Textbook Chpt. 11 Opioids

The initial positive effects of opioid use are short-lived and are replaced by negative mood states and increased psychiatric symptoms.

Long-term opioid use leads to tolerance, where the initial dose becomes less effective, requiring higher doses to achieve the desired effect.

When tolerance develops, the duration of the euphoric effect decreases, requiring more frequent use to avoid withdrawal.

The effects of opioids on mood differ significantly between experienced users and naive individuals.

The wide variability in individual responses to initial opioid use contributes to the fact that only a small percentage of patients who use opioids for pain develop addiction problems.

The potential of a drug to be abused, often determined by its physical and psychological effects and how easily it can be misused.

A drug formulation designed to slow down the release of the active ingredient, reducing the risk of rapid absorption and abuse.

The process of delivering medication directly into the bloodstream, bypassing the digestive system.

The way a drug is prepared for use, including factors like its form (e.g., tablet, liquid) and properties (e.g., tamper-resistant).

A property of a drug that makes it difficult to manipulate or alter its intended release of the active ingredient, reducing the risk of abuse.

The way a drug is taken into the body, such as orally (by mouth), intravenously (by injection), or by inhalation.

The relationship between the amount of drug taken and the intensity of its effects. Higher doses generally lead to stronger effects.

The positive subjective experiences associated with drug use, such as feelings of pleasure, euphoria, and well-being.

The tendency of an individual to repeat drug-seeking behavior, often driven by the pleasurable effects of the drug.

A specific type of drug that acts on opioid receptors in the brain, producing pain relief, euphoria, and other effects.

Opioids are drugs that work by binding to opioid receptors in the brain and body, leading to effects like pain relief (analgesia), cough suppression (antitussive), and side effects such as nausea, vomiting, sedation, and respiratory depression.

The spinothalamic pathway is a network of nerve fibers responsible for carrying pain signals from the body to the brain.

Opioids reduce pain signals by binding to opioid receptors located along the spinothalamic pathway, including the thalamus, spinal cord, and brain regions like the periaqueductal gray.

Opioids can also have side effects like nausea, vomiting, sedation, constipation, and respiratory depression.

Opioid use disorder occurs when someone develops a dependence and addiction to opioids, leading to cravings and withdrawal symptoms.

The widespread use of opioids for pain management has contributed to a significant rise in opioid use disorder and overdoses.

Morphine, oxycodone, and oxymorphone are some of the most commonly prescribed opioid medications.

Individuals with chronic pain often rely on opioid medications for pain management.

Opioid receptors that have the highest potential for abuse, primarily due to their role in reward pathways.

They are involved in mediating reward and addiction, though their exact role is debated.

These receptors are found in the brain's reward circuits and play a role in reducing reward and craving, acting as a counterbalance to dopamine surges caused by drugs.

A condition involving significantly slowed and shallow breathing, often leading to death.

A region in the brainstem responsible for controlling breathing rate and depth, along with key functions like vomiting and coughing

A region in the brainstem that acts as a 'sentinel', detecting harmful substances and triggering vomiting.

Opioids can induce nausea and vomiting by activating various regions in the body, including the vagus nerve, gastrointestinal tract, vestibular system, and the CTZ.

The ability of opioids to suppress the cough reflex, making them effective antitussives.

The process by which cravings for a drug intensify over time, even in the absence of the drug.

Environmental cues associated with drug use can trigger intense cravings and increase the risk of relapse.

When opioids are used for pain relief, they can diminish the euphoric and psychoactive effects normally experienced by people not in pain. This highlights the importance of context in drug effects.

The subjective effects of opioids can vary depending on the receptor subtype they bind to. Different opioids have different affinities for different receptors, leading to distinct experiences.

Opioids like pentazocine can produce euphoria at low doses by acting as a partial agonist at µ and к receptors. But at higher doses, they can cause unpleasant effects like sedation and dysphoria due to their full agonist activity at d receptors.

Opioids that stimulate the к receptor, like cyclazocine and pentazocine, can cause unpleasant effects like dysphoria, hallucinations, and psychosis even in non-opioid users.

Laboratory studies show that opioids are rewarding and act as reinforcers when administered parenterally or intravenously. This means they produce a pleasurable feeling that prompts people to want more.

Not all opioids are equally rewarding or addictive. Factors like potency, selectivity for specific receptors, and duration of action influence how much a person enjoys and seeks out a particular opioid.

Studies show that people's initial response to opioids, specifically their experience of euphoria and drug liking, strongly predicts their likelihood of abusing or misusing them later.

Opioids can cause a range of subjective effects like euphoria, sedation, dysphoria, and even psychosis depending on the dose, the individual, and the specific opioid used.