Could human endorphins be the next drugs?
Well Opiates (narcotics) mimic endorphins. Endorphins are often called opioid peptides. Both endorphins and opiates produce analgesia (pain control). It is because of endorphins that people can be painless, have energy, and feel empowered after a severe injury. This is a defense mechanism so that if you were to have several bones broken you could still continue to fight an enemy without the extreme pain. However endorphins do not cause the same type of dopamine release as opiates do. Dopamine is a “feel good” chemical and the that is released by addictive drugs in far greater amounts than the human brain could naturally release. It is partly because of the lack of dopamine interaction that would never allow endorphins to be abused. As another person said, endorphins can not pass through the blood brain barrier. So taking the natural drug will not enter the brain or produce any results. It took a lot of research to make L-dopa. L-dopa is chemically inactive but it can pass into the brai
