Drug info - Anyone tried using oxytocin?

[unico_walker]

The supposed hormone of love, used in large doses to cause women and horses to go into labor.



Its dirt cheap, verterinary supplies sell a large injectable vial for 5 dollars.

I am not keen on injecting anything but was interested in experimenting with low oral doses.

Has anyone here used it? How was it?



I was made curious seeing that one of the speculated actions of GHB euphoria is release of oxytocin by the brain.

[jsilv87]

oxycotin is pretty sweet. its most usually found in pill form [commonly mixed with large amounts of asprin] for pain relief, found by names such as oxycodone or percocet. its not as good as opium, but somehwat a substitute. it gives a great general feeling of relaxation, contentness, and euphoria. id definitely hit that shit up if i were you.

[hacnslash]

Originally Posted by jsilv87

oxycotin is pretty sweet. its most usually found in pill form [commonly mixed with large amounts of asprin] for pain relief, found by names such as oxycodone or percocet. its not as good as opium, but somehwat a substitute. it gives a great general feeling of relaxation, contentness, and euphoria. id definitely hit that shit up if i were you.

NONONONONONONO

oxytoxin is a peptide hormone: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxytocin

what you are talking about is oxycodone, an opioid. a *completely* different and unrelated chemical. Get it right people.

[coppafeel]

Definitely different than oxycodone....Its not an opiate in any way I am pretty sure...I am sure that it doesnt have any recreational uses

[radiometer]

Endogenous oxytocin is produced in the pituitary gland in the brain, and
although much of it goes out into the bloodstream and makes
contractions, some of it stays in the brain and raises the woman's pain
threshold. Pretty convenient system, as her body produces more
contractions and they get more painful, her pain threshold rises. Artificial
oxytocin - Pitocin or Syntocinon - goes in through a vein and can't cross
the blood brain barrier, so the mom gets more pain without raising her
pain threshold. Ouch!

^ from a childbirth site (oxytocin is used to artificially induce labor).

[Hyperreal]

Originally Posted by radiometer

oxytocin is used to artificially induce labor

That means if you OD you'll suddenly give birth in the middle of your trip, so be careful!

[hazeinmybong2]

Can't wait to get my hands on some of this, I feel a big deuce comin on.

[dextrolevo]

This stuff reduces tolerance to some familiar drugs, also does a whole lot more. Don't judge a book by its cover

[INodHardOhYeah]

This is hilarious, hey if your a girl you can get jacked off this all day as stimulation of the nipples or aereoles causes a release of oxytocin, release of oxytocin also causes "wetness" so don't be alarmed by this side effect.

[Alfa]

Scientists create 'trust potion'

A key hormone helps determine whether we will trust lovers, friends or business contacts, scientists claim.
Exposure to an oxytocin "potion" led people to be more trusting, tests by University of Zurich researchers found.
They report in the journal Nature that the finding could help people with conditions such as autism, where relating to others can be a problem. But one expert warned it could be misused by politicians who want to persuade more people to back them.

Oxytocin is a molecule produced naturally in the hypothalamus area of the brain which regulates a variety of physiological processes, including emotion.

It also acts on other brain regions whose function is associated with emotional and social behaviours, such as the amygdala.
And animal studies have shown oxytocin is linked to bonding between males and females and mother-infant bonding.
Reaping rewards
The Swiss and American team of researchers suspected the same effect may occur in humans and invited 58 people to take part in a "trust test".
The participants in the study played a game, in which they were split into "investors" and "trustees". The investors were then given credits and told they could choose whether to hand over zero, four, eight or 12 credits to their assigned trustee.
If the investor showed trust, the total amount which could be distributed between the two increased, but the trustee initially reaped all the reward.
It was then up to them to decide if they would honour the investor's trust by sharing the profit equally - or if they would keep the lot.
At the end of the game, the credits were translated into real money, meaning both participants had a selfish financial incentive.
Investors and trustees were either given oxytocin via a nasal spray, or a dummy, or placebo, version.
Of 29 investors who were given oxytocin, 13 (45%) displayed "maximal trust" by choosing to invest highly, compared with six (21%) of the 29 investors who were given the dummy spray.
Oxytocin did not change the behaviour of trustees.
In addition, when trustees were replaced by a computer, the oxytocin effect was no longer seen on the investors.
Possible 'abuses'
The researchers, led by Dr Ernest Fehr, say this suggests the chemical promotes social interaction, rather than simply encouraging people to take risks.
And they say it appears to over-ride obstacles such as the fear of being betrayed.
Writing in Nature, the team says: "Oxytoxin does not increase the general inclination to behave prosaically. Rather, oxytocin specifically affects the trusting behaviour of investors."
They suggest this is because people in the position of "investors" have to take the first step.
The scientists say their findings could potentially be used to help people with conditions such as social phobia and autism which can be linked to persistent fear and avoiding social situations.
"Our results might lead to fertile research on the role of oxytocin in several mental health disorders with major public health significance."
In the same journal, Dr Antonio Damasio of the Department of Neurology at the University of Iowa College of Medicine, US, said some might fear the findings could be used by those trying to gain people's trust.
"Some may worry about the prospect that political operators will generously spray the crowd with oxytocin at rallies of their candidates.
"The scenario may be rather too close to reality for comfort, but those with such fears should note that current marketing techniques - for political and other products - may well exert their effects through the natural release of molecules such as oxytocin in response to well-crafted stimuli. "Civic alarm at such abuses should have started long before this study."

Source: BBC

[Alfa]

Oxytocin and addiction: a review
by
Kovacs GL, Sarnyai Z, Szabo G
Central Laboratory,
Markusovszky Teaching Hospital, Hungary.
glkovacs@mail.matav.hu
Psychoneuroendocrinology 1998 Nov; 23(8):945-62

ABSTRACT

Neuropeptides affect adaptive central nervous system processes related to opiate ethanol and cocaine addiction. Oxytocin (OXT), a neurohypophyseal neuropeptide synthesized in the brain and released at the posterior pituitary, also is released in the central nervous system (CNS). OXT acts within the CNS and has been shown to inhibit the development of tolerance to morphine, and to attenuate various symptoms of morphine withdrawal in mice. In rats, intravenous self-administration of heroin was potently decreased by OXT treatment. In relation to cocaine abuse, OXT dose-dependently decreased cocaine-induced hyperlocomotion and stereotyped grooming behavior. Following chronic cocaine treatment, the behavioral tolerance to the sniffing-inducing effect of cocaine was markedly inhibited by OXT. Behavioral sensitization to cocaine, on the other hand, was facilitated by OXT. OXT receptors in the CNS--mainly those located in limbic and basal forebrain structures--are responsible for mediating various effects of OXT in the opiate- and cocaine-addicted organism. Dopaminergic neurotransmission--primarily in basal forebrain structures--is another important biochemical mediator of the central nervous system effects of OXT. Tolerance to ethanol (e.g. hypothermia-inducing effect of ethanol) also was inhibited by OXT.

[Alfa]

HORMONE INVOLVED IN REPRODUCTION MAY HAVE ROLE IN THE MAINTENANCE OF RELATIONSHIPS

"The hormone best known for its role in inducing labor may influence our ability to bond with others, according to researchers at the University of California, San Francisco.

In a preliminary study, the hormone oxytocin was shown to be associated with the ability to maintain healthy interpersonal relationships and healthy psychological boundaries with other people. The study appears in the July issue of Psychiatry.
"This is one of the first looks into the biological basis for human attachment and bonding," said Rebecca Turner, PhD, UCSF adjunct assistant professor of psychiatry and lead author of the study. "Our study indicates that oxytocin may be mediating emotional experiences in close relationships."
The study builds upon previous knowledge of the important role oxytocin plays in the reproductive life of mammals. The hormone facilitates nest building and pup retrieval in rats, acceptance of offspring in sheep, and the formation of adult pair-bonds in prairie voles. In humans, oxytocin stimulates milk ejection during lactation, uterine contraction during birth, and is released during sexual orgasm in both men and women.
Turner and her colleagues tested the idea that oxytocin is released in response to intense emotional states in addition to physical cues. Twenty-six non-lactating women between the ages of 23 and 35 were asked to recall and re-experience a past relationship event that caused them to feel a positive emotion, such as love or infatuation, and a negative emotion, such as loss or abandonment. Because massage done on rats had previously been shown to influence oxytocin levels, the participants also received a 15-minute Swedish massage of the neck and shoulders. Blood samples were taken before, during, and after each of the three events to measure baseline oxytocin levels in the bloodstream and any change.
The results, on average, were of borderline significance - relaxation massage caused oxytocin levels to rise slightly and recollection of a negative emotion caused oxytocin levels to fall slightly. Recollection of a positive emotion, on average, had no effect.
What surprised the researchers, however, was how differently each woman responded. Some participants showed substantial increases and decreases while others were largely unaffected.
"We decided to look at the interpersonal characteristics of individual women to see if there was a correlation with changes in their oxytocin levels," said Turner, who is also the director of Student Research at the California School of Professional Psychology, Alameda campus. "We found a significant difference between women who reported distress and anxiety in their relationships and women who were more secure in their relationships."
Different questionnaires, including the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems and the Adult Attachment Scale, were used to assess each woman's previous experiences with personal and close relationships. The results were significantly correlated with the recorded changes in bloodstream oxytocin levels.
Women whose oxytocin levels rose in response to massage and remembering a positive relationship reported having little difficulty setting appropriate boundaries, being alone, and trying too hard to please others. Women whose oxytocin levels fell in response to remembering a negative emotional relationship reported greater problems with experiencing anxiety in close relationships.
"It seems that having this hormone "available" during positive experiences, and not being depleted of it during negative experiences, is associated with well-being in relationships," said Turner.
In addition, women who were currently involved in a committed relationship experienced greater oxytocin increases in response to positive emotions than single women. The researchers speculate that a close, regular relationship may influence the responsiveness of the hormone, said Turner.
These preliminary findings bring up some intriguing questions, said Teresa McGuinness, MD, PhD, UCSF clinical psychiatry faculty member and co-author of the paper. Because oxytocin is released in men and women during sexual orgasm, it may be involved in adult bonding, said Turner. There is also speculation that in addition to facilitating lactation and the birthing process, the hormone facilitates the emotional bond between mother and child.
"Evolutionarily speaking, it makes sense that during pregnancy and the postpartum, both a woman's body and her mind would be stimulated to nurture her child," said Turner.
Oxytocin may also play a role in the higher levels of depression and interpersonal stress seen in women, said Turner. According to most psychiatrists, women experience depression twice as often as men and tend to be more affected by relationship difficulties. Turner and her colleagues hope that their work on oxytocin will guide future research on the psychiatric conditions of men and women.
"Our results provide the groundwork for further studies looking at the way hormones may be affecting human attachment," said Turner. "We know that oxytocin is one of the hormones that can facilitate bonding in other animals, but this is the first step in exploring whether it plays a role in the emotional behavior of humans." In addition to Turner and McGuinness, authors of the paper include Margaret Altemus, MD, assistant professor of psychiatry at Cornell University Medical College; Teresa Enos, PhD, a graduate of the California School of Professional Psychology; and Bruce Cooper, PhD, professor at the California School of Professional Psychology."

Source: http://www.ucsf.edu/

Reputation Comments on this post:

Thanks for all the info you shared on oxytocin.