Opioids: Difference between revisions
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== Mechanisms == | == Mechanisms == | ||
Opioids bind opioid receptors — especially the µ-opioid receptor, with additional activity at the κ and δ receptors — found in the nervous system and elsewhere in the body. Binding at the µ-opioid receptor is associated with the analgesic effects of opioids, with their euphoric effects, and with respiratory depression, the mechanism by which opioid overdose causes death.<ref name="chemviews"/> As with medicines generally, that opioids bind these receptors is well established; the fuller relationship between receptor binding and the range of clinical effects — including the development of tolerance and of dependence — is more complex and remains a subject of research, and should not be regarded as a closed question. | Opioids bind opioid receptors — especially the µ-opioid receptor, with additional activity at the κ and δ receptors — found in the nervous system and elsewhere in the body. Binding at the µ-opioid receptor is associated with the analgesic effects of opioids, with their euphoric effects, and with respiratory depression, the mechanism by which opioid overdose causes death.<ref name="chemviews"/> As with medicines generally, that opioids bind these receptors is well established; the fuller relationship between receptor binding and the range of clinical effects — including the development of tolerance and of dependence — is more complex and remains a subject of research, and should not be regarded as a closed question. | ||
== Members == | |||
The opioids include compounds of natural origin such as [[morphine]] and [[codeine]]; semi-synthetic compounds such as [[heroin]] (diacetylmorphine), [[oxycodone]], [[hydrocodone]], and [[buprenorphine]]; and synthetic compounds such as [[fentanyl]], [[methadone]], and [[tramadol]]. [[Naloxone]] and [[naltrexone]] are opioid antagonists — they block opioid receptors rather than activating them. The list is not exhaustive. | |||
== Safety == | == Safety == | ||