Naloxone (The heroin “undo” switch)
12th July 2006
This drug is one that really has had a profound effect on the medical landscape, but you don’t hear much about it in popular culture. Naloxone, commercial name Narcan, is an opioid antagonist. An antagonist is a drug that binds to a receptor, without activating it. Contrast an agonist, which binds a receptor and activates it. Opioid agonists are drugs like heroin, morphine, codeine, etc.
The twisted-looking structure of naloxone was inspired by morphine, one of the first opiate drugs:
Morphine, of course, is an opioid agonist. Before naloxone, we had “mixed agonist-antagonists” - which was no doubt a nice spin to put on an opiate that didn’t work very well for much else! Naloxone is a pure antagonist. Where mixed agonist-antagonists were useful (in reversing heroin overdose, for example), they had their own set of problems. They still were opioids and were addictive.
Because of the relatively benign nature of naloxone, it is often administered in ERs before many questions are asked. If a comatose/unconscious patient comes to the ER, naloxone is a pretty safe first thing to try. It’s quite remarkable how well it can reverse opioid overdose: heroin users can revive effectively instantly after naloxone administration (albeit usually in incredible pain; having just had severe opioid withdrawal induced). It has been suggested that it be distributed to heroin addicts for emergency use for just this reason.
Night!
July 13th, 2006 at 2:31 pm
Oh great, now we can save all the heroine junkies, just what we need more of walking around.
how about finding a CURE for something rather than a way to save a bunch of worthless drug addicts?
July 16th, 2006 at 4:25 am
ignorant bigot
July 16th, 2006 at 4:51 am
Wow - What a profound insight you have there…
By taking the attitude that all junkies are worthless scum, you reveal yourself to be an incredibly ignorant individual with no grasp of the issues involved.
Further, you are just another one of the uneducated masses adding to the problem…
But don’t worry - you just carry on letting someone else do your thinking for you, and cling on to your ridiculously immature views. Let the real world wash right over your head.
July 16th, 2006 at 11:29 am
Hey blow me! How about not spreading your fucking political views all over a site about different molecules and how they work. It’s not the right venue, you stupid fuck.