This week’s topic deals with Opioid addiction. Opioids are a drug class which includes morphine, hydromorphone, hydrocodone and codeine. Opioids have been used for medicinal purposes, for example the administration of morphine for pain management. Opioids however present problems because of the fact that they are highly addictive. Understands the mechanism of addiction is important for expanding the positive medicinal uses and also for the treatment of addicts. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that has been researched intensely and shown to be released in Opioid use, leading to addiction. Neurotransmitters are chemical molecules found in the nervous system which send signals and are used for “communication” between cells; they play various roles in important processes from learning to hearing and the feeling of pain. Dopamine is responsible for the “pleasure” feeling associated with the use of many addictive drugs. Simply understanding the actions of dopamine however is not enough. In order to gain a greater perspective the actions of other chemicals in the brain must be elucidated. Glutamate, another neurotransmitter, has been shown to be another major player leading to opioid addiction. Understanding the actions of glutamate in the brain in terms of addiction, and its interaction with other molecules including dopamine can lead to future drug design and treatment options. A major issue with continued drug use is tolerance. Tolerance is undesirable for medical treatment with opioids because its purpose, decreasing pain, will no longer occur without increased dosage. In terms of addicts tolerance can lead to increased drug use, further addiction and dangerously high doses used. The following video shows one mechanism of how opioid tolerance is developed.
A Mechanism of Opioid Tolerance
Further information can be found from the following source article.
https://moodle.cord.edu/file.php/7816/GluR_and_DA_in_opiod_addiction.pdf
It is useful to put into context why research into topics such as this is important. The medical value is easily seen; for example if a patient was to sustain a painful injury this pain could be mediated with the use of a drug such as morphine, it would be important to control the addictive properties of such a treatment. In another vein many countries including the United States have a substantial drug problem and current methods of mediating this issue have been marginal at best. Incarcerating addicts often times leads to relapse upon release and a reoccurring cycle between imprisonment and falling back into addiction can easily occur. Being able to attack this issue from other angles; treating addicts successfully at a biological instead of social level could potentially lead to a reduction in drug related crime, less tax dollars spent on prisons, and a healthier country.
Understanding Opioids and Their Importance
