There was a thread earlier this year about the Monty Python joke-weapon in WW II.
As Dr. Evil’s son pointed out, “Why don’t you just shoot them”?
If the body gets too much of a “good” thing, it passes out or otherwise goes into a shutdown mode --unless it comes on so fast that it overwhelms the body’s “surge protectors”. I’m thinking in this case of these unfortunates who drink themselves into an ETOH OD, and shut down their breathing and heartbeat brain centers. But generally, too much “pleasure” becomes pain, and then the body says “no, no more”.
The only exception to this I know of is the drug “Ecstasy”. As I understand it, serotonin is (very roughly put) chemical pure pleasure as far as the brain is concerned. This Ecstasy (MMDA?) —in “recreational” doses— triggers big dumps of this serotonin, producing ecstatic amounts of pleasurable feelings. The “weapon” in this is two-fold: 1.)Direct damage to the brain as a result of taking the drug, and 2.)The after effects of taking the drug.
Dealing with the latter first, I hear tell the “high” is followed by a marked “low” as the brain’s suppply of serotonin is at least for a while depleted. Theoretically, after exposure and “coming down”, an enemy might be too depressed to be motivated to take whatever action. But you could get the same effect easier, quicker, and more reliably with some king of light sedative.
Going to brain damage: Yes, it occurs from taking the drug. Or at least it can. While not everyone who takes the drug is noticably brain-damaged (at least more so than before), there are cases on record of severe brain damage occurring.
I’d like to link to a radiology image I have on file, but I don’t know how. I’ll give you some of the text here (moderators --The original is probably copyrighted, so do as you must):
"A previously healthy 29-year-old man was brought to the ER after being found in bed unconscious and difficult to arouse. He displayed abnormal posturing in the emergency room.
"Diagnosis
Anoxic/toxic brain injury
"Discussion
Symmetrical low attenuation pallidal lesions in adults are compatible with a diffuse metabolic insult such as hypoxia, global ischemia, or exposure to toxins. Presumably the more metabolically active areas in the brain are preferentially injured. These include the putamen, caudate nucleus, thalamus, parahippocampal gyrus, hippocampus, cerebellar hemispheres, brainstem nuclei, and cerebral white matter. The underlying event can be hypotension, hypoxia, hypoglycemia, or exposure to carbon monoxide, cyanide, barbiturates, or hydrogen sulfide. In cases of carbon monoxide poisoning, pallidal hyperlucency on CT may persist for months, and MR findings, which are compatible with hemorrhagic necrosis, may persist for years. Although brain injury is generally associated with a poor prognosis, the extent of cerebral white matter lesions may be a better predictor of outcome.
“This patient did not have documented hypotension, hypoxia, or carbon monoxide exposure. His toxic screen was positive for opiates, benzodiazepine metabolites, and amphetamines. Laboratory testing revealed acute renal failure, rhabdomyolysis, and liver injury with transaminitis. The overall clinical picture was compatible with exposure to 3,4-methylenedioxymethylamphetamine (MDMA), also known as “Ecstasy”. Use of MDMA has been associated with the multiple organ injury seen in this patient, including hypoxic brain injury and hemorrhagic infarcts. Laboratory confirmation of MDMA use in this patient could not be obtained.”
Also:
"Popular Drug Ecstasy Not Harmless Like Many Users Think
Effects of the Drug Just Now Being Understood
By Elaine Zablocki
WebMD Medical News
Reviewed by Dr. Jacqueline Brooks
July 24, 2000 – Distracted by the seemingly safe mellow high, users of the drug ecstasy don’t realize its profoundly harmful long-term effects on the brain, say researchers who’ve been studying the drug’s effects.
Ecstasy has become a popular drug among young people, often used at all-night parties called raves. It produces mild feelings of well-being and is reported to make users more sociable, one researcher says.
Current studies suggest the drug has its effect through a massive release of the brain chemical serotonin, which can affect – among other things – mood, behavior, memory, learning, appetite, sleep, temperature regulation, and heart function. This becomes a problem because, in essence, the serotonin is then “used up” and is unavailable to perform its day-to-day functions. Although the body tries to replace the chemical, it has a hard time catching up.
“Consumers are not aware that ecstasy risks include death from drug overdose and long-term damage to brain cells,” says Stephen J. Kish, PhD. “Here in Toronto, we now have about one ecstasy-related death a month. Three years ago, we had none. Young users do not realize the danger. The word is not getting out to them.” Kish is head of the human neurochemical pathology laboratory at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, and associate professor of pharmacology and psychiatry at the University of Toronto School of Medicine in Canada.
Since ecstasy is an illegal drug, data on its use is not easy to come by, but available information suggests use is increasing. In 1998, 1.6% of those aged 12 to 17 used ecstasy, up from 1.3% in 1997, says H. Westley Clark MD, JD, MPH. About 5% of those aged 18 to 25 used ecstasy in 1998, up from 4.6% in 1997. Clark is the director of the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment in Bethesda, Md.
A great deal of animal research has shown that when animals are given ecstasy, the serotonin levels in their brains drops and they develop and nerve damage. “This appears to be a long-term problem that can last over a year,” says Jim Winslow, PhD. He says that in the animal research to date, they have not been able to determine how long it takes to recover from the effects of ecstasy. Winslow is associate research professor at the Yerkes regional primate research center at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta.
In the past, some observers have argued drug levels used in animal studies were so high that similar effects wouldn’t be found in humans. Now a study by Kish, published in the most recent issue of the journal Neurology, reports the same effects in a person who used ecstasy over a nine-year period, and died at age 26. He started out using the drug once a month, but from age 23 onward, used it four or five nights a week. An autopsy of his brain found serotonin levels 50 to 80% lower than in people who had not used ecstasy. “That is a striking reduction,” Kish says
If people who use ecstasy experience a massive release of serotonin, followed by substantially lower serotonin levels long-term, that would explain both the feelings of well-being they experience while using the drug, and the long-term depression, anxiety, and other symptoms they experience once it wears off.
Recent studies of people who use ecstasy also suggest its use leads to the loss of reasoning ability and memory. In addition to lowering serotonin levels, it appears to permanently damage the brain cells that produce and use serotonin.
“There is now a large body of data, mostly in animals but also in humans, indicating [ecstasy] is highly toxic to brain serotonin cells,” says George A. Ricaurte, MD, PhD. “The study by Kish is very important because it shows these changes in brain cells occurring at dosage levels actually used by humans.” Ricaurte is associate professor of neurology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore.
The emerging data on the dangers of ecstasy mean parents really need to open a discussion about drugs with their children, Clark says. Too often, parents assume drug problems only apply to other people’s children. “You need to talk with them about drugs and alcohol,” Clark says. “While most don’t use drugs, a substantial number do.” "