analgesics Flashcards
what is an analgesic drugs
substances relive pain by exerting depressing action on the central nervous system
what is a narcotic drug
analgesic or pain-killing substance that depress vital body functions such as blood pressure, pulse rate and breathing rate
also commonly used for any socially unaccepted drugs
what are morphine, codeine, heroin and methadone called
opioids
have analgesic properties
what is opium
dried milky juice of unripe seedpods of opium poppy
what are the chief constituents of opium
the alkaloids codeine and morphine from which heroin is synthesised
those constituents are classified as opium alkaloids
process of harvesting opium
tapping the pod (cutting), can’t be too deep or shallow, can be done more than once
tapping normally done in later afternoon
secretion of opium was scrapped off the pod
on average how many milligrams of crude opium per pod
50
anatomy of opium poppy
skin of the poppy encloses the wall of the pod ovary, ovary wall consists of outer, middle and inner layer
plants latex is produced within the ovary wall and drains into the middle layer
the cells of the middle layer secrete more than 95% of the opium when the pod is scored and harvested
what are alkaloids
natural products that contain one or more nitrogen atom and are therefore basic in character
what are opioids
used to refer to any drug with an opium-like action, whether they be derived from the opium poppy, like morphine, or synthetic drugs such as methadone
effects of opioid drugs
at low doses they relieve pain and anxiety and if the dose is increased they produce a sedative effect
what is addiction
a primary, chronic neurobiological disease
addictive drugs stimulate pleasure and motivation pathways in the brain much more strongly than natural rewards
repeated exposure to these drugs can fool the brain into prioritising drug-taking over normal, healthy activities
opioids produce tolerance
a need to continue increasing the dose in order to get the same effect
opium and heroin timeline
1300 B.C Egyptians started to cultivate opium poppies for self-use and trade
1000 A.D The medical use of opium poppy seeds is widespread
1803 Morphine isolated from poppies by a German pharmacist
1874 Heroin is first synthesised from morphine by a chemist
1911 British Pharmaceutical Codex notes that heroin is as addictive as morphine
what class is morphine
A
where is morphine isolated from
isolated from juice obtained from unripe seed pods of the opium poppy
morphine is one of the most effective painkillers known
what is morphine
potent analgesic, its primary clinical use is in the management of severe pain. morphine is highly addictive and the body builds up a tolerance quickly
give 4 ways morphine can be administered
injected
smoked
sniffed
swallowed
what class is codeine
B
where is codeine found
in opium in small conc, most codeine used in medical products is synthesised from morphine
moderate to low, potency and dependency compared to morphine
what is heroin
the di-ester of morphine and its made from morphine via chemical reaction for medical or illegal use
is heroin an alkaloid
no as it is unavailable from opium poppy
what is heroin also known as
brown skag H horse gear smack
what class is heroin
A
heroin appearance
white powder when pure
street heroin can be anything from off white to brown powder and black tar or granular lump
give 4 ways of administrating heroin
smoked
snorted
dissolved in water
injected
alcohol group
OH
polar group, can form hydrogen bonding
ether group
C-O-C
less polar than OH, stable
amine group
C-CH-C
less polar, has basic property
ester group
C-C=O-O-C
less polar than OH, less stable than ether
carbon bonding
valency of 5
tetrahedral in shape
amine bonding
valency of 4
distorted tetrahedral
pyramid in shape
oxygen
valency 2
chiral carbon
all four substitution on carbon are different
South east asia
white type heroin
south western asia
brown type heroin
south america
black tar heroin
opium poppy growing conditions
grows best in warm climates with low humidity
requires moderate amount of water and during early stages of growth
long day photo-responsive plant so requires long days and short nights before will develop flowers
excessive moisture or extremely arid conditions will adversely affect the poppy plants growth and reduce the alkaloid content
