Episode 13: Opioids part 1

In this episode of the ACCRAC podcast, Jed Wolpaw discusses opiate medications, beginning with their classification into naturally occurring, semi-synthetic, and synthetic categories. He explains the three main opioid receptors—Mu, Delta, and Kappa—and their functions throughout the body, detailing how opiates activate these receptors to inhibit pain signal transmission and modulate mood. Wolpaw covers the effects of opiates on the central nervous system, including analgesia, drowsiness, and mood alterations, and their impact on the MAC of inhaled anesthetics. He also addresses cardiovascular, endocrine, and respiratory effects, as well as issues like tolerance, hyperalgesia, urinary retention, nausea, and potential links to immunity and cancer, noting that this is part one of a two-part series.