In: Nursing
Question 1: Opioids have been used as our first line defence against pain for many years. In class, we discussed the need for opiods in society but also the potential dangers associated with these powerful drugs. Explain how opioids can be used to treat pain. What are the mechanisms at play? What locations in the CNS are most important in the context of pain? Explain why opioids can be used to self-medicate for psychological/emotional pain as well as physical pain. Are opioid pain killers addictive? If so, how? What structures and transmitters are involved? Provide at least 2 pieces of evidence to substantiate your answer.
Question 2: What is tolerance? List and explain all the different ways tolerance can occur that we discussed in class. Using amphetamines, opioids and nicotine as your examples describe how tolerance occurs and specifically which effects (behavioural/physiologicl) display tolerance.
Question 3: Explain why cannabis can be considered anxiolytic. Describe two different systems that contribute to the anxiolytic effects of cannabis. Be specific. What chemicals, systems, receptors and neurotransmitters/transmitters are involved in both systems? Provide one piece of evidence discussed in class that suggests the endocannabinoid system reduces anxiety.
1)Opioid can be used for pain management as it contains chemicals that relax the body and can relieve pain. It is used to treat acute pain from moderate to severe pain. Opioids like morphine, act as an analgesia by acting on neuronal cell membras. The presynaptic action of these to inhibit neurotransmitter release is the major effect in the nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system stimulates brain stem cells that control descending pain mechanism to release endogenous opioid into the dorsal horn. Different areas of the CNS like spinal cord and brain stem involved in pain.
2)Tolerance is a diminished response to a drug by the person, resulted by the recurrent use of certain drugs and the body adapts to the continued presence of the drug.
Psychological is when more of a drug is required to feel the mental reward of the drug.
Behavioural tolerance occurs with the use of psychoactive drugs like increased motor activity by repeated use of certain drugs.