Endorphin PAK Details

Endorphins and Enkephalins are inhibitory neurotransmitters that are overproduced by the brain in response, primarily, to pain and physical exertion. They function by occupying neurotransmitter receptors that would normally be receiving pain signals sent from other parts of the body. By blocking the transmission of pain signals, they enable us to continue physical activity even in the presence of inflammation or injuries that might otherwise disable us.

In physically demanding situations, such as athletic contests, our bodies greatly overproduce both the stimulatory neurotransmitters that enable us to perform at high levels and the inhibitory neurotransmitters, such as Enkephalins, that dull the pain that typically accompanies extreme physical exertion. In addition to blocking pain, endorphins and Enkephalins work together with excitatory neurotransmitters. While excitatory neurotransmitters function to make us feel "up," the ability to produce endorphins in adequate amounts makes feeling "up" a pleasant and painless experience. The euphoric "high" often experienced by distance runners is the result of the release, usually following the point of exhaustion, of large amounts of endorphins.

The psychotropic substances that mimic the actions of the Enkephalins in the brain include morphine, the potentially highly addictive painkiller derived from poppy seeds; heroin, the chemically altered derivative of morphine; and a number of prescription painkillers, including codeine (which is also derived from morphine), methadone, and Demerol. Alcohol also mimics the effects of Enkephalins and endorphins. In addition to triggering increased endorphin production, alcohol can stimulate the production of the substance THIQ, which blocks out the experience of pain in much the same way Enkephalins and endorphins do. To describe a drunk person as "feeling no pain" is accurate at the biomolecular level.

All these substances have chemical structures that mimic the shape of the natural painkilling substances our brains produce. Their structures enable them to bind to and occupy pain receptors designed to accept enkephalins and endorphins. But there are important differences between the natural painkilling substances produced by our brains and the psychotropic substances that mimic their effects.

The process of communication by neurotransmitters also includes a recycling (or "reuptake") phase. After a neurotransmitter has passed along its message, it is often broken down and recycled to be used again. This provides a key to understanding how some psychotropic substances achieve their effects. Although the chemical structures of morphine and heroin are such that they can occupy endorphin and enkephalin receptors, these substances are chemically quite different from the brain's natural painkillers in all other respects. This means that they cannot be deactivated by the enzyme that break[s] down endorphins and enkephalins as part of the normal recycling process. As a result, they occupy pain receptors for long periods of time, intercepting the transmission of pain signals and causing a numbing of pain and, in higher doses, euphoria and drowsiness. Although this makes them highly effective painkillers, it also causes them to be potentially highly addictive. In addition, it means that overdoses can be lethal.