TsarBomba
05-21-2007, 02:24 PM
ok I came across this scientific study comparing morphine/heroin to other opioids in post-addicts and these were the results: THIS IS A MUST READ! VERY INTERESTING!
Morphine is a highly addictive substance. Its abuse potential is among the highest of all drugs known to man. Compared to other narcotic pain relievers, such as codeine, hydrocodone, and oxycodone, morphine is considerably more liable for abuse and dependence. More potent narcotics, such as, hydromorphone and fentanyl have high abuse potential, but still less then that of morphine. Only heroin, which is nearly identical to morphine, is comparable in dependence liability. Physical dependence and withdrawal symptoms can appear after only five days of administration. In a Japanese study, mice, which received morphine (10 mg kg-1 s.c.) twice a day for 5 days showed withdrawal syndromes such as jumping, rearing and forepaw tremor following naloxone challenge (5 mg kg-1 i.p.) on the 6th day.[18] Such mice exhibited a significant elevation of cyclic AMP levels in the thalamus compared to control mice.[19] Brown University Professor Julie Kauer and colleagues found as little as a single dose of morphine could contribute to addiction. A single dose of morphine can block a process in the brain associated with learning and memory for as long as a full day after being ingested. In a study, researchers found long-term potentiation, or LTP, is blocked in the brains of rats given as little as a single dose of morphine. The drug's impact was very powerful, with LTP continuing to be blocked 24 hours later -- long after the drug was out of the animal's system.
In a study comparing the physiological and subjective effects of heroin and morphine administered intravenously in post-addicts, the post-addicts showed no preference for one or the other of these drugs when administered on a single injection basis. Equipotent doses of these drugs had quite comparable action time courses when administered intravenously, and on this basis there was no difference in their ability to produce feelings of "euphoria," ambition, nervousness, relaxation, drowsiness, or sleepiness.[20] Although the heroin abstinence syndrome was of shorter duration than that of morphine, the peak intensity was quite comparable for the two drugs. Data acquired during short-term addiction studies did not support the statement that tolerance develops more rapidly to heroin than to morphine. These findings have been discussed in relation to the physicochemical properties of heroin and morphine and the metabolism of heroin. When compared to other opioids -- hydromorphone, fentanyl, oxycodone, and meperidine, post-addicts showed a strong preference to heroin and morphine over the others, suggesting that heroin and morphine are more liable to abuse and addiction. Morphine and heroin were also much more likely to produce feelings of "euphoria", and other subjective effects when compared to most other opioid analgesics.[21][22]
Diamorphine (Heroin) was derived from morphine in 1874. Heroin is approximately 1.5-2 times more potent than morphine on a mg for mg basis. Using a variety of subjective and objective measures, the relative potency of heroin to morphine administered intravenously to post-addicts found 1.80 mg of morphine sulfate equals to 1 mg of heroin.[15] Heroin, though not an alkaloid, is also an opiate. The pharmacology of heroin and morphine is identical except that the two acetyl groups slightly increase the lipid solubility of the heroin molecule, and thus the molecule enters the brain a bit more rapidly, making the heroin molecule slightly more potent.[1] The additional groups are then detached, yielding morphine, which is the molecule that binds to the opioid receptors and produces analgesia, sedation, and other effects. In this case, heroin is just a prodrug for the delivery of systemic morphine. Simply put, "heroin" is just a means of systemic delivery of morphine, and is is thus non-existent.[2]
Morphine is a highly addictive substance. Its abuse potential is among the highest of all drugs known to man. Compared to other narcotic pain relievers, such as codeine, hydrocodone, and oxycodone, morphine is considerably more liable for abuse and dependence. More potent narcotics, such as, hydromorphone and fentanyl have high abuse potential, but still less then that of morphine. Only heroin, which is nearly identical to morphine, is comparable in dependence liability. Physical dependence and withdrawal symptoms can appear after only five days of administration. In a Japanese study, mice, which received morphine (10 mg kg-1 s.c.) twice a day for 5 days showed withdrawal syndromes such as jumping, rearing and forepaw tremor following naloxone challenge (5 mg kg-1 i.p.) on the 6th day.[18] Such mice exhibited a significant elevation of cyclic AMP levels in the thalamus compared to control mice.[19] Brown University Professor Julie Kauer and colleagues found as little as a single dose of morphine could contribute to addiction. A single dose of morphine can block a process in the brain associated with learning and memory for as long as a full day after being ingested. In a study, researchers found long-term potentiation, or LTP, is blocked in the brains of rats given as little as a single dose of morphine. The drug's impact was very powerful, with LTP continuing to be blocked 24 hours later -- long after the drug was out of the animal's system.
In a study comparing the physiological and subjective effects of heroin and morphine administered intravenously in post-addicts, the post-addicts showed no preference for one or the other of these drugs when administered on a single injection basis. Equipotent doses of these drugs had quite comparable action time courses when administered intravenously, and on this basis there was no difference in their ability to produce feelings of "euphoria," ambition, nervousness, relaxation, drowsiness, or sleepiness.[20] Although the heroin abstinence syndrome was of shorter duration than that of morphine, the peak intensity was quite comparable for the two drugs. Data acquired during short-term addiction studies did not support the statement that tolerance develops more rapidly to heroin than to morphine. These findings have been discussed in relation to the physicochemical properties of heroin and morphine and the metabolism of heroin. When compared to other opioids -- hydromorphone, fentanyl, oxycodone, and meperidine, post-addicts showed a strong preference to heroin and morphine over the others, suggesting that heroin and morphine are more liable to abuse and addiction. Morphine and heroin were also much more likely to produce feelings of "euphoria", and other subjective effects when compared to most other opioid analgesics.[21][22]
Diamorphine (Heroin) was derived from morphine in 1874. Heroin is approximately 1.5-2 times more potent than morphine on a mg for mg basis. Using a variety of subjective and objective measures, the relative potency of heroin to morphine administered intravenously to post-addicts found 1.80 mg of morphine sulfate equals to 1 mg of heroin.[15] Heroin, though not an alkaloid, is also an opiate. The pharmacology of heroin and morphine is identical except that the two acetyl groups slightly increase the lipid solubility of the heroin molecule, and thus the molecule enters the brain a bit more rapidly, making the heroin molecule slightly more potent.[1] The additional groups are then detached, yielding morphine, which is the molecule that binds to the opioid receptors and produces analgesia, sedation, and other effects. In this case, heroin is just a prodrug for the delivery of systemic morphine. Simply put, "heroin" is just a means of systemic delivery of morphine, and is is thus non-existent.[2]