Help For Addicts and Doctors?
One one my readers sent this to me:
Doug,
Here’s a fun link giving hope for a new additive treatment with opioid pain control. I’m pretty excited because the drug seekers faking dangerous symptoms are really the ones who still wear me down the most at work. I’m already prepared for this to be a major breakthrough that will almost fully ameliorate the terrible aspects of medical opioids. I’m also ready for all my worst patients to develop rapid allergies to it.
Reading the piece myself, I am not so sure.
The researchers said that opioid drugs such as morphine and heroin bind to immune receptors in the brain known as TLR4 which then act as amplifiers for addiction, ramping up the “reward” effect of drugs of abuse to a high degree. The new drug automatically shuts this effect down. “It really reduces the reward level down to the equivalent of food, sex, and hugs,” he told AFP.
He makes food, sex and hugs sound so trivial. Dude, that is all I live for now. Well, two out of three. You can guess which two.
Down to food, sex and hugs? That is what I live for now!
I think this was tried with Talwin NX. When I worked in ER, I don’t think the doctors could get most patients to take a prescription for it. At least, not once the patients found out it did not come with a ‘high.’
I doubt any patient seeking Opioids will go near a drug with the name Naloxone in it. Also the same research should likely apply to +Naltrexone which is orally bioavailable.
Lemme guess. Food and hugs? 🙂
He left out BBQ and college football. And the season is almost here!