Transcript The Opiates, Smack, H and Tylenol III…….

The Opiates, Smack, H
and Tylenol III…….
Psychology 3506
Introduction
Anything like Opium (Morphine)
Opiates are natural
 Opioids are all
 Narcotic Analgesics

Sleep, no pain
 Narcotic has a legal meaning, so this is rarely
used any more

Introduction
So, there are natural and man made ones
Sap from poppy seeds
 Morphine
 Codeine
Heroin
diacetylmorphine
10 times as lipid soluble
‘semisynthetic’

Introduction
Synthetics
Methadone
 LAHM
 Levorphanol
 phenozocine

Longer lasting
Usually taken orally
A Little History
The Sumerians called it the joy plant
Used extensively in classical ‘medicine’
In 1644 the Chinese Emperor banned
tobacco

So everyone started smoking opium!
By the early 1800s the Brits loved it

They still do……
A Little History
1875 UK consumption was 10 PUNDS / 1000
people!
Morphine caught on
Temperance movement

Only physicians and pharmacists could sell it
In the US consumption was higher (13 lb)

Civil War
Administration and
Distribution
Parenterally injected, best route to the
brain
Oral administration is slow
First pass metabolism
 Easy to keep relatively constant levels
 Great for analgesia

Administration and
Distribution
Crosses Blood brain and placental
barriers
Some metabolites are also
psychoactive
Heroin is faster

Monoacetylmorphine
How’s it work?
Even before the receptor was found it
was pretty clear there was one
Molecular configuration related to effect
 Must be endorphins too
 Receptor sites discovered, six month later,
enkephalins and endorphins discovered
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Beta lipotropin in pituitary
How’s it Work?
Endorphins are found in vessicles

One of the key indications that you have a
neurotransmitter on your hands
They interfere with NE Ach and DA

Modulatory properties
Opiate Receptors
Three or four types

Mu

Throughout limbic system

HP and amygdila
Thalamus and locus coeruleus
 Responsible for most interesting effects
 Weak attraction = great effect

Opiate Receptors

Delta Receptor
Limbic system too, but do not overlap with mu
 Cortex
 Hypothalamus
 Nucleus accumbens
 Medulla
 Many antipsychotic drugs work on delta
receptors

Opiate Receptors

Kappa Receptor
Nucleus accumens
 VTA
 Hypothalamus
 Thalamus
Sigma Receptor
 Not just opioids
 Psychotic symptoms

Opiate Receptors
Periaqueductal Grey area is full of opiate
receptors

When in pain, these are stimulated
Amygdila

emotion
Respiratory, cough and vomit centres
REWARD SYTEM!!!!!!!

Well, there has to be some good reason to put a
needle in your arm……….
Effects
Nausea
Constriction of pupils
Disrupts digestive coordination
Drop in sex hormones
Decrease in REM

Vivid daydreams though
rush
Effects
Psychiatric like symptoms
Increase in SMA in small does

Decrease with large does
Spontaneous social behaviour ()
Low Does

FI increase FR decrease
High Does

Both go down
Effects
Monkey, rats, will work for it
Can be discriminated from other opiates
Can be generalized to other opiates
Tolerance and
Withdrawal
Tolerance develops quickly

No surprise here
Withdrawal bad, but not as bad as sleeping
pills or martinis



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6-30 hr
restless
Hot flashes
Goose bumps
Jerky breathing
Puking et al
Kicking the habit
Self Administration
chipping
Maturing out
Titrated when available
Injected, snorted smoked
Monkeys will mainline morphine!
If its this fun, it can’t be
good for you……
Coma

No surprise here
OD
Cut with bad stuff
 Loss of tolerance (shooting gallery effect
 Mixing with other respiratory depressants

More Bad Stuff
Constipation
Cancer?
Lifestyle
You get it from criminals
 You share needles
 You get AIDS (21% of IV drug users in the
States also are HIV positive)

Just Say no to Heroin
Reproductive effects
Sex hormones drop
 Low birthweight babies
 Welcome to Earth, this is your mother, this
is your father, the withdrawal symptoms will
be over in a couple of days….
 More illnesses after birth

Treatement
Willpower
Synanon
Antagonist Therapy
Maintenance
Methadone
 British System
 LAAM
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