NIH/NIDA: "Well-Known Mechanism Underlies Benzodiazepines' Addictive Properties"

This National Institute of Drug Abuse article focuses on the role of dopamine. Its subtitle is "Like opioids and cannabinoids, diazepam and other benzodiazepines take the brakes off activity of dopamine-producing neurons."

 

Check the end of the article for the research sources, i.e. with links.

 

https://www.drugabuse.gov/news-events/nida-notes/2012/04/well-known-mechanism-underlies-benzodiazepines-addictive-properties

 

This is the associated abstract:

 

"Neural bases for addictive properties of benzodiazepines."

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20148031

It's so old !

 

If I'm not mistaken, dopamine is more associated with focus, attention, possibly motivation but not reward.

 

Clonazepam has little affinity for alpha 1 so it's safe ...

"Safe" is not the word I'd choose to describe clonazepam. Anything but.

 

As far as the roles that dopamine play, here's a link to the Wiki entry on it:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dopamine

 

If you have updated or better info on this topic, by all means, share it here, please! Others might be interested in reading it too.

Interesting article, but it strikes me as odd that a benzodiazepine, which is a central nervous system depressant, would actually cause a surge in dopamine. One would think that it would actually suppress dopamine, along with serotonin and norepinephrine. I would think it's the very uncomfortable surge in norepinephrine that happens after the benzo dose is out of the system that would make a person mistake this for their baseline anxiety, making them think they need to take another pill. 

I posted it because I thought those folks who are interested in this sort of thing would be....well, interested in it! But it's probably not the last word the topic. I'd be interested to know if this type of study could be confirmed in human subjects.

http://prescription-drug.addictionblog.org/what-your-doctors-or-alexander-zaitchik-wont-tell-you-about-benzo-withdrawal/

 

The “Benzos Are Like Cocaine” Argument

 

Zaitchik’s article rests on the argument that benzodiazepines are addictive in the traditional sense of the word. Citing a study done by Dr. Christian Luscher and colleagues at the University of Geneva, Switzerland, and published in 2012, he posits that benzo users crave the dopamine surge that benzodiazepines, like other addictive drugs cause. Luscher also claims, “Now that we know that it’s the alpha-1-containing GABAA receptor that is responsible for benzodiazepine addiction, we can design benzodiazepines that do not touch those particular receptors.”

 

He’s moved into fiction here, because he doesn’t know this to be true (for many reasons, and he’s clearly stumping for more drug manufacturing. Let’s not forget that Switzerland is the home of the Valium manufacturer Roche). Luscher doesn’t touch on the problem of what causes the debilitating symptoms that arrive upon tolerance to the drug, dose reduction or cessation. That’s the real story of the dangers of benzos.

Interesting! Thanks for posting that, LorazepamFree. Again, I'd like to see what happens in humans, not just mice.

Lapis, did you read my signature - the drug I'm on 

 

LorazFree: it's complicated !

Right. It's just that you said it was "safe". I was referring to that word in particular. Anyway, we're all different in how we metabolize things.