Is this a good idea?

[splooge gook]

I don't know much about how stomach acidity and other biological factors can effect the breakdown of XR pills, but say if when people are especially stressed/in pain/etc, they tend to secrete more of a certain hormone/chemical that could be found in the stomach, as well as probably throughout the body/

XR pills are basically instant release pills that last too long. If XR pills were designed so that their tendency to dissolve is only in acidic environments in reaction to stress/pain hormones that the body secretes. Then you would only need to take one pill a day, it would last all day long because it wouldn't be constantly dissolving, it would only kick in when you really need it (when your body is signaling that you're actively stressed/in pain). One XR pill might even last 2 or 3 days if you're having a particularly relaxed week. It would probably be difficult to abuse, and their wouldn't be recreational effects regardless of what dose you take orally, only your pill releasing a little bit of its contents when you actually need it.

[komokazi]

Stomach contents change all of this.

[Vulture]

You're describing something called feedback inhibition. Inside the stomach is a shitty environment to try to engineer it in though. You should think closer to whatever the drug physically targets.

[splooge gook]

Stress hormones such as cortisol and epinephrine are released by the body in situations that are interpreted as being potentially dangerous. The hormone regulating system is known as the endocrine system. Cortisol is believed to affect the metabolic system and epinephrine is believed[by whom?] to play a role in ADHD as well as depression and hypertension.

I dunno, maybe it's possible to have an anxiolytic sprinkled throughout a tablet that is basically as digestible as a pebble except the casing can be broken down or reactant to cortisol/epinephine (and possibly metabolites)

Or if the anxiolytic doesn't get broken down by stomach contents, but the pill itself is still digestible and gets absorbed into the blood and circulates through. Maybe it could also/only react with the hormones that are also in the bloodstream or the BBB? Basically as a prodrug that actually adapts to whatever it's trying to treat

[Brain surgeon]

I like the idea, it could get smarter people moving in a lot of interesting directions.

[RisiR]

I like the idea, it could get smarter people moving in a lot of interesting directions.

[RisiR]

I've just read an interesting German Wikipedia article and it looks like the lattice structure antacid Magaldrate does that to the pH of your stomach acid. Once it has reduced the acidity to pH 5 it becomes inactive because it needs the acidity to be released in the first place. The rest of the dose stays in the stomach as reserve so when the acidity increases and the pH drops below 5 it becomes active again. I sadly couldn't find much English info on it.

Lattice structure antacid. Magaldrate.

[Vulture]

How Magaldrate works: http://chemcollective.org/activities/tutorials/buffers/buffers3

It isn't the best example because it affects pH as opposed to targeting a specific compound in the body, but buffering can be a useful component of a feedback inhibition system.

[RisiR]

Awesome.

Feedback inhibition. Interesting.

Do you know anything about this and can you explain it to me?

 

Long term regulation of tyrosine hydroxylase can also be mediated by phosphorylation mechanisms. Hormones (e.g. glucocorticoids), drugs (e.g. cocaine), or second messengers such as cAMP increase tyrosine hydroxylase transcription. Increase in tyrosine hydroxylase activity due to phosphorylation can be sustained by nicotine for up to 48 hours. Tyrosine hydroxylase activity is regulated chronically (days) by protein synthesis.

 

Tyrosine hydroxylase can also be regulated by inhibition. Phosphorylation at Ser40 relieves feedback inhibition by the catecholamines dopamine, epinephrine, and norepinephrine. The catecholamines trap the active-site iron in the Fe(III) state, inhibiting the enzyme.

Is this Tyrosine Hydroxylase a good thing?

[Vulture]

Dopamine is normally maintained at a baseline level by feedback inhibition. Getting high disrupts/hijacks that system. Tyrosine hydroxylase is a good thing assuming you've eaten a lot of tyrosine (protein) and have a trigger to release dopamine, but it's pretty useless without having a dopamine reuptake inhibitor because it would just get broken down and any good feels wouldn't last very long. Cocaine, Ritalin et al are dopamine reuptake inhibitors.

[RisiR]

Thanks for the info.

Cocaine, Ritalin et al are dopamine reuptake inhibitors.

Do you think I'm dumb or some shit?

[Vulture]

Do you think I'm dumb or some shit?

Yes. You did post reply #8 ITT, amirite? 

[RisiR]

wat?