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Mon 26 Mar, 2012 02:34 am
Hi:
"Supermorphine" is a hypothetical medication that does not have any side effects or withdrawal effects. In addition, the user does not develop any physical or psychological tolerance to, addiction to, or dependence on it. The effects of supermorphine last a lifetime and only require the ingestion of one pill. Otherwise it is similar to the actually-existing morphine.
To make matters more interesting, supermorphine has additional effects. These additional effects of supermorphine occur together and intensify in a smooth, sine-wave-like, linear manner immediately after ingestion of one pill. Once these effect reach maximum extent, they last of the rest of the user's life. Here are the effects:
1. All voluntary muscles [including speech muscles; excluding breathing muscles] enter a state of complete relaxation. As a result, the user cannot move or vocalize but can still breathe.
2. Autonomic functions [such as breathing, heart rate, tear production, etc.] are no longer affected by the user's psychological state
3. Smooth muscles specifically involved in urination and defecation enter a state of complete relaxation.
4. Pupils constrict as much as possible
5. If/when a smooth muscle in a digestive/respiratory organ un-relaxes, it does so for a short enough time NOT to cause asthma, bronchoconstriction, diverticulosis, or spastic colon – regardless of commands from regulatory systems, or other conditions that would otherwise cause such a muscle to enter a state of tonic spasm. In addition, these muscles never “strain”.
6. Parts of the body’s regulatory systems the specifically control respiration alter involuntary breathing to ensure that:
6a. If/when the skeletal muscles involved in breathing relax, they relax completely
6b. The extent to which the aforementioned muscles un-relax is minimal enough that the individual cannot hear his/her own breathing unless he/she is in a completely-silent environment and consciously chooses to concentrate on the sounds resulting from respiration
6c. The maximum breathing rate is 10-breaths-per-minute
7. Voluntary control of breathing is lost; autonomic control is *not* lost.
8. If/when a cardiac muscle relaxes, it relaxes completely
9. The extent to which the cardiac muscles un-relax is minimal enough that the individual cannot hear the heartbeat or resulting arterial-pulse unless he/she is in a completely-silent environment and consciously chooses to concentrate on the sounds of the heartbeat or resulting pulses.
10. The maximum heart rate is 25 beats-per-minute
11. All blood vessels -- including capillaries -- dilate to full-width regardless of conditions that would normally causes these vessels to do otherwise.
All these effects require just one pill of supermorphine.
If any of you could somehow get your hands on a pill of supermorphine, would you take it? I would.
Regards,
GX
@Green Xenon,
Why would you take such a thing?
@rosborne979,
That was going to be my point as well.
What is the point of this medicine in its science fiction context. Where would the dramatic tension come from by a character or population of characters end up using this miracle drug?
If you are in fact writing a work or multiple works of science fiction then I can imagine you'd probably need a few decades to finish a single novel considering you apparently are too obsessed with the unprovable side effects to these incidental medicines that you seemingly force on your characters.
If we're talking about hypothetical ubermiracle medicines then why not a nanolaced capsule that effectively repairs and regenerates all living cells in the person taking it, effectively granting immortality to the taker? I'd take that given there weren't any major side effects involved in taking the medicine.
BTW: Do you have any medical training? It seems you have the medical curiosity and a little premed schooling but that's it. If you are in medical school it doesn't seem to translate too well in your stream of similar science fiction based research threads. Have you actually published any of these works of science fiction (the ones involving your past several dozens of science fiction based research threads? Or are you working on some kind of rambling and uberambitious medical epic? If the latter, I hope you are bogging yourself down with too much useless minutia....
I just reread some of the side effects:
Quote:As a result, the user cannot move or vocalize but can still breathe.
Why would anyone subject themselves to this permanent state of sheer unadulterated boredom?!
@Green Xenon,
Unless someone is really severe chronic pain and/or at the end of life, what would the purpose be of such a self-imposed medication regimen?
Your scenario where someone's heart-rate is 25 bpm, would have them unconscious and (probably-likely) intubated. When in the most relaxed sleep state, human HR seldom drops down below 50 bpm unless someone is a yogi and consciously tries to control their breathing for a short span.
Having no control of your bodily functions while being totally conscious is to have no life at all.
@Green Xenon,
Quote: "Supermorphine" is a hypothetical medication that does not have any side effects
Quote: supermorphine has additional effects.
Oh so they are to be known as 'additional effects' instead of 'side effects'. Does that make it better or even different?
Back to your first statement:
Quote: Supermorphine" is a hypothetical medication that does not have any side effects
Then what are these?
Quote: 1. All voluntary muscles [including speech muscles; excluding breathing muscles] enter a state of complete relaxation. As a result, the user cannot move or vocalize but can still breathe.
2. Autonomic functions [such as breathing, heart rate, tear production, etc.] are no longer affected by the user's psychological state
3. Smooth muscles specifically involved in urination and defecation enter a state of complete relaxation.
4. Pupils constrict as much as possible
5. If/when a smooth muscle in a digestive/respiratory organ un-relaxes, it does so for a short enough time NOT to cause asthma, bronchoconstriction, diverticulosis, or spastic colon – regardless of commands from regulatory systems, or other conditions that would otherwise cause such a muscle to enter a state of tonic spasm. In addition, these muscles never “strain”.
6. Parts of the body’s regulatory systems the specifically control respiration alter involuntary breathing to ensure that:
6a. If/when the skeletal muscles involved in breathing relax, they relax completely
6b. The extent to which the aforementioned muscles un-relax is minimal enough that the individual cannot hear his/her own breathing unless he/she is in a completely-silent environment and consciously chooses to concentrate on the sounds resulting from respiration
6c. The maximum breathing rate is 10-breaths-per-minute
7. Voluntary control of breathing is lost; autonomic control is *not* lost.
8. If/when a cardiac muscle relaxes, it relaxes completely
9. The extent to which the cardiac muscles un-relax is minimal enough that the individual cannot hear the heartbeat or resulting arterial-pulse unless he/she is in a completely-silent environment and consciously chooses to concentrate on the sounds of the heartbeat or resulting pulses.
10. The maximum heart rate is 25 beats-per-minute
11. All blood vessels -- including capillaries -- dilate to full-width regardless of conditions that would normally causes these vessels to do otherwise.
All these effects require just one pill of supermorphine.
Good to know those things above are only 'additional' effects and not 'side' effects. Yes, I am well aware that you might decide to argue that the side effects are temporary whereas by your own admittance these 'additional' effects are forever.
Quote: If any of you could somehow get your hands on a pill of supermorphine, would you take it? I would.
No I would not take it. Why would I want to be in a state where I was unable to speak or move, just lie there, silent, with urine pouring out and my bowels constantly unloading as well. That is not a life I'd care for.
@tsarstepan,
tsarstepan wrote:
That was going to be my point as well.
What is the point of this medicine in its science fiction context. Where would the dramatic tension come from by a character or population of characters end up using this miracle drug?
I don't understand the point or motivation behind GX's posts either. At first I thought they were some type of subtle viral marketing campaign for some unknown product, but then he came up with an odd post about being turned on by extremely fat old oriental women. Then I thought his posts might be some type of strange satire or just poor attempts at humor.
Now he's back to hypothetical medical chemistry, but this time adding that "I would take it".
@rosborne979,
That seemingly throw away confession of "I would take it" kind of points out that he may be having some serious drug related or health issues at hand. Some really really serious issues. The matter of whether these issues are real or a bit of melodrama released in expression of thread (hypochondria for example) is up for grabs.
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