Combinations - Drugs, receptors, and tolerance

[bcStoner420]

Ok, so I was watching this movie about quantum physics, and somehow the topic came up about the brain, it's receptors, emotions/feelings etc. Anyway, it stated that the more something is taken into the body (not just drugs) the more receptors become available for it, and less are available for required bodily functions. Basically my question is this, if this was the case, wouldn't the more you use something the more effective it would be? I know this is the case for some drugs that have a reverse tolerance, but should it not also be that way for all drugs? Or did I miss something or misunderstand something?

[sands of time]

I think I see what you are saying, and the answer is no with drugs. When you use a drug for extended periods of time, you build a tolerance and sometimes receptors can burn out, or neurotransmitters can be depleted. Also, your body creates more enzymes to break down the drugs. In the case of opiates, if you use them for an extended period of time, your body stops releasing endorphins because your body thinks the opiates are the endorphins. When you stop using opiates, it takes time for your body to begin releasing endorphins again, so you go through a withdrawl. Many substances actually have an effect on the opiate receptors, not just opiates and opiods themselves.

Perhaps you could make an arguement that marijuana behaves in the way you are talking about, because not everyone gets high the 1st, 2nd or even 3rd time. It's almost as though the receptors must be tickled a few times before you get the high.

[Alfa]

I moved it here, because this is where it belongs. I deleted your second topic.

[bcStoner420]

Thanks sands of time, that makes sense. As for sometimes not being able to get high off drugs until you've tried them a couple times or more, that is actually probly why I remembered this fact from the movie, because when I saw it I though "so thats why that happens". I always wondered why you sometimes didn't get high the first couple times or so and when I heard this, it made so much sense. SWIM has personally experienced not getting high the first 1 or 2 times with a few different drugs, he finds many people most commonly have this happen when first trying marijuana or opiates.