Opioid dependence
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Opioid dependence
Psychological disorders
Mood disorders
Major depressive disorder
Suicide
Bipolar disorder
Seasonal affective disorder
Premenstrual dysphoric disorder
Anxiety disorders
Generalized anxiety disorder
Social anxiety disorder
Panic disorder
Agoraphobia
Phobias
Obsessive-compulsive disorders
Obsessive-compulsive disorder
Body focused repetitive disorders
Body dysmorphic disorder
Stress-related disorders and abuse
Post-traumatic stress disorder
Physical and sexual abuse
Psychotic disorders
Schizoaffective disorder
Schizophreniform disorder
Delusional disorder
Schizophrenia
Cognitive and dissociative disorders
Delirium
Amnesia
Dissociative disorders
Eating disorders
Anorexia nervosa
Bulimia nervosa
Personality disorders
Cluster A personality disorders
Cluster B personality disorders
Cluster C personality disorders
Somatoform and factitious disorders
Somatic symptom disorder
Factitious disorder
Substance use disorders and drugs of abuse
Tobacco dependence
Opioid dependence
Cannabis dependence
Cocaine dependence
Alcohol use disorder
Sleep disorders
Bruxism
Nocturnal enuresis
Insomnia
Night terrors
Narcolepsy (NORD)
Sexual dysfunction disorders
Erectile dysfunction
Male hypoactive sexual desire disorder
Orgasmic dysfunction
Female sexual interest and arousal disorder
Genito-pelvic pain and penetration disorder
Pediatric disorders
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
Disruptive, impulse control, and conduct disorders
Learning disability
Fetal alcohol syndrome
Tourette syndrome
Autism spectrum disorder
Rett syndrome
Shaken baby syndrome
Enuresis
Encopresis
Psychiatric emergencies
Suicide
Serotonin syndrome
Neuroleptic malignant syndrome
Psychological disorders review
Mood disorders: Pathology review
Amnesia, dissociative disorders and delirium: Pathology review
Personality disorders: Pathology review
Eating disorders: Pathology review
Psychological sleep disorders: Pathology review
Psychiatric emergencies: Pathology review
Drug misuse, intoxication and withdrawal: Hallucinogens: Pathology review
Malingering, factitious disorders and somatoform disorders: Pathology review
Anxiety disorders, phobias and stress-related disorders: Pathology Review
Trauma- and stress-related disorders: Pathology review
Schizophrenia spectrum disorders: Pathology review
Drug misuse, intoxication and withdrawal: Stimulants: Pathology review
Drug misuse, intoxication and withdrawal: Alcohol: Pathology review
Developmental and learning disorders: Pathology review
Childhood and early-onset psychological disorders: Pathology review
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Opioid dependence
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Content Reviewers
Worldwide, opioids are the most common cause of drug related deaths.
The number of individuals who use them has quadrupled in the last 20 years, with an uptick in heroin use, an even bigger uptick in prescription opioid use, and a large number of people using both.
Because of their potential for addiction and overdose, opioids are regulated substances in many countries.
As a class, opioids share one thing in common—they bind to opioid receptors in the brain, spinal cord, and gastrointestinal tract.
Some are endogenous, meaning that they are produced naturally by the body, like endorphin, short for endogenous morphine.
But others are exogenous, meaning that they come from the environment, like heroin and morphine, which come from the opium poppy—a flowering plant that oozes a milky white liquid—while others like fentanyl are synthesized in the laboratory.
To understand how opioids work, let’s zoom into a region of the brain tissue that has opioid receptors.
Normally, in the absence of endorphins, inhibitory neurons secrete a neurotransmitter that prevents nearby neurons from releasing the neurotransmitter dopamine.
Now, let’s say someone goes to play a rigorous game of badminton.
Exercise releases endorphins which activate the three major opioid receptors located on the inhibitory neurons, called the mu, kappa, and delta receptors.
As endorphins bind to these receptors, they block the inhibitory neuron from releasing neurotransmitters, allowing the dopamine secreting neurons to freely unload dopamine.
The dopamine then gets picked up by a third neuron in the same area.
When dopamine release takes place in pain processing regions of the brain like the thalamus, brainstem, and spinal cord, the result is feeling less pain.
Summary
Opioid dependence is a medical condition characterized by compulsive use of opioids despite knowing the underlying danger, and developing withdrawal syndrome when opioid use stops. Opioids include drugs like morphine, heroin, codeine, oxycodone, hydrocodone, etc. The treatment for opioid dependence involves a combination of therapy and medications, with support from family and friends.
Sources
- "Robbins Basic Pathology" Elsevier (2017)
- "Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine" McGraw Hill Education / Medical (2018)
- "Pathophysiology of Disease: An Introduction to Clinical Medicine 8E" McGraw-Hill Education / Medical (2018)
- "Pharmacological therapies for management of opium withdrawal" Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (2018)
- "An examination of psychiatric comorbidities as a function of gender and substance type within an inpatient substance use treatment program" Drug and Alcohol Dependence (2011)
- "Cellular basis of memory for addiction" Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience (2013)
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