Posted by chemist on January 17, 2005, at 11:38:50
In reply to Questions about reducing potential for addiction?, posted by goodegg on January 16, 2005, at 11:45:31
hello there, chemist here...the first question is, why the dosing regimen? is it hers, her prescribing doctor's, or a mutually-agreed upon regimen? the second question is, is this for ``fun'' or for a medical condition, such as back pain or a problem with muscle tension?
as for receptors, apples and oranges: the valium active metabolite binds almost exclusively to the BZ ligand binding domain of the GABA type A receptor. the result is reduced anxiety because increased GABA concentrations in the CSF inhibit otherwise excitatory neurotransmission. valium is used for muscle spasm relief - among the more common anxiolytic indication - hence my question concerning the diagnosis.
the opiate hits opiod receptors which are associated with immobilization of smooth contractile muscle, euphoria (in many cases, depending, of course...), and most notably, CNS depression of activities such as breathing.
valium is a drug with a relatively long elimination half-life and codeine is shorter-lived. the 2 on/2 off sounds like rationalization to me. the concurrent use of (broadly speaking) ``downers'' tends to reinforce the potential for addiction and in any event, there is plenty of valium (and the active metabolite, to be precise) in the bloodstream when the codeine boosts are given.
her logic is flawed: she might as well lower her dose of valium and take it daily. the assertion that increased dose while keeping to the 2 on/ 2 off plan is hot air. please do urge her to get some final thoughts from an M.D. who knowns about pharmacology.....
please do request that your friend outline the diagnosis and rationale: i am sure it is not unheard of, but the cocktail is not optimal in my opinion.....all the best, chemist
> There's someone in my life I care alot about who uses a banzo (valium) and a narcotic (codiene). She claims she keeps her usage to only two days per week of each substance. She said that keeping the two days of each together is better than days off in between because they remain active in the blood stream for at least two days since the last usage.
>
> Two related questions,
> First: She claims that using valium two days in a row followed by two days of codeine gives her a lower potential for addiction to either (excluding any other factors, such as personality tendencies, dosages, etc). The question is this. I know they both act on the central nervous system, but do they target/affect the same receptors and/or neurotransmitters? In other words, would using two days of a benzo followed by two days of a narcotic (or vica versa) be similar, in terms of increasing tolerance of either, as using four days of only the benzo in a row or only four days of the narcotic in a row (as I am suspecting)?
>
> Second: She also claims that (given the above as a constant, and exluding any other factors) the dosage consumed (lower or greater amounts) for any of the two days for either substances does not matter in terms of potential for addiction as long as she does not increase the number of days of usage (which I am doubting). Would this be accurate?
>
> To the best of your awareness, are there any innacuracies in her beliefs or errors in her logic? I'd like her at least to be well informed about what she's doing.
>
poster:chemist
thread:442747
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20050113/msgs/443134.html