Lecture 8 - Opioids Flashcards
Describe the analgesic pain ladder:
Step 1 - Mild
non-narcotics
1st choice = ASA
Alternatives = acetaminophen or NSAID
Describe the analgesic pain ladder:
Step 2 - Mild to Moderate
non-narcotics + weak narcotics
1st choice = ASA + codeien
Alternatives = codeine or Acetaminophen + codeine
Describe the analgesic pain ladder:
Step 3 - Moderate to Severe
moderate strength narcotics
1st choice = codeine or morphine
Alternatives = oxycodone, levorphanol, anileridine, oxymorphone
Describe the analgesic pain ladder:
Step 4 - Severe
strong narcotics
1st choice = morphine
Alternatives = methadone, hydromorphone
List 3 endogenous opioids
- endorphines
- enkaphalins
- dynorphins
Describe endorphins
- from pituitary and hypothalamus
- polypeptides
- from poropiomelanocortin and prodynorphin
- potent analgesics
Describe enkephalins
- from proenkephalin and prodynorphin
- pentapeptide ligands
- involved in modulated pain response
Describe dynorphins
- from proenkephalin B
- polypeptides
- physiological role not yet understood
Are opioids direct neurotransmitters?
No - they just make the neuron more likely to fire - but are not directly neurotransmitters
Describe the 3 Mechanisms of action?
1 - hyper polarization of nerves by opening K+/Ca2+ channels in 1st (receptor to medulla) and 2nd order neurons (medulla to thalamus)
2 - inhibition of ascending pathways in the CNS
3 - excitation of descending adrenergic and seratonergic pathways
What can opioids be used for?
- pain control
- sedation and anxiolysis
- can be used before anesthesia
What is the #1 cause of opioid death?
depression of respiration
List the 7 pharmacological effects of opioids
1 - inhibition of pain and pain perception
2 - sedation and anxiolysis
-drowsiness and lethargy
-cognitive impairment
-relaxation inhibition of pain
3 - depression of respiration (main cause of death from opioid overdose)
4 - cough suppression (opioids suppress the cough centre in the brain)
5 - reduction of intestinal motility (codeine used to treat diarrhea)
6 - pupillary constriction (KEY SYMPTOM OF OVERDOSE)
7 - nausea and vomiting (first stimulated, then inhibited)
_____ are used for pain, diarrhea, coughing, panic breathing (COPD)
opioids
What 3 things do we dose opioids by ?
by the mouth
by the clock
by the ladder
Briefly explain the WHO pain ladder (slide 8)
0-3: mild pain
- acetaminophen
- NSAIDs
- maybe caffeine
4-6: moderate pain
-codeine (mild opioid)
7-10: severe pain
-morphine (strong opioid)
If you are increasing to a stronger or different pain med, do you discontinue the original medication?
no
never
not in a million years
- *never stop the lower pain control!
- pain meds work by different mechanisms so you always want to keep the pain controlled and don’t want to take away any form of pain management
By the mouth:
-Oral dosing is ___ effective than IV
less
*because of first pass metabolism
Describe 3 points of by the mouth
1 - oral dosing has longer term effect requiring less frequent doses
2 - oral dosing avoids the highs and thus is less addictive
3 - oral dosing is safer in terms of overdose
Describe 3 points of by the clock
1 - uses less drug. It takes more drug to bring pain down than it does to maintain a person pain-free (maintain dosing)
2 - avoids the euphoria associated with release of pain, so less addictive potential
3 - avoids the development of chronic pain syndrome (from pain pathway rewirling)
What is the #1 problem with dosing by the clock?
Pt does not want to comply because they do not feel pain and do not want to become addicted
*have to explain to pt that by dosing by the clock, you are actually reducing risk of addiction
Describe points of by the ladder
1 - it assures that the safest and least potent drug required for any specific case is used
2 - avoids addictive potential because opioids (and strong opioids) are not used until required
_____ - weakest commonly used opioid and has the least addiction risk
codeine
codeine has ___% of potency of morphine
10
Potency of codeine is so ___, it is has it’s own special step on the pain ladder (possibly now shared with tramadol)
low
What is codeine used for?
pain
diarrhea
coughing
inhibit breathing
_____ = unique weak opioid agonist
tramadol
What is the main downside to tramadol?
expensive
Unlike other opioids, tramadol has two complementary mechanisms: describe them
1 - like other opioids, activates the micro-opioid receptor
2 - weak inhibitor of norepinephrine and serotonin reuptake
Tramadol has ____ potential for addiction and shows greater pain control
less
Oral dose of morphine has relatively ___ availability
poor (approx 20-30%)
onset of oral morphine?
15-60 mins
duration of action of oral morphine?
3-6 hours
IV morphine is ____ as potent as oral morphine
twice
duration of action for IV morphine?
almost immediate to 2 hours (high population variability)
Is oxycodone more potent than morphine?
yes up to 2X more potent
Oral bioavailability of oxycodone?
80% (remember that morphine has 20-30% oral bioavailability)
Oxycodone has a slightly ____ half-life than morphine
greater
You give oxycodone at ___ the dose of morphine for the equivalent effect
half
slow release form of oxycodone = ?
OxyContin
Oxycodone + tylenol = ?
Percocet
Oral hydromorphone onset = ?
15-30 mins
IV hydromorphone duration of action ?
3-4 hours
Peak effect of hydromorphone = ?
30-60 mins
Is hydromorphone stronger than morphine = ?
yes - 5X as potent
Where is hydromorphone used?
surgical settings for moderate to severe pain (cancer, bone trauma, burns, etc.)
Fentanyl is highly ______
lipophilic
Fentanyl is very _____
potent
Fentanyl comes as what dosage forms?
transdermal (patch)
sublingual
intravenous (rarely)
Fentanyl has ___ times the analgesic potency of morphine
80
Fentanyl has ___ times the analgesic potency of hydromorphone
10
latency of sublingual fentanyl?
7-12 mins
duration of sublingual fentanyl?
1-2 hours
What is sublingual fentanyl used for?
acute but temporary pain (fast onset, short duration) such as debriding wounds and breakthrough pain in palliative care
latency of transdermal fentanyl ?
12-17 hours
duration of transdermal fentanyl ?
72-96 hours
What is transdermal pain used for?
used in more severe pain (cancer, palliative care)
Sufentanyl is __x more potent than fentanyl
10
Naltrexone is an oral opioid ____
INHIBITOR
Naltrexone is a ??
reverse agonist (kind of considered an antagonist)
latency of naltrexone ?
15-30 mins
duration of naltrexone ?
24-72 hours
peak of naltrexone ?
6-12 hours
How does naltrexone work?
reverses the psychotomimetic effects of opiate agonists, reverses hypotension and cardiovascular instability
naltrexone is not highly effective in treating ??
opioid addiction
mainly due to compliance
naltrexone is effective to some extent in treating ??
alcohol addiction