side effects of opioids. Opioids are a class of drugs naturally found in the opium poppy plant and that work in the brain to produce a variety of effects, including the relief of pain with many of these drugs. Opioids are substances that, when reaching opioid receptors, have effects similar to those of morphine. Medically they are primarily used for pain relief, including anesthesia.
Side effects of opioids
Side effects of opioids may include itchiness, sedation, nausea, respiratory depression, constipation, and euphoria. The euphoria attracts recreational use and frequent, escalating recreational use of opioids typically results in addiction. An overdose or concurrent use with other depressant drugs like benzodiazepines or alcohol commonly results in death from respiratory depression.
Opioids act by binding to opioid receptors. These receptors mediate both the psychoactive and the somatic effects of opioids. Opioid drugs include partial agonists, like the anti-diarrhoea drug loperamide and antagonists like naloxegol for opioid-induced constipation. They do not cross the blood-brain barrier but can displace other opioids from binding to those receptors.
Using Opioids-side effects of opioids
Opioid use does not come without risks. Regular use of these prescribed medications can increase your tolerance and dependence, requiring higher and more frequent doses. In some cases longer term use can lead to addiction (or what doctors will call “opioid use disorder”). Opioids, which can interact with diseases, too, should only be used if needed for pain, including if alternatives for pain control are not effective.
Be sure to review your current medications and disclose any past or present drug use with your doctor when discussing whether an opioid prescription is right for you. Also be sure to ask about alternative treatments.
Prescription Opioids
Oxycodone, Hydrocodone-Acetaminophen, Hydrocodone bitartrate, Hydrocodone-Homatropine, Hyrdocodone-Ibuprofen, Pseudoephedrine-Hydrocodone, Hydrocodone-Chlorpheniramine, Hydrocodone-Cpm-Pseudoephed, Morphine, Morphine-Naltrexone, Hydromorphone, Fentanyl Citrate, Fentanyl, Codeine Poli-Chlorphenir Poli, Acetaminophen with codeine phosphate/Acetaminophen-Codeine, Methadone+Methadone Hydrochloride, Morphine Sulfate, Oxymorphone Hydrochloride, Meperidine, Tramadol, Carfentanil, Buprenorphine
