I’m reading up on how the DEAs war on drugs is making is harder and harder for chronic pain patients to get medication for their condition out of fear that the drugs will end up on the street.
So I’m wondering has there been research into opiates that still kill pain, but do not cause euphoria (or possibly even addiction)? Seems like that would solve the issue more or less. Pain patients still get their meds but they don’t end up on the street.
I know there are lots of chronic pain treatments other than opiates. Things like anti-epilepsy drugs, tricyclics, various electronic devices, topical creams, nerve blocks, etc.
But as far as opiate medications, have there been advances on opiates that will not cause euphoria or addiction but still work to kill pain?
What about opiates in a topical cream? Various pain meds are available as topical creams, what about opiates? Do those cause addiction or euphoria problems?
Loperamide (Immodium) has been around since the 60s. An anti-diarrheal with minimal effect on pain is probably not what you mean, though. Apparently some people (may) abuse it. That sounds awful.
I think there’s some confusion about what is being asked.
For the specific question, “Are there any opiates coming … that don’t get you high?”, the answer is no, that’s not how opiates work.
For the more general question, “Are there drugs in development for pain that don’t get you high?”, the answer is yes. There are at least half a dozen in different stages of development, but I think they are mostly still in animal research stages at this point. It could be a decade or more, or never, before any of these drugs are available generally.
Heck, there are already a ton of painkiller drugs that don’t get you high or cause addiction. They’re just not nearly as effective as the ones that do.
I believe the answer to your specific question is “Yes”, since Imodium is an opiate that doesn’t get you high. It doesn’t kill pain either, but that’s not what your specific question asked.
Actually, I believe imodium does have both a pain-killing and an euphoric effects – it’s just such a small dose that these are almost unnoticed compared to it’s anti-diarrhea function!
My DIL has bad migraines. She is on some high powered stuff. She has a good doc who really understands her. He keeps her prescription updated, it’s harder and harder for him to do so now. Recently she had a pump installed to deliver the meds right to her head if she feels one coming on.
If you ever saw her in the middle of a headache you’d know she’s in serious trouble. It’s horrible to see. She had 2 surgeries on the back of her head for a weird thing about where her brain stem was getting squeezed. It had a name I can’t remember.
I am pretty sure the meds in her pain pump are opiates of some kind. It would be terrible if she couldn’t be helped. I think her life wouldn’t be worth living, like that.
Looking at the wiki page, looks like you’re right. I’ve never felt anything while on Imodium, and the effect must be pretty remote for it to be sold in quantity over the counter, but when you’re right, you’re right.
Minirant: my local Costco doesn’t seem to carry generic Immodium anymore. I haven’t checked the second Costco. The difference is they sell something like 400 pills for a few bucks, while the grocery store or pharmacy sells 24 pills for $8. And each dose is 2 pills.
Oh, what I wouldn’t give for an effective painkiller that doesn’t make you high! I deal with pain on a daily basis, hate the opioid high (Yeah, yeah, I’m a freak of nature.), and will only take it when the pain reaches levels where I can’t cope, so very rarely. NSAIDS don’t help…except twice when I’ve had ibuprofen injections. Magic! Alas, can’t be given very often.
I think cannabinoids hold a lot of promise. Cannabis is legal here, so I tried high CBD/almost-no THC capsules*. Nada. Someone said a little THC is necessary to activate the CBD, so I tried that. My blood pressure tanked, and I kept blacking out. But for many folks, it’s a godsend. I’ve read that pharmaceutical companies have been pushing for legalization of cannabinoids by Rx for quite awhile. IF that ever happens, I’m hoping they can discover strains that alleviate pain without the high.
*Tried weed as a teen, and it caused a panic attack. No, thanks.
I think you have to have an act of Congress to get long term opiates, now-a-days. My Daddy had a running script for something like 120 Tylenol 3s, every month. I remember thinking it was a bit much ( back in the 90s). He had chronic pain from a broken back years earlier. But, since we are trying to stem the hijack, I don’t think big pharma cares enough to really investigate pain relievers that work with no side effects or addiction qualities. The want to push toward meds that must be taken daily. It’s money in their pocket. It’s a racket, no doubt.
Loperamide does not efficiently cross the blood-brain barrier (technically its pumped out about as fast as it can diffuse in), so at normal dosages it does not produce any central nervous system effects. It is possible to take extreme amounts of loperamide and overcome the pumping out by brute force and produce CNS effects, and this is what people do when it is abused. The same opioid receptors responsible for euphoria are also responsible for pain relief and, as far as current medical science is aware, they are fundamentally linked. Meaning it is no small feat to approach how to create non-euphoric opioid painkillers and thus not surprising that goal has not been met as of this time.