Sleeping aids and some pain killers don't seem to work on me-help!

[Macitay]

Hi there! Im hoping you could help me out... currently I am WIDE awake at 4:45 am after taking NyQuil @9:00pm In an effort to kick this flu I feel coming on. This has happened once or twice before but I figured it was a fluke-now I'm starting to think my body chemistry does something to make it have the opposite affect.  Also, last year I fell and had an oblique fracture on my humerus, which wasn't as funny as you'd think! :) When the paramedics were helping me & my shock started to wear off I noticed my pain level rising.  The paramedics were confounded because they "gave me a lot of morphin" and asked if I do drugs! Haha I don't-but it was a light hearted moment in a rough day.  Then they gave me dilaudid to knock me out and ketamine while they set my bone at the hospital (both of which made me sick and I hated them) I've heard (from the paramedics and others) that this paradoxical reaction might be due to the "red head gene"? I'm blonde and have blue eyes.  I guess I could have red heads in my ancestry, but I'm not sure. Is this a real gene disorder or just an old wives tale? Also-what can I take when I need to just knock out and have restful sleep cure me?

[Red_Star]

I was given a sleeping tablet prior to surgery and didn't fall asleep. I also remember taking a LOT of pain killers for the immense pain caused by a tooth abscess and it took 4 hours to take affect. I didn't really think anything of it until I read your comment. Hmmm. I find magnesium is good to help me sleep. Just to add I no longer get cold/flu/bronchitis/strep throat...etc etc since taking vitamin D. It's not called the antibiotic vitamin for nothing! :)

I do have issues with dopamine deficiency even despite exercising and correcting conditions causing dopamine deficiency (my father has Parkinson's disease so possible genetic issues with dopamine uptake). So I thought I'd check out morphine and dopamine and found a study on mice...

"We found that dopamine-deficient mice are unable to mount a normal locomotor response to morphine, but a small dopamine-independent increase in locomotion remains. Dopamine-deficient mice have a rightward shift in the dose–response curve to morphine on the tail-flick test (a pain sensitivity assay), suggesting either a decreased sensitivity to the analgesic effects of morphine and/or basal hyperalgesia."

Well that is interesting..but a bit scary. I am thankfully not in pain very often. I posted the info below on various possible symptoms of low dopamine although it's not a complete list (rarely yawning and being unorganised are not listed which are two of my many symptoms). I'd be interested if you have any of these symptoms.


Excerpt from Dopamine Deficiency (or, I'm Not Lazy After All!) and March Updates...

"Here is a list of symptoms of dopamine deficiency (with my emphasis added on symptoms I identify with):

1. Physically fatigued easily (Sometimes.)
2. Sleep too much and trouble getting out of bed (Yes on trouble getting out of bed!)
3. Reduced ability to feel pleasure
4. Flat, bored, apathetic (Yes on feeling flat)
5. Low drive, motivation & enthusiasm (Yes, and yes.)
6. Depressed
7. Difficulty getting through a task even when interesting to me (HELL yes!)
8. Procrastinator/little urgency (Mmmm-hmmm!)
9. Shy/introvert (Yes.)
10. Mentally fatigued easily (Yes.)
11.Difficulty paying attention and concentrating (A little bit!)
12.Slow thinker and/or slow to learn new ideas
13.Put on weight easily
14.Crave uppers (e.g. caffeine/sugar/nicotine/diet soft drinks/cocaine/amphetamines)
15.Use these improve energy/motivation/mood
16.Prone to addictions (e.g. alcohol)/addictive personality
17.Light headedness
18.Reduced libido and/or impotence (sometimes on the libido)
19.Family history of depression/alcoholism/ADD


Factors which reduce dopamine levels (with my emphasis added on factors I have):

1. Chronic stress
2. Inadequate sleep (Like, DUH!)
3. Hypothyroidism (Bingo! Hashimoto's!)
4. Lead, arsenic and cadmium exposure
5. Under-methylation (Possibly- I suspect my dad's family under-methylates their B12. They have a strong history of Alzheimer's and dementia.)
6. Tyrosine (precursor) deficiency
7. Magnesium, iron, zinc & vitamins B3/B6/C/D deficiency
8. Excess copper levels (I have melasma and used to be vegetarian, so copper might be a factor.)
9. Genetic dopamine receptor abnormalities
10.Chronic opioid, alcohol & marijuana use
11.Adrenal insufficiency (Definitely!!)
12.Glutathione deficiency
13.Parkinson's Disease
14.Influenza
15.Estrogen deficiency (Yes.)
16.Human growth hormone deficiency"