In General, Are Serotonin Agonists Less Addictive Than Dopamine Agonists?
Question by Blue: In general, are serotonin agonists less addictive than dopamine agonists?
Best answer:
Answer by J.SWAMY I
Both act at receptor level .So must be equally effective
Answer by Mathieu
Dopamine is the “master molecule of addiction.” Dopamine is a reinforcing neurotransmitter so anything that brings you joy or things you want to do or are looking forward to doing is all due to dopamine. All drugs of abuse (not necessarily hallucinogens) increase dopamine. As a result the body can have urges and cravings for a drug because the brain is trying to get you to do something rewarding. Sex causes the release of dopamine more so than anything else (aside from drugs). Food also increases dopamine substantially. The reason why those two activities are so tied into dopamine is because it is necessary for the survival of the species for people to eat and have children. Since the brain sees that as most important it rewards more for that.
However drugs that are true agonists of serotonin and/or dopamine are not common. Amphetamines, cocaine, and antidepressants like Wellbutrin all act on dopamine but none are really agonists. Amphetamines and cocaine both work indirectly- meaning that they do not actually bind to the receptors. A few examples of dopamine agonists would be Mirapex and Requip. Both are non addictive prescription drugs used to treat Parkinson’s and RLS.
The purest form of meth (dextromethamphetamine) is so addictive because it releases about 1,200 units of dopamine. In comparison cocaine releases 200 units and sex releases 100 units for a very short time. So meth does not cause the physical dependence that a drug like heroin can but it releases so much dopamine that intense cravings can occur and addicts often lose all control.
Cocaine and Ritalin (methylphenidate) prevent dopamine reuptake, leaving more dopamine in the synapse and this making the neurotransmitters to bind to receptors more frequently. These two drugs also act on norepinephrine.
Amphetamines act on dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin. Amphetamines also have much more profound effects because they basically prevent dopamine reuptake like cocaine but amphetamines also inhibit the chemical that breaks down dopamine and amphetamines actually enter the presynaptic membrane (where neurotransmitters are stored) and then the dopamine or other neurotransmitter is dumped out into the synapse causing a huge spike in dopamine levels.
There are only a few actual serotonin agonists and they do not really cause addiction. Some hallucinogens are serotonin agonists for a certain type of serotonin receptor. The other major group of serotonin agonists are triptans, a class of drugs used to treat migraine headaches- Imitrex is a well known example. These drugs are not addictive.
Sorry about the rambling. Dopamine is the absolute centre of addictive drugs and addictive behaviors. It is not serotonin that convinces your brain that amphetamines are the most important things- dopamine is the cause. But serotonin agonists and dopamine agonists are not involved in the addictive process very much. So neither serotonin or dopamine agonists really cause addiction at all. But if you compared the SSRI Prozac which only interacts with serotonin (but not as an agonist) to the drug Wellbutrin which is a reuptake inhibitor for both norepinephrine and dopamine you would find that Wellbutrin has a bit more of a buzz. Antidepressants are not addictive (it is a simple fact) but when Wellbutrin was being studied to see if there is any addictive potential they found that it did have a low level of causing pleasant feelings but a small cup of coffee was shown to have far more addictive nature.
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