Drug Abuse and Alcoholism

Ref. 4 recommends the use of a COMT inhibitor for alcoholics. Ref. 5 found low CSF tryptophan in pathological gamblers.

Alcoholism

If Ref. 5 Russian researchers made rats alcoholic. Then they withdrew the alcohol. This resulted in abnormal amino acid metabolism. Several amino acids were abnormal including tryptophan. They suggested manipulation of the amino acids.

Ref. 7, a British study, reported abnormal tryptophan metabolism in alcoholism. There is a serotonin theory for alcoholism. Serotonin is an important neurotransmitter. It has been very controversial.

DMPEA

This drug, although not a drug of abuse, has structural similarities with notorious drugs of abuse such as mescaline. DMPEA is found in the prickly pear cactus according to Wikipedia. It is described in Alexander Shulgin's book PiHKAL, which is a book about phenethylamines. The book has a very peculiar title. The "P" is for "Phenethylamines".

Although useful for researchers such as myself, this book is a cookbook for illegal drugs. It was never banned because some amphetamines are used as medicines. I feel that this is a mistake. Ritalin (methylphenidate) is even given to children!

Phenethylamines

This is a class of mostly amphetamine analogs, although mescaline and DMPEA are in this class. Mescaline and DMPEA are not amphetamines. DMPEA is short for 3,4-dimethoxyphenethylamine. Mescaline is TMPEA.

A lot of strange drug names are in Shulgin's book including "Beatrice", "BOB", and many others. DMPEA is in there. My theory is that DMPEA causes schizophrenia. It has been repeatedly found in schizophrenics but not in controls.

Shulgin has also written other cookbooks for other classes of drugs as well as many scientific papers. He invented the drug "Ecstacy". Phenethylamines are related to dopamine, which is 3,4-dihydroxyphenethylamine. This is why they are so potent. However, LSD and other indoleamines are not in this class. They are considered more similar to serotonin. Also marijuana is not in either class. Shulgin has written on indoleamines and on marijuana.

Conclusions

Unfortunately Shulgin has been much like a modern day Timothy Leary. He takes his own drugs. I don't care for his book title. It is "Phenethylamines I Have Known and Loved". One should not love these drugs. It is like loving rat poison.

Nevertheless his book has value. I have previously discussed DMPEA in reference to schizophrenia (8-14). It is active in animals and its derivative, N-acetyl-DMPEA, also has pharmacological activity in animals.

References

1. The Alcohol Flushing Response: An Unrecognized Risk Factor for Esophageal Cancer from Alcohol Consumption Philip J Brooks, Mary-Anne Enoch, David Goldman, Ting-Kai Li, and Akira YokoyamaPLoS Med. 2009 March; 6(3): e1000050. Published online 2009 March 24. doi: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1000050. PMCID: PMC2659709.

2. Comparative Analysis of Alcohol Control Policies in 30 Countries Donald A Brand, Michaela Saisana, Lisa A Rynn, Fulvia Pennoni, and Albert B LowenfelsPLoS Med. 2007 April; 4(4): e151. Published online 2007 April 24. doi: 10.1371/journal.pmed.0040151. PMCID: PMC1876414.

3. Alterations in brain serotonin synthesis in male alcoholics measured using positron emission tomography.

Nishikawa M, Diksic M, Sakai Y, Kumano H, Charney D, Palacios-Boix J, Negrete J, Gill K.

Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2009 Feb;33(2):233-9. Epub 2008 Oct 31.

PMID: 18976348 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE].

4. Manipulation of catechol-O-methyl-transferase (COMT) activity to influence the attenuation of substance seeking behavior, a subtype of Reward Deficiency Syndrome (RDS), is dependent upon gene polymorphisms: a hypothesis.

Blum K, Chen TJ, Meshkin B, Waite RL, Downs BW, Blum SH, Mengucci JF, Arcuri V, Braverman ER, Palomo T.

Med Hypotheses. 2007;69(5):1054-60. Epub 2007 Apr 30.

PMID: 17467918 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE].

5. CSF monoamine patterns in pathological gamblers and healthy controls.

Nordin C, Sjödin I.

J Psychiatr Res. 2006 Aug;40(5):454-9. Epub 2005 Aug 2. Erratum in: J Psychiatr Res. 2007 Apr-Jun;41(3-4):370.

PMID: 16081105 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE].

6. [Effect of the composition of branched chain amino acids, taurine, and tryptophan on the amino acid metabolism in experimental models of alcoholism]

Smirnov VIu, Razvodovskiĭ IuE, Doroshenko EM, Ostrovskiĭ SIu.

Ukr Biokhim Zh. 2003 Jul-Aug;75(4):101-7. Russian.

PMID: 14681982 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE].

7. Tryptophan metabolism in alcoholism.

Badawy AA.

Nutr Res Rev. 2002 Jun;15(1):123-52.

PMID: 19087401 [PubMed - in process].

8. www.associatedcontent.com/article/1728112/mental_illness_and_homelessness.html

9. www.associatedcontent.com/article/1698919/advances_in_biological_psychiatric.html

10. www.associatedcontent.com/article/1680090/cuban_research_on_schizophrenia.html

11. www.associatedcontent.com/article/1680380/the_virus_theory_for_schizophrenia.html

12. www.associatedcontent.com/article/1676885/new_ideas_in_psychiatry.html

13. www.associatedcontent.com/article/1649109/mitochondrial_dysfunction_in_mental.html

14. www.CraigOlson.bizhosting.com