Intro to how opioids like hydrocodone work
Everybody this video is going to instruction to hydrocodone which is one of the most prescribed pills in america usually for its analgesic or pain fighting capabilities it usually comes in some sort of mixture with acetaminophen also known as tylenol and usually these mixtures have names like norco or lower tab or that sort of thing on the street hydrocodone is
Usually referred to as hydro or hydros in the plural form anyways this videos going to be talking about how does hydrocodone work and furthermore how do all or most opioids work opioids being all drugs like hydrocodone that have these effect on opioid receptors in your body and they all cause pretty similar effects just at varying intensities so hydrocodone works
On these series of receptors opioid receptors and either located throughout the body so a lot of people think well i was just in the brain or just in the spinal cord no these are these are located throughout the bayous all different kinds you know we’re talking about kappa receptors delt the receptors but the big only i’ll talk about is the mu receptor looks like
Something like that when you talk about your your spelling there but anyways you have mu-1 mu-2 and mu-3 receptors and hydrocodone other opioids they bind at varying affinities was what it’s called but basically they all bind to these receptors at different strengths so some bind really strongly some bind not very strongly but why we care about the me receptors more
So than like the kappa or the delta receptors in this video is because they bind to them you the strongest and these are where you know a lot of the business effects happen that we care about the people abused these drugs for that people use these drugs for medical yesterday is they bind these new receptors now these new receptors are located like i said earlier
All throughout the body so the brain you know in the cortex of the brain the thalamus the brain periaqueductal gray all these different areas of the brain also in the spinal cord also in peripheral sensory neurons so when you feel pain you filled throughs peripheral sensory neurons these opioids like hydrocodone are going to work even in your periphery so i’m
Going to draw a little brain here spinal cord is there it’s in the peripheral neurons that’s a terrible neuron but you know i’m talking about and then also it also has receptors in the gi tract which for those you who have taken opioids know that there’s a certain constipation or scoot a constipated of affect associate with taking hydrocodone other opioids that’s
Because there are muir centers located in all these different parts your body from that brain to the gi tract and real quick were to go through these new receptors mu1 that’s really going to deal with the analgesic for the pain killing part of the opioids so mu interceptors pain killing analgesia the bad part about the muon receptors is also is where a lot of the
Dependency forms in front of people addicted to opioids addicted to painkillers that sort of thing that’s because this mu one receptor which is where we do a lot of the pain killing it also has dependence new to receptors something i’ve been talked about yet but there’s also mute opioid receptors in certain parts of the brain that control our respiratory systems
Like the medulla right or the medulla depending on how you pronounce it the medulla controls our involuntary breathing and if we activate these receptors with an opioid well we’re going to actually decrease our respirations and this is where you hear about people being on long-term opioids or be on opioids and then they have respiratory depression not breathing as
Well the carbon dioxide increases that sort of thing there other effects associated with this mewtwo like meiosis which is really the pinpoint pupils excuse me all right it’s a tight little pupil that’s where you know the cops pull you over and wonder why your pupils are so pinpoint that’s because the mewtwo receptors being activated you know you you get a little
Bit of euphoria when you take hydrocodone that’s what the mewtwo receptor and a little bit of constipation mu3 we’re not exactly sure if you asked the pharmacist i’m sure they tell you they know exactly what it is but am you through receptor there might be something to do with vaser dilation might be something to do with a little bit of analgesia that sort of thing
But we’re not exactly sure them you three does but in the ones to know are this mu 1 is the opioid receptor so when you take hydrocodone or another opioid goes in your body attaches to this guy very strongly and cuts out your pain and makes you feel it makes you have liable to form an addiction to it and it also hits these mewtwo which makes you breathe less and
Have the pinpoint pupils now how do you remember that hydrocodone and opioids cause pinpoint pupils while you think about heroin which is commonly injected via syringe syringe makes a pinpoint pinpoint pupils i work for me yeah that’s pretty much it introduction of hydrocodone works through these newer scepters in the brain it can be very addictive that’s the introduction thing
Transcribed from video
How Hydrocodone (and other opioids) Works By Med School Made Easy
