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Where change begins.
Your body has an opioid system made up of receptors that interact with naturally made opioid compounds (endogenous opioids). Opioids activate the receptors, which then influence your mood and the ways you process pain. Opioid antagonists reverse the effects of opioids by blocking the opioid receptors. This guide will explain how opioid antagonists work and their use in medicine.
Opioids and related drugs can fall into one of four categories based on their interaction with opioid receptors:
Since the opioid system manages important functions like pain and mood, these compounds affect how your body works.
An opioid antagonist takes effect on someone who has opioids in their system. People who receive an antagonist without having already taken opioids will experience little to no effects.
However, when someone with opioids in their system takes an antagonist, the antagonist negates most of the opioids’ effects. In some cases, an opioid antagonist can trigger withdrawal symptoms because it blocks the receptors’ access to opioids.
The two most common opioid antagonist medications include:
These medicines help many people with opioid addiction manage their symptoms or recover from an overdose. Medical professionals and non-medical professionals can use naloxone to save the life of someone experiencing an opioid overdose.
For more information about topics related to opioid addiction, visit our blog page. You can also contact our team online to schedule an appointment at one of our clinics in New England.