Pain Relief Without Side Effects and Addiction

[SheltieLover]

https://neurosciencenews.com/pain-adrenalin-receptor-21675/

Summary: Researchers have developed a new substance that activates adrenalin receptors rather than opioid receptors to help relieve chronic pain. The new compounds have similar pain-relieving qualities as opioids but do not appear to induce respiratory depression or addiction.

New substances that activate adrenalin receptors instead of opioid receptors have a similar pain-relieving effect to opiates, but without the negative aspects such as respiratory depression and addiction.

More at link.

[yankee87]

1. Future help

While I read through the article, the research is in the testing phase.

[hlthe2b]

2. Promising, but there is already a tendency to combine multiples of these neuroactive chemicals

in both human and veterinary medicine (in the latter for purposes of anxiety reduction as much as pain reduction). While some of these can reduce the perception of pain (e.g., gabapentin, amantadine, clonidine) and are not specifically the types of neurochemicals that interact negatively with some of the other pain meds, when combined with others (e.g, serotonin reuptake inhibitors like Prozac or tricyclic antidepressives (e.g., trazodone) that likewise modulate serotonin) serious complications can arise. Such a combination use is meant to improve duration times or to reduce the need for NSAIDs, much less, opiates, but has a potential for some potentially deadly combined toxicity (e.g., serotonin syndrome).

So, as much as I look forward to more of these advances, I sincerely hope there will be less tendency to pursue the "full spectrum pharmacology" approach that combines these drugs all too "willy nilly." I see this now. I've seen deaths as a result.

[SheltieLover]

5. Ty for sharing!

[Warpy]

6. I'm also a little leery of this stuff

because I've had the rug jerked out from under me too many times as one of those chronic pain sufferers.

NSAIDs, when they first came out, were the panacea until long term use demonstrated their devastating effect on a lot of body systems, most notably the kidneys. Ditto the COx-2 inhibitors. Tramadol also turned out to be dependence producing (with a side order of SSRI dependence), and we know what a nightmare fentanyl has been.

Good old fashioned vomitous, constipation inducing, dependence producing opiates have proven to the the kindest to body systems, the problem is a social one. That's the dirtiest secret of the drug war, that it was an attempt to fix a problem that didn't really exist and has only served to replace benign drugs with more dangerous ones from the earliest days--it's how we got heroin, the first in a long line of non addictive pain treatments.

Untreated pain is fatal. People in constant pain get to the ends of their ropes and suicide their way to relief. There has got to be a better way than experimenting with a lot of unproven drugs and criminalizing the ones that work and the people who need them.

I stopped believing in panaceas a long time ago. I can see a real problem with this class of drug if it is stopped suddenly, one of rebound. One hope they are looking at this along with the holy grail of relief with no buzz.

[slightlv]

7. Egads, I'm so right there with you, Warpy!

I echo every word you said... even got published in an article about chronic pain sufferers being left behind in this day and age, how it effects us in our everyday life, and got to add some pretty choice words, to boot.

There's a lot of issues if they start messing around with adrenalin receptors. I would, no doubt, try it. But I'd be a hell of lot more worried about it than about the pain killers I've been on, since it took my doc and me a long time to come up with a regimen that approximately "works" for me.

Adrenalin has a lot of bad side effects, especially if you're overweight (which, thanks to my chronic condition, I no longer am). But from one who had to deal with adrenalin side effects for a long time and had to learn to master them, this sounds like just what you called it... a panacea... in a hurry in order to get opioids out of people's hands.

Truth... I didn't read the article, though I will later on. I may change my mind once I read it; but life is way too hectic and loud at the moment to concentrate on anything. I'm just sick and tired of the worlds opioid troubles being laid at our feet. No one can tell me that 3 pills over a 24 hour period is "pushing it" after the spinal surgeries I've had, not to mention the lupus and fibro. Without these meds, I, too, would seriously contemplate if life were worth living if all I had to look forward to was chronic, never ending pain. And one of the dumbest questions they ask every three months that I have to check in with the doc in order to get the meds renewed is, "are you depressed? Do you think the meds are making you depressed."

It's so obvious when listening to questions or listening to or reading someone's opinion whether or not they've ever suffered from pain that never lets up. And to answer a down further message, no... it doesn't just make you not care. That's what pot is suppose to be for, right? Except some of us still live in states too backwards and religious to allow it, even for medicinal purposes. You do what you have to do to live and have some kind of quality of life. I ain't got much, but with meds at least I can still make an effort.

[Warpy]

9. NM finally got both medical and recreational cannabis

and that's what I've been using since my rheumatologist has been among the missing (medical leave overseas). It does provide some relief, shoves the pain more into the background, but I really dislike the buzz. I had no wish to repeat the 60s.

Since we got recreational pot, I've heard about far less problem locally with both meth and opioids, something that other enlightened states already reported.

I'd really rather take the opioids, to be honest, they did a better job, didn't give me a buzz, and didn't even constipate me. Balancing the pain is what does it, I was never tempted to take more than the prescribed dose.

And that's another thing the drug warriors will never understand.

[slightlv]

10. Hubby told me that the "problem"

with opioids is actually with the person... that taking more than cuts the pain is because the person is trying to cut the emotional pain. It makes you feel you're lovable, and you can actually love yourself. Which, if you think about it, makes sense. Most addicts seem to be trying to reach for something that's normally out of reach for themselves - loving oneself. Heroin, hubby says, feels a big hole in some people, which is one of the reasons it's so hard to kick emotionally and mentally.

I've never had that problem. I long ago accepted people either really like me or they really hate me. I've got that kind of personality (gryn).

As for pot, I wish like hell KS would get out of it's regressivity and join the 20th century. But Brownback and his crew (many of whom are still in power here) took us back decades - and really pushed the morality issues. I don't mind pot's buzz... but everything in its place. A good buzz is great when gathering with like minded folks -- not so great for getting work done. That's what the pain meds do for me. It does cut the pain, and yes... to a degree, allows me to push the remaining to the background. But at least it allows me to clean house, tho at my own pace (not that it looks like it right now. lol!)

[Maraya1969]

11. I remember a study with rats and how they kept hitting the "drug" button when they

were alone but when they were in a socialized environment they didn't go for the drugs.

So drug abuse seems to be situational also. I take opiates and I write down every pill just because I tend to forget things. Before I took these I took massive amounts of Advils - which ripped my stomach up. Too many times people think that over the counter means it is safer. I don't think that is true and I bet a lot of people take too much Tylenol also.

[duhneece]

3. I have Trigemenal Neuralgia, opiates don't help at all

Gabapentin and other anti-seizure meds help …but I’ve had two brain surgeries when the meds quit working and look forward (if I’m alive that long 😂 to more research.

[slightlv]

8. I'm on an anti-seizure med for my fibro.

It's either that or anti-depressants. Well, I'm on Effexor and tried changing that med... boy, was that horrible! But the one thing that the anti-seizure med gave me that I'd never had before was the ability to truly tell the difference between the pain of my spinal problems and the joint and nerve pain of the fibro. It was amazing to be able to wake up and move my elbows without crying out in pain, first thing in the morning.

I can "go off" the pain meds... and do for about a week each month... without any issue, other than working hard to keep pain levels from topping out. But the Effexor? To go off it, I'd have to titrate it until I'm in the grave. No one talks about the "addictive" nature of these SSRI's. Of course, they're not addictive in the common sense, but you sure as hell can't go off of them without paying for it... and everyone around you pays for it too.

[multigraincracker]

4. Opiates don't do anything for pain..

Just makes you not give a hoot about it.

Hope this works.