In animals and humans, the reward system is vital to our survival. it
is the connection between our genes and our actions. for example, when
you eat, your brain releases endorphins which bind to your natural
opioid receptors in your brain and make you feel good, because if
eating didnt make you feel good, you would starve to death and your
genes would die. For this same reason sex releases a huge amount of
endorphins, because that is how the gene forces us to reproduce and
spread our genes on to the next generation.
Morphine is almost an exact chemical match to our natural endorphins
and and it binds to our opioid receptors in the brain in exactly the
same way, which is why it feels so good. unfortunatly this good feeling
makes it addictive like cigarrettes, alcohol, and sex for that matter.
I will start my argument like this. I the united states there are only
2 drugs that are used to treat opiate addiction, methadone and suboxone.
The logic behind using only these 2 drugs was simple; methadone and suboxone keep you out of withdrawel, but if you were on a regimen of methadone or suboxone and took morphine on top of it, you would not feel the morphine high at all. methadone and suboxone have unique ways of blocking the opioid receptors in your brain so that people are discouraged from taking opiates on top of methadone and suboxone because it would not have any effects.
The problem is, if you are on suboxone for example, and you take morphine, you feel nothing.
And because your own natural endorphins are pretty much exactly the same as morphine in every way, if you are on suboxone, and have sex, or win the lottery, you will feel nothing as well, BECAUSE YOUR OWN NATURAL ENDORPHINS ARE BEING BLOCKED FROM BINDING TO YOUR OPIOID RECEPTORS AND MAKING YOU HAPPY.
So in conclusion, my hypothesis is that the 2 addiction drugs used in the united states inadvertently HIJACK THE BRAINS NATURAL REWARD SYSTEM. In most european countries there are many other treatment options available besides suboxone and methadone, icluding morhine, heroin, and hydromorhone among many others.
i dont mean to disparage methadone and suboxone prescribing doctors in the united states, i just wish they had more options in their hands to help people in the best way possible
The reward system is vital to normal human functioning. Any drug such as suboxone or methadone that blocks the normal functioning of the reward system is horribly destructive to peoples psyches and personalities.
You know why you always remember your favorite memories? It is because the reward system stimulates the brain in a way to create long term memories. That is why if you google suboxone memory, you will come up with 10 billion results of people complaining about how they cant think straight or remember on suboxone. There is even a website called subsux.com
And for any of you who want to tell me drugs destroy society, ill let you know that greece has the most strict anti opiate policy in europe, and switzerland, europes richest nation, hands out medical grade pure heroin for free to addicts to keep them off the streets and living healthy lives.
Morphine is to be considered the prototypical opioid. The substance of morphine has been known for hundreds of years. Even Paracelsus in 1522 made reference to an opium-based solution. (1) After 1750, laudanum became a widely used and prescribed medicine, as first prescription medicine abuse developed with laudanum dependency. Diacetylmorphine (Heroin) was synthesized from morphine in 1874. In 2003 an endogenous morphine system (receptor reacting only to morphine) was discovered. (2)
Side effects of the substance have been known for hundreds of years. It is not probable that new side effects can be found after more than 200 years of use and abuse of the substance. Common side effects are: constipation, addiction, development of tolerance, overdose. (3)
Current indications of Morphine are:
- Acute pain (3)
- Chronic pain (3)
- Antidiarrhea use (3)
- Drug substitution (4)
Slow release / Once daily Morphine can be used in drug substitution
Drug substitution programs are evaluated by several key criteria: retention (staying in the program), opiate co-abuse (urine or hair check for co-consumption of other opioid next to the substitution drugs) and non-opiate co-abuse (urine or hair check for co-consumption of other drugs with CNS effect like benzodiazepines, barbiturates, amphetamines, cocaine, cannabinoids). Other quality of life criteria and psychiatric instruments of co-occurring psychiatric symptoms and disorders are often used additionally to these basic criteria. (5) These criteria have been evaluated for methadone, buprenorphine and morphine substitution. (6)
In studies slow release Morphine had distinct advantages over current substitution medications
An exploratory test conducted in Austria demonstrated that patients receiving slow-release Morphine in substitution treatment reported lower rates of additional heroin (22.4 % vs. 35.1 %), cocaine (40.9 % vs. 58.3 %) and benzodiazepine (74.1 % vs. 88.9 %) consumption than those receiving methadone. (7)
An open-label crossover study from Australia investigated the transfer of eighteen methadone maintenance patients from methadone to slow-release oral Morphine. Patient outcomes were assessed (1) during the transition between medications (dose requirements, withdrawal severity) and (2) after at least 4 weeks on a stable dose of each drug (treatment preference, patient ratings of treatment efficacy and acceptability, drug use, health, depression and sleep). Transfer from methadone to slow-release oral Morphine was associated with relatively mild withdrawal for the first 5 days; the final average slow-release oral Morphine/methadone dose ratio was 4.6/1. Compared to methadone, slow-release oral morphine was associated with improved social functioning, weight loss, fewer and less troublesome side-effects, greater drug liking, reduced heroin craving, an enhanced sense of feeling 'normal' and similar outcomes for unsanctioned drug use, depression and health. The majority of subjects preferred slow-release oral Morphine (78%) over methadone (22%). (8)
A 14-week randomized, double-blind, double-dummy, cross-over study compared oral slow-release Morphine with methadone as a treatment for opioid dependency. No significant differences in retention or use of illicit substances (opioids, benzodiazepines, cocaine) were observed, irrespective of treatment group or medication. However, patients receiving slow-release Morphine had significantly lower depression (P < 0.001) and anxiety scores (P = 0.008) and fewer physical complaints (P < 0.001). The authors concluded that oral slow-release Morphine is as effective as methadone in the treatment of opioid dependency, with comparable safety and tolerance and a greater benefit on patient wellbeing. Similar results were obtained in an open-label, non-comparative, single-centre test that evaluated the safety and efficiency of once-daily treatment with slow-release oral Morphine capsules for the maintenance treatment of 20 outpatients with heroin dependency over 6 months at the National Institute for Addictions in Sofia, Bulgaria and in an open label, single-centre test with 110 patients, in which 103 patients (94%) reported significant improvements. (9)
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morphine 01.04.2010
[2] Withdrawal from chronic morphine administration causes prolonged enhancement of immobility in rat forced swimming test, Anraku T, Ikegaya Y, Matsuki N, Nishiyama N., Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2001 Sep;157(2):217-20
[3] SPC MST Continus®, SPC Sevre-Long®,SPC Kapanol®
[4] SPC Substitol®, SPC Compensan®, Tincutra opii
[5] Retention rate and illicit opioid use during methadone maintenance interventions: a meta-analysis Farréa , Anna Masa, Marta Torrensb, doi:10.1016/S0376-8716(01)00171
[6] Eder H., Jagsch R., Kraigher D. Comparative study of the effectiveness of slow-release morphine and methadone for opioid maintenance therapy, Addiction. 2005 Aug; 100(8):1101-9. Kraigher D., Jagsch R., Gombas W. Use of slow-release oral morphine for the treatment of opioid dependence, Eur Addict Res. 2005; 11(3):145-51 Kraigher D., Ortner R., Eder H. Slow-release morphine hydrochloride for maintenance therapy of opioid dependence, Wien Klin Wochenschr. 2002 Nov 30; 114(21-22):904-10.
[7] Madlung E, Dunkel D, Haring C: Substitutionsmittel und Beikonsum bei Opiatabhängigen. Eine explorative Sudie unter besonderer Berücksichtigung von retardierten Morphinen in der Substitutionsbehandlung. (Substitution Treatment and Additional consumption of Legal and Illegal Drugs in Opioid Addicts – An Exploraty Study with Special Reference to Slow-released Morphine in Substitution Treatment) Suchttherapie 2006, 7:18-23. OpenURL
[8] Slow-release oral morphine versus methadone: a crossover comparison of patient outcomes and acceptability as maintenance pharmacotherapies for opioid dependence. Mitchell TB, White JM, Somogyi AA, Bochner F., Addiction. 2004 Aug;99(8):940-5.
[9] Safety and Efficacy of Oral Slow Release Morphine for Maintenance Treatment in Heroin Addicts: A 6-Month Open Non Comparative Study, Georgi N. Vasilev, Daniela Z. Alexieva, Rositsa Z. Pavlova , European Addiction Research Vol. 12, No.2, 2006
