Think again before you take another dose of opioid to relieve chronic pain. A new study found out that instead of killing pain as opioids are supposed to, it may prolong the agony instead for many months.
Published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the latest research found out that opioids may actually worsen pain by sending signals to immune cells located in the spinal cord. The study team from the University of Colorado Boulder used laboratory mice to observe how opioids work inside the body, and the implications their findings may mean to humans (via Fox News).
First, a peripheral nerve injury sends signals to damaged nerve cells, activating glial cells that are responsible for removing unwelcomed waste and microorganisms. Once the person feels the first outbreak of pain, glial cells are awakened to work. However, after five days of opioid intake, glial cells work more than enough and sends off a signal from inter-leukin-1beta (IL-1b), a protein that can cause pain in the spinal cord and brain for many months(via Fox News).
In the U.S. as per American Society of Addiction Medicine, 1.9 million Americans in 2014 developed a substance addiction to pain relievers. Drug overdose is the number one cause of accidental deaths with 18,893 cases related to prescription pain relievers. On 2015, more than 20,000 Americans died because of opioid abuse (Fox News).
Opioids are prescribed by doctors to kill moderate and severe pain among their patients. The patient can eventually become dependent on the medication every time he/she feels pain, but a physician must be consulted for long-term use(via Patient).
Do you take opioids when you feel chronic pain? Based on your experience, did it work or not to relieve your pain? Share your story on the comments section below and follow Parent Herald for more news and updates.
