yawn in response to others yawning shows that we do not always yawn from a physiological need. It appears to me that a long breath would serve the same purpose to the body as a yawn.In fact, several sources compared yawning to a long, slow breath.The most consistent facts about yawning are that it is a reflex originating in the brain stem, and that some chemicals stimulate yawning (the most cited were dopamine, ACTH and oxytocin,) while other chemicals inhibit yawning, most notably opiate peptoids.Therefore, we know what is happening physiologically when we yawn, but the reasons why we yawn instead of just taking a deep breath are unknown.  

[brownie6366]

I think it has something to do with the brain trying to basically reset itself back to normal.  Your body changes its functions when you take pain meds (dependancy) and when you get off of the pills your body has to re-train itself to go back to the way it used to function.  

I get the yawning and sneezing too.  Everytime I have to sneeze I actually feel worse after the sneeze for about 20 minutes and then I start to feel normal again.

[Two222]

ok, but still wondering what causes this..

[beachtowel]

Opiate Withdrawal symptoms include but are not limited to:
•  severe anxiety
•  insomnia
•  profuse sweating
•  muscle spasms
•  chills
•  shivering
•  tremors
•  restlessness
•  yawning
•  gooseflesh
•  restless sleep
•  irritability

[3 1/2 yrs sober]

I yawned like crazy!  To the point that I would gag!  That drove me crazy, can't remember how long it lasted tho!

[liscamdave]

YUP, all the time., The last time I detoxed, I told everyone I had really bad allergies.....lol

[lexysmama]

I had this problem too for the first few days. The yawning got especially bad when i was around people so i though it was an anxiety thing and i also got sick during withdrawal so thats what i thought the sneezing was from. I almost relapsed when i got sick because it was just too much to handle for me but my hubby helped me through it, thank god.

[GA Guy]

Oh yeah. Those two things are very common withdrawal symptoms and tend to subside after a week or so. Two weeks at the most. I sneezed but didn't yawn. Some just yawn. Some lucky ones do both. It's normal!!!