Opioid Drugs (Part 1)
Pain is one of the worst sensations a person can experience. Thankfully, we have access to one of the most powerful classes of painkillers: opioid drugs. Some examples you might know of are morphine, oxycodone, heroin, and fentanyl. While these are excellent painkillers, opioid drugs are also one of the most widely abused and deadliest […]
Opioid Drugs (Part 2)
In Part 1, we discussed how opioids relieve pain by turning off certain neurons in our brain and spinal cord, activating the descending pathway of pain inhibition and deactivating the ascending pathway of pain sensation. In Part 2, we are going to apply these concepts of neurobiology to explain why opioids can be so addictive […]
Pharmacogenomics
Imagine this: you’re a new mother, having just given birth to healthy baby boy. Unfortunately, the delivery has left you with debilitating post-partum pain. Your doctor prescribes you a painkiller, which really helps but also makes you feel drowsy, tired, and sometimes constipated. At the same time, you notice that your son isn’t breastfeeding very […]