Synthesizing such chemicals and selling them as drugs. For every drug out there, probably there is a compound in the brain that has the same effect. Less likely to have long term effects.-- Malakh, Jan 19 2001 Adrenochrome http://rhodium.lyca...ry/adrenochrome.txtYep, oxidized human adrenal extract is used as a drug. [Uncle Nutsy, Jan 19 2001, last modified Oct 04 2004] Safe Drug http://www.halfbake...om/idea/Safe_20DrugRelated discussion here. [hippo, Jan 19 2001, last modified Oct 04 2004] The Hedonistic Imperative http://www.hedweb.orgJoin. [dsm, Jan 19 2001, last modified Oct 04 2004] Just add a tear to the test strip...if the spot turns blue the brain is fertile.-- reensure, Jan 19 2001 PeterSealy,
The suggestion that one could get hooked on something "natural" seems a bit overboard, though just because something is natural, that doesn't mean it's good for you (read: arsenic). I mean, people don't shoot each other trying to score a "runner's high." Nor is addiction necessarily a bad thing, though it might be irritating to those around you. There's nothing dangerous about, for example, being "addicted" to a runner's high. Who are you hurting? Not even yourself, though your feet surely object.
The idea is to temper the unpredictable behavior of the bipolars, et al out there. That's why there's Xanax and lithium and stuff like that, but unfortunately, people tend to self-medicate with illegal street drugs that create a more immediate, though ephemeral, reaction. I think you'd be better off to go to a doctor and get a prescription than you are snorting something that has methane, butane and every other stomp-on-it carcinogen in it. A lot of people really do need medicine to fix what's going on with their brain synapses. It's not an imaginary thing.
I guess there's the issue of "being under a doctor's care." Well, that's not a guarantee of safety. I had a doctor so out of it on Xanax (speaking of it) that he actually wrote my aunt a prescription for BACON! No lie, he really did. Can you imagine taking that to the pharmacist? The next week, he was in rehab. I think she would have been better off consulting with a "licensed street dealer," which is what your suggestion leads to.
I think this suggestion is terrific. Of course, it's already happening, in a half-assed way. You can buy Xanax on the street, but the going rate is ridiculous. If you get it from a doctor, you can get it for $10 to $15 for 30 pills that are the generic version--but then again, there's that "office visit" fee that's even more ridiculous than the aforementioned street rate. So legality seems to be the issue here. If you make it legal to distribute it on the street, you've solved the price issue. But considering the power the AMA holds, that will never happen. Pity, too, because most of us could probably benefit from this.-- rachele, Jan 19 2001 Cocaine works by inhibiting the reabsorption of dopamine, thereby increasing dopamine levels in the brain. When this happens frequently, the body responds by producing less dopamine. This is the mechanism behind cocaine addiction.
In other words, the long-term effects of cocaine are due to the increased levels of a brain chemical. Thus, increasing the levels of that chemical by other, more direct means will probably have exactly the same effects.-- baf, Jan 19 2001 baf,
I won't ask why you're awake at this hour...-- rachele, Jan 19 2001 And I shall return the courtesy.-- baf, Jan 19 2001 Baf,
Ahhh...now this leads us to the benefits of Xanax! If you can't sleep, I highly recommend it. Then again, perhaps sleep is not an issue, you lucky person?-- rachele, Jan 19 2001 Baked, I think. Hunter S. Thompson claimes to have used the human adrenal extract adrenochrome as a drug in _Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas_.-- Uncle Nutsy, Jan 19 2001 rachele -- "I had a doctor so out of it on Xanax ... that he actually wrote my aunt a prescription for BACON!" Now THAT's exactly why I keep coming back to the Halfbakery. Thank you!
PeterSealy -- I strongly question your assertion that people get such bad addictions to "runner's high" that they neglect their families, etc. I mean, where are all the "runner's high" burn-outs, then? And surely such a phenomenon would have caught the attention of Hollywood by now.... like, Tennisshoespotting.-- danrue, Jan 19 2001 PeterSealy:
Don't get me wrong. I never said anything about "shooting up"! Ugh! That's just scary. I'm just talking pills here, and ones that are prescribed.
I definitely agree that "natural" isn't always good. After all, you can take too much Vitamin E, and it's quite harmful. Or, like I said, arsenic.
I've never met anyone who wacked out on a runner's high, but I'd certainly believe it. I'd believe almost anything.-- rachele, Jan 20 2001 IMO my running high feels better than running on adrenalin.-- reensure, Jan 21 2001 PeterSealy:
That bridge you're talking about? Already own it--it's rigged over a swamp in South Florida, if you're interested in buying a little real estate. At the very least, I urge you to jump off it!-- rachele, Jan 21 2001 I think a search of TriOx for divers will show similarities between the long term effects on the brains of technical divers and users of sedative benzodiazepines. rachele may prefer the beneficial side effects of xanax to other treatments, but I think I'll hold out for the next generation of GABA potentiators. While I'm waiting, any guesses on how much stimulation folks want?-- reensure, Jan 21 2001, last modified Jan 22 2001 Ingesting, smoking, shooting, whatever actual dopamine, norepinephrine(noradrenaline), serotonin, will be completely nonpsychoactive. Why? Because these actual neurotransmitters cannot cross the blood brain barrier. They are synthesized from precursors in the brain cells. Drugs that mimic or affect the reuptake or release of these neurotransmitters can cross the BBB, and therefore are psychoactive. This idea is quite half-baked. In fact, ingesting these chemicals would be a _very bad idea_ because these chemicals have effects on the rest of the body, which are generally not good in high quantities. Serotonin is not good for the hear, neither is dopamine. Noradrenaline stimulates all sympathetic organs, and would be very bad if used often. Noradrenaline also doesn't really even get absorbed into the blood stream if ingested.-- xthexjackalx, Jul 20 2001 An article on newscientist a while back was suposed to prove that you could become adicted to gardening...-- RobertKidney, Jul 20 2001 ... and baking, for sure-- daseva, Jun 18 2004 You can buy l-dopa (50% extract) nowadays, although maybe not in 2001.-- ldischler, Jun 18 2004 Yes, adrenochrome was in Fear and Loathing... It is actually a simple synthesis, but a very unstable substance. It breaks down in roughly 12 hours so you have a VERY limited time to use it. The substance in the movie was not adrenachrome, but an analog of it called adrenalutin. For any mad scientists out there...
if one wanted to, one would be able to fine the recipie for adrenochrome VEEEERRRY easily, and i assure ANYONE can do it, it's that easy.-- Chemwolf, Oct 15 2005 I think "runner's high" is fairly harmless because the life of a high runner is generally a healthy one: You get out in the fresh air. You meet people. You exercise a lot. You do things (such as improving your times) which are recognized as 'achievements', and which therefore help your social standing and psychological well-being.
Now suppose that, instead of running, you stumble on a way of getting the same natural endorphin rush which involves none of these benefits. This can lead to a less benign kind of addiction, which is why I'm boning this idea.-- pertinax, Nov 21 2006 This probably will not work because of the blood-brain barrier. How do you propose to get these chemicals where they need to go to be effective?-- cowtamer, Nov 22 2006 Pertinax
The runners high is now beloved to be due to cannabinoids, cannabis is supposed to work on the body’s receptors for 2ag and Anandamide.-- j paul, Aug 20 2011 random, halfbakery