Results tagged “opioid” from 60 Second Science

The news on painkillers like morphine and Oxycontin just keeps getting more exciting. A new study highlighted here suggests that when pain is caused by inflammation, tolerance to opioids is less likely to develop. In a model of inflammatory pain in rats, researchers found that the same dose of morphine continued to provide consistent relief.

The rats had pain from chronic inflammation in their paws. However, when opioid receptors in the paws were blocked, tolerance did later develop, showing that inflammation itself somehow prevents the development of tolerance, at least in the peripheral nerves.

This means that patients with conditions like multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis and cancer don't have to worry so much that opioid drugs will "stop working" and that they will constantly have to chase tolerance. As long as the underlying pain itself doesn't get worse, the drugs should continue to work.

Continue reading 'Opioids: No Tolerance for Inflammation!' >

Research published in Current Biology suggests that one reason we don't get hooked on on our endogenous "heroin" (endorphins and enkephalins) is that these natural ligands for the opioid receptor activate what can be seen as an "on/off" switch for the system, while morphine does not.

Consequently, the scientists engineered mice in which morphine does produce this effect-- and lo and behold, the mice were able to get pain relief from morphine, but developed less tolerance and fewer symptoms of withdrawal.

Continue reading 'Another crack at non-addictive opioids? Why we don't get hooked on our own endorphins' >

Some neat new research published in PNAS (though not online yet) offers a unique way of attacking chronic pain: gene therapy via spinal tap.

Continue reading 'Insert opioid gene here' >

For an indiscernible reason, the New York Times front-paged a story on “recovery communities” today-- looking at how some recovering addicts and alcoholics move to particular cities and neighborhoods to support each other in a drug-free lifestyle. But can these communities be improved, based on the latest addiction research?

Continue reading 'Of recovery communities and overdoses' >

A study just published in the Journal of Clinical investigation suggests a novel way of reducing the tolerance that can develop when morphine is given as a treatment for pain. But will this lead to the long-awaited “non addictive” opioid or is it more complicated?

Continue reading 'Is the "non addictive" opiate finally within reach?' >