35 replies to this topic

[adamh]

No, you can't buy happiness. You can buy comfort and ease, you can pay your way out of a lot of situations and extend that comfort to other people. This gives you some tools to create happiness. Without income or money its very hard to attain goals and to be happy. People have managed to create a happy life while living in poverty but its not easy, money makes it easier but does not guarantee the outcome.

 

Life is like a kit, you put it together yourself. Your skill in using resources, your ability to create a life plan and follow it along with other factors determine what you end up with.

[Galaxyshock]

I think happines is mediated by delta-opioid and serotonin receptors, whereas pleasure is mediated by mu-opioid and dopaminergic system in the brain. Kappa-opioid receptors on the other hand induce dysphoria and depression, but then again the main endogenous ligand for KOR, dynorphin, is 10 times stronger analgesic than morphine.

[Hip]

I think happines is mediated by delta-opioid and serotonin receptors, whereas pleasure is mediated by mu-opioid and dopaminergic system in the brain. Kappa-opioid receptors on the other hand induce dysphoria and depression, but then again the main endogenous ligand for KOR, dynorphin, is 10 times stronger analgesic than morphine.

 
I've spent some time trying to work out why ME/CFS patients like myself lose the "runner's high" feeling that healthy people get from exercise. 

 

I used to be a keen runner, mainly because I found short 1 mile run would make me feel so good immediately afterwards.

 

One theory for the mechanism behind runner's high is the the release of beta-endorphin during exercise, which stimulates the mu-opioid receptor, and to a lesser degree the other opioid receptors.

 

But ever since getting ME/CFS, I found that running and exercise no longer triggers the "runner's high". This might be because of a dysfunction in the endorphin system or opioid receptor system, which blunts the endorphin rush from exercise.

 

 

It's well-known that ME/CFS patients lose the mood-boosting effect of exercise. I can go for a run, and it will get my heart racing, and stimulate my metabolism with a good aerobic workout; but I don't get the feel-good factor afterwards, which is a disappointment. You do the exercise, but there is no opioid reward payback.

 

I'd love to figure out what has gone wrong in the opioid system to cause this loss of runner's high, so that I might do something to fix it. Beta-endorphin is released by the pituitary gland, and in ME/CFS the whole hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA axis) appears dysfunctional.

 

Beta-endorphin plays a role in immunity, boosting natural killer cell activity. So loss of beta-endorphin functioning might help explain why ME/CFS patients struggle to fully clear their viral infections. 

 

 

Beta-endorphin is also involved in the spiritual states evoked my mindfulness meditation, as such meditation stimulates the release of beta-endorphin. This may help explain the state of bliss or euphoria that meditation can achieve.

 

 

 

 

Edited by Hip, 19 April 2024 - 12:47 PM.

[Galaxyshock]

 
I've spent some time trying to work out why ME/CFS patients like myself lose the "runner's high" feeling that healthy people get from exercise. 

 

I used to be a keen runner, mainly because I found short 1 mile run would make me feel so good immediately afterwards.

 

One theory for the mechanism behind runner's high is the the release of beta-endorphin during exercise, which stimulates the mu-opioid receptor, and to a lesser degree the other opioid receptors.

 

But ever since getting ME/CFS, I found that running and exercise no longer triggers the "runner's high". This might be because of a dysfunction in the endorphin system or opioid receptor system, which blunts the endorphin rush from exercise.

 

Sorry to hear that, yeah beta-endorphin is linked to the runner's high. I think other endorphins are released too, including dynorphin probably. Do you get rewarding effect from alcohol or nicotine? I think their pleasurable effects are mediated through endogenous opiates. Agmatine, Rhodiola rosea and Phenylalanine may boost endorphin activity.

 

Some ME/CFS patients respond to low-dose Naltrexone I've heard? While it blocks opioid receptors it does increase beta-endorphin levels. I think DMT also causes a surge of beta-endorphin.

 

This brings me the eight-circuit model of consciousness again back to the mind: the first-circuit is considered necessary for bio-survival and is activated by opioids. So if indeed in ME/CFS there's initially life-threatening virus infection, this of course would damage the first-circuit of safety etc. and thus wreaking havoc on the opioid system? Just some pseudo-scientific speculation perhaps, but you get the idea.   Are there any anecdotes of using Iboga for ME/CFS? Iboga is considered sort of a "reset" to the opioid system, even curing heroin-addicts etc.

Edited by Galaxyshock, 19 April 2024 - 01:39 PM.

[Hip]

I find nicotine does alleviate my anhedonia to a degree; it seems to improve my sense of reward. So this reason, some years ago I started smoking e-cigarettes daily, and found this consistently made my anhedonia a bit better.

 

I only stopped e-cigs because after about 6 months of daily smoking, I started feeling some constant congestion in my lungs, like I could feel my lungs every day, and I thought this was not right. Of course now we know that e-cig smoke can have adverse effects on the lungs.

 

I've considered trying nicotine patches instead of e-cigs. Though from what I have read, nicotine in any form results in a carcinogenic effect (nicotine is not itself carcinogenic, but breaks down into tobacco-specific N-nitrosamines, which are cancer-inducing). Alternatives might be to try to stimulate the alpha7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor that nicotine targets by some other means. Interestingly, ivermectin is a positive allosteric modulator of the alpha7 receptor, so might have some reward-increasing benefits. 

 

 

I tried low-dose naltrexone, but unfortunately it seemed to slightly worsen my anhedonia, rather than improve it. And it did not seem to help my ME/CFS, so I stopped (surveys show LDN only works for about 10% of ME/CFS patients).

 

DMT I would not dare touch, even in microdoses, as I would be worried that it might worsen my existing mild psychosis-like symptoms. Though I've always found DMT trip reports that I read online fascinating. Interestingly enough though, there is a story online of a German ME/CFS patient who did several Ayahuasca trips. He found that while he was on the trip, his ME/CFS symptoms completely disappeared, and he was temporarily completely healthy. Though other ME/CFS patients have tried this without experiencing any benefit.

 

 

Iboga I tried a few times in micro-doses up to 200 mg. Since Iboga promotes emotions, I was hoping it might re-ignite my blunted emotions, which I have alongside anhedonia. This did seem to work the first few times I took a micro-dose, with emotions re-emerging. But then later it stopped working for me, even after taking many month's break from it. 

 

I don't think I would have to courage to take a full Iboga dose, as the Iboga trip is very intense, and my mental health is frail. 

 

 

 

[Galaxyshock]

Same, I use Nicotine gum to relieve my anhedonia. Didn't know it has cancer inducing metabolites, thanks for pointing that out. I try to limit my Nicotine use and seek other options.

 

Indeed strong psychedelics aren't really an option for us who have tendency to psychotic symptoms. That's pretty interesting Ayahuasca temporarily curing a ME/CFS patient. Yeah Iboga can be a difficult experience I've heard.

 

Not sure what I could suggest as you have probably tried pretty much everything for ME/CFS over the years. But the search continues I guess.