Opioid Receptors Essay

Quote "If we could sniff or swallow something that would, for five or six hours each day, abolish our solitude as individuals, atone us with our fellows in a glowing exaltation of affection and make life in all its aspects seem not only worth living, but divinely beautiful and significant, and

Schedule 8 drugs are medications that are considered to contain substances that may produce addiction or dependence; they are available for use but require restrictions on possession and use to reduce abuse and misuse (Koutoukidis, Stainton, Hughson, 2013, p 436).The Drugs and Poisons Act specifies the storage requirements for controlled

Opioid Crisis Continues to Plague America Steven H. Prassas Pensacola State College Opioid Crisis Continues to Plague America The opioid epidemic in America continues to grow at an alarming rate with no end in sight. All narcotics are derived from the opium poppy plant and then manufactured into different forms of drugs such as morphine, heroin, and other pharmaceutical and synthetic opioid drugs sold on the market for pain. Opium derived drugs block and suppress pain by binding to and stimulating the natural receptor sites for endorphins found in the central nervous system of a user’s brain. Patients who are prescribed narcotic drugs can quickly become addicted to the drugs because their body’s will stop producing endorphins and instead

Today all across America people are buying and selling prescription drugs and street drugs that are killing our youth and our elders. Opiates directly affect the central nervous system. Narcotics commonly known as "opiates attach to specific proteins called opioid receptors and can be found in the brain, spinal cord and gastrointestinal tract. When

As we see the further progression of the opioid epidemic within the United States, pharmacists become the frontlines to recognizing and providing care for these patients. It is however difficult to provide care for a patient when even the professionals within the medical community have an associated stigma attached to the use of these drugs. Patients who have a need for these painkillers recognize this stigma, and by doing so decide to avoid consulting their doctors and do not seek the care which they need. They do this to avoid the discriminatory treatment they receive both within and on the outside of the healthcare system, and to avoid the legal repercussions associated with the misuse and abuse of these products1. It is therefore the pharmacists' job to avoid the stigmatization of these people and respect those who use these treatments for legitimate medical purposes.

For thousands of years, opiates have been used in the treatment of pain. Opium is believed to have been discovered 6000 BC, and since then, it has had a huge impact on both medicine and the recreations of those seeking euphoria. More recent than the ancient discovery of natural opium are the derivatives of opium, such as the alkaloids morphine, codeine, and thebaine. From these alkaloids, semi-synthetic opiates can by synthesized, such as hydrocodone, and oxycodone. Synthetic opioids are also quite prevalent, which include fentanyl and tramadol. Opium can also be processed into heroin, a morphine derivative. As advancements were made in science and engineering to allow for a wider distribution and usage of opiates, the problems of dependence and overdose also increased drastically. According to Hart and Ksir (2013, p. 302), the invention of the hypodermic needle for intravenous administration of morphine and other drugs allowed for a much faster and more potent dose of the drug. With this increased potency came an increase in the possibility of a recreational intravenous user to overdose. Hart also mentions that some of the wars surrounding the era of the synthesis of morphine may have contributed to the rise of morphine, seeing as a medic soldier’s motto was always “first provide relief” (2013). This relief-driven attitude and extensive use of opioid analgesics in medicine during the time, in addition to the large amount of patent medicines and remedies on the market may

A Wicked Addiction Opioids, otherwise known as prescription pain medication, are used to treat acute and chronic pain. They are the most powerful pain relievers known. When taken as directed they can be safe and effective at managing pain, however, opioids can be highly addictive. Ease of access helps people get pain medications through their physician or by having friends and family get the medication for them. With their ease of access and being highly addictive the use and misuse of opioids have become a growing epidemic. Patients should be well educated on the affects opioid use can have. More importantly instead of the use of opioids, physicians should look into alternative solutions for pain management. While pain medication is helpful with chronic pain, it is also highly addictive, doctors should be more stringent to whom and how often they prescribe pain medication.

Opioid is the fastest addiction in Iowa. “These are not aspirin,” says Dale Woolery. You can’t mix these painkillers with any other pill or painkillers in fact. Opioid painkillers are 50 to 100 times stronger than any other painkiller, from prescription painkillers to illegal painkillers, which are a knockoff of Heroin. Opioid is in the class of most addicting and lethal pills.

Drug abuse is defined by the NIDA (National Institute on Drug Abuse) as a “chronic relapsing brain disease.” Drug addiction is a serious dilemma in the US such with that of opioid addictions. To first understand the importance of harm reduction to substance abuse like opioid, one must understand why it is classified as a harmful substance.

So how do opioids work? Opioids attach themselves to specific proteins called opioid receptors. These opioid receptors are found throughout the body including the brain, spinal cord, and GI tract. When an opioid attaches to a receptor, it can reduce the perception of pain. Through this coupling with receptors, opioids

The Solution Ouch! The dull, tingle of the pain has gradually escalated to a full on throttle that radiates pain in the lower back. When usually PM over the counter pills would easily make the pain disappear has been replaced by a small dosage of hydrocodone pill. Yet taking the opioid pill at nighttime can be easy for a good, restful sleep and just worry about the pain later the next day. A single dosage at night can be easily manage, for at least many people. A doctor’s advice and prescription to help chronic pain should be a patient’s responsibility, yet there are doctors who have been at fault for overdose deaths.

The report is a continuing study of how prescription drugs such as; painkiller, oxycodone, codeine, hydrocodone, fentanyl, morphine, epidemic and heroin can cause opioid addiction. People who are addicted to drugs can and will create long term damage to their body, which can bring medical issues, including lung or cardiovascular disease, stroke, cancer or AID’s. American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) researcher stated, “That opioids chemical causes the brain and nerve cells to produce pleasurable effects and relieve pain.” (Nora D. Volkow, 2014). Now, when that happens the brain will relapsing causing individual pathologically to pursue reward or relief from the controlled substance. (Nora D. Volkow, 2014). There was a study done in

Mechanism: Although the exact mechanism of action is not known, ketamine appears to be an agonist at CNS muscarinic acetylcholine-receptors and opiate-receptors. Ketamine

The metabolism of opioids takes place in the liver with the help of the enzymes (Serepell Michael, 2011). Metabolism refers to the process of bio transfusion, where the drug breaks down so that it can eliminate by the body (NCBI). The enzyme responsible for the codeine metabolism is CYP2D6, and it converts codeine into morphine (FDA, 2012). Morphine is glucuronidated to two metabolites with potential differences in the efficiency and the toxicity: morphine-6-glucuronide (M6G) and morphine-3-glucuronide (M3G) (NCBI). M6G is a µ- receptor agonist and causes the analgesia. Poor or rapid CYP2D6 metabolizers do not respond well with codeine, whereas, codeine toxicity reported in rapid metabolizers (NCBI). Both of this interferes with the normal

In contrast to ecstasy and cocaine, which increase the secretion of natural neurotransmitters by blocking transporters, ‘direct agonists’ imitate natural endogenous neuromediators and bind to their receptors. Heroin and cannabis are both examples of direct agonists.