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Morphine Relief Without Addiction?

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the plop-plop-fizz-fizz dept.

Roland Piquepaille writes "Morphine has been used as a painkiller for decades, if not centuries. Unfortunately for patients, morphine is also an addictive substance. Now, Brigham Young University (BYU) chemists are using a vine plant that grows in Australia to develop a new painkilling molecule, but with fewer side effects. The Deseret Morning News reports that the BYU chemists hope to ease pain with hasubanonine, the synthetic compound they created and which has a similar molecular structure as morphine. Still, more tests need to be done before this natural drug can replace morphine."

3 of 308 comments (clear)

  1. Heroin by snowgirl · · Score: 5, Informative

    If I recall correctly, Heroin was originally designed the same way, or at least to help people get off of a morphine addiction.

    Oops! It turned out to be even more addictive, oh well, let's try again. hehe

    --
    WARNING! This girl exceeds the MAXIMUM SAFE standards established by the FDA for BRATTINESS
  2. Next up: Fire that doesn't burn you! by user9918277462 · · Score: 5, Informative

    Painkillers (opioid painkillers, specifically) are addictive precisely because of their analgesic effects. Addiction and analgesia are not separate traits, but rather two aspects of the same action. Anything that provides strong central pain relief (as opposed to peripheral analgesia as in NSAIDs) has at least some risk of causing psychological or physical dependence.

  3. Actually, Most People Don't Become Addicted by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    There is a small fraction of the population that doesn't get hooked on morphine and its derivatives.

    This is misleading. Actually, the vast majority of individuals who use opioids do not develop addiction. Everyone develops physical dependence and it's important to understand the difference. While physical dependence requires that long term opiate users taper thier dose of a long period of time, addiction (psychological dependence) occurs in only a few percent of opiate users.

    Opiate addiction is similar to alcoholism. The vast majority of alcohol users will never experience addiction disorder.

    For two years I took 60mg of time release morphine (Avinza) for fibromyalgia. Personally, it was much more difficult to quit drinking coffee than it was to taper off morphine (using oxycodone to taper).