Opioidiagonistit

Opioidiagonistit are a class of drugs that are considered to be physical opposites of opioids. While opioids are agonists, that is, they bind to opioid receptors in the brain and activate them, dihydrocodeine agonists bind to the same receptors but in a way that blocks the activation by opioids.

The most commonly known opioidiagonist is naloxone, which is an opioid antagonist. It is used primarily to counteract opioid overdose, reverse the effects of opioids or opioid-induced respiratory depression. Naloxone is a highly specific antagonist for delta opioid receptors, which makes it a slow acting antagonist for rapid reversal of opioids effects.

In the typical procedure of use, naloxone is administered intravenously, or intranasally, in cases where IV access is not available. Dosages vary widely depending on the method of administration and the severity of the overdose being treated. In postoperative pain management, naloxone is added to patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) mixtures to rapidly reverse undesirable side effects such as euphoria, bradypnea, excessive sedation.