Chapter 13 Flashcards
Opioids
how do we get opium from the capsules of Papaver Somniferum?
Growers cut slits into the pods and lets them dry, this white liquid is what becomes opium.
Mu Receptors
Mu Receptors are important for blocking pain and are a cause of addiction. As we can see from mice with no Mu receptors who are more sensitive to pain and do not become dependent to morphine.
Opium is very ______.
ritualized.
How can you take opium?
- Eat it
- Smoke it
- Inject it
What are the effects of opium?
- Euphoria
- Lethargy
- Pain reducer
Euphoria means:
extreme feelings of pleasure, happiness, and exitement.
Lethargy:
state of tiredness and fatigue.
what products have we changed opium into?
-morphine
-codeine
-heroin
Heroin is ___x more potent than opium.
3x
why does heroin get into the brain a little faster than morphine?
Because heroin is more lipid soluble than morphine.
what percent of heroin deaths were due to a combination of heroin with some sort of drug combination:
75%
Syringe
it was a more stable way to use drugs but created a lot of dependence.
Why were most people using morphine in the 1920s
They usually were people wounded in the war or got addicted from patented medicines.
Alkaloids are what
Naturally occurring organic compounds that contain basic nitrogen atoms.
what was the opium war basically about?
British went to war so that they could continue pouring opium not China against the wishes of the Chinese national governemnt.
What was the social perception of the people who were using morphine in the 1920s?
It was actually positive as they looked up to them as individuals who were most likely wounded in the war.
What are opioid antagonists?
An example is naloxone or nalorphine, and it can save a person’s life by reversing the depressed respiration resulting from a opioid overdoes.
What did people think was the “miracle cure”
-heroin
-morphine
-or opium?
Heroin. they thought it was the “non addictive treatment to morphine addiction.
What are the similarities and differences between heroin and morphine?
Heroin is basically morphine but heroin is more lipid soluble, meaning it gets into the brain easier and is more addictive.
What changed with opiates between the 60s and the 70s?
It changed from only socioeconomic areas dying from overdose to also upper class people dying. This resulted in the press being more interested.
What happened in the Vietnam war with opiates?
10-15% of the military were addicts and they got easy access to opiates and it was very pure.
What was “Operation golden flow”
Was testing pee to see what percent of returning GI’s showed positive for heroin and they found 5%.
1970 Comprehensive Drug Act and the Vietnam war
It was passed during the Vietnam war so it put stress on dealers and importers that created impurities in the drugs back in the states. SO when the GI’s came home most of them quit.
what was the rise in opioids overdose deaths, in three waves.
Wave 1: Rise in prescription opioids.
Wave 2: Rise in heroin overdose deaths.
Wave 3: Rise in synthetic opioid overdose deaths (fentanyl).
Morphine is an _____ for all three kinds of receptors but is strongest for ______.
Agonist; Mu
what are the three receptors that are involves in antinociceptive and analgesic mechanisms at both spinal and supraspinal levels:
Mu receptors: respiratory depressant
Delta receptors: Development of tolerance
Kappa receptors: Involved in sedation
where are the three receptors (Mu, Delta, and Kappa) found
- Intestines
- Spinal Cord
- Thalamus
- Brainstem
- Amygdala
- Basal Ganglia
- Ant. Hypothalamus
- Midbrain
what neurotransmitters resemble opiates and which receptor does it connect with?
- Mu= beta Endorphin
- Delta=Enkephalin (limited to chronic pain)
- Kappa=Dynorphins
How does the pain signals get interfered by opium?
It blocks incoming pain signals right at the synapse on the spinal cord.
How much more potent is fentanyl than morphine?
100x and it was intended for surgical anesthesia but has become a notorious street drug.
Hydrocodone
A common prescription drug for after surgery.
Oxyxodone
A common prescription drug for after surgery
Methadone
A long lasting opiate agonist used to prevent withdrawal symptoms for as much as a day.
