Posted by JohnX on March 27, 2001, at 23:22:47
In reply to Re: PROBLEMS WITH DEXEDRINE:HEARING VOICES, posted by JohnX on March 27, 2001, at 20:10:59
> > I currently take 40mg of Dexedrine(Dextroamphetamine) a day .. When im in bed trying to get to sleep i hear weird voices and sounds.. They race through my mind EXTREMELY fast.. I also see bright Colors that move around and then turn into objects..
> > Also during the day i sometimes go into DEEP staring spells that it's almost hard to snap out of. When im in one, things change shape and color, my pupils get HUGE and im unable to move my body. I DO not have narcolepsy, epilepsy or schizophrenia, And all of this ONLY happens when i'm the medication.
> > What the hell is going on????????
> > Plus I don't want to be adviced to stop taking it or lower the dose cuz im already aware that i should do that, im just EXTREMELY curious as to what is going in my head.
> > Thanks
>
> Buddy,
>
> Please consult with physician about this asap.
> Repeated administration of psychostimulants like dexedrine have the potential to induce psychosis
> (hearing voices is a symptom). Its not unlike the psychosis reported in schizophrenia, although it does not mean you are schizophrenic.
>
> -JohnOh yeah, to answer your question on what may be happening in a physiological sense: it is possible that you are developing a hypothesis called "reverse tolerance". This hypothesis states that repeated intoxication with stimulants (such as dexedrine, or in a more severe case cocaine) results in an increased response to dopamine release in the brain. The thought behind this is that the post synaptic dopamine receptors typed "D2" are responsible for the decrease in fatigue, increased euphoria, and potential inhancement of mental acuity. The same receptors also are thought to control a feed back mechanism that slows down the release of dopamine into the synapse. When the stimulant artificially releases more dopamine the brain can adjust to this by creating more D2 post receptors or by making them more sensitive in order to use the feed back mechanism to fight off the extra dopamine. The paradox is that the chronic use of the stimulant will then be to invoke a greater response of dopamine into the d2 receptors. If this is strong enough, then it can lead to the psychosis symptoms.
If anyone else has heard of other hypothesis behind this, I would be interested in learning.
-john
poster:JohnX
thread:57705
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010327/msgs/57736.html