Search This Blog

20070607

Kappa Opiods and Hallucinations

Our own body makes dynorphin, a k-opioid, to counteract oxytocin secretion. Oxytocin is the "bonding" neuropetide released during orgasm. Dynorphin also controls appetite.

Another substance affecting k-opioid receptors is salvia divinorum, which is the only hallucinogenic substance with this effect. The euphoria and dystonia during a salvia high is not unlike getting a dynorphin high.

Dynorphin itself may cause depression, since it blocks the pleasurable side effects of oxytocin, especially the desire to be in one's lover's arms for hours and that loving feeling you get towards a lover or, for mothers, towards their baby.

Pentazocine is an opioid, which when mixed with naloxene is called talwin and when mixed with tylenol, talacen. Its hallucinogenic effects limits its use for pain during a heart attack.

Talacen is hard to obtain now, and petazocine and naloxene always dispensed as talwin.

Nubain used to be used a lot until 2003. In low doses, women respond better to it than men do. The opioid in it, nalbuphine, is 10 times more potent than talwin.

Thus, dynorphin could be the k-opioid responsible for bipolar depression, and with major depressive disorder with psychosis.

No comments: