Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

Misunderstandings about opioid use disorder

Amy Baxter, MD
Conditions
September 3, 2023
Share
Tweet
Share

At a recent scientific conference on narcotics, a researcher mused, “Honestly, opioids make me feel gross. I don’t see how anyone could get addicted.” This is a little like a doctor in the delivery end of a needle saying, “Honestly, you’re a wimp. This doesn’t hurt.” Both examples reveal a lack of empathy and a fundamental misunderstanding of current neuroscience.

The contributions or fear, reward, fight, and flight are a complicated mix of experience and genetics. Needle fear comes from a bad shot experience at a pre-logical developmental state, with a whiff of fainting-prone genetics. Opioid use disorder (OUD) flips the ratio, with such a strong genetic influence that it’s conflated with family environment. Neuroscience research untangling why some who are exposed to opioids become dependent is ongoing, with surprising implications for prevention.

1. Both emotional and physical pain areas are highly interconnected, allowing for quick punishment or reward responses to anything the human organism does. Otherwise, how does the brain learn? Reward switches in the brain release neurotransmitters that make you feel a certain way – dopamine for winning, serotonin for pleasure, and oxytocin for love. Some dopamine switches, called mu receptors, are morphine-activated and often overlap with the brain areas activated by pain. So morphine doesn’t stop pain, you just feel so rewarded you don’t mind.

2. Some people have more switches and need less morphine, while some people need more morphine to have sufficient reward for equivalent pain relief. The baseline array of reward switches depends on gender, age, previous experience, and genetics. Pain, both emotional and physical, can leave a persistent brain resting state that feels new pain strongly, needing more reward (opioids) to get to “I can handle it.”

3. As dopamine is the brain’s primary reward and behavior motivator, dopamine processing variations influence opioid effects. Some genetic subtypes are reward deficient – they get less of a kick from dopamine from daily activities. The theory is that when opioids activate their receptors, their experience goes beyond relief to euphoria. Many “mental health” issues now are felt to be associated with differences in dopamine and serotonin processing: thrill-seeking due to low dopamine responsiveness, depression from low dopamine output, etc.

4. The receptors’ behavior changes over time as well. After a short period of morphine exposure, some opioid dopamine receptors retreat into the cell to regroup. When less intense oral opioids are taken, the lower intensity and concentration can be compounded with the lack of switches for rewards, so home oral opioids have less impact than ibuprofen on pain.

5. Finally, different liver metabolism genes cause about 5-15% of people to quickly transform oral opioid forms into morphine. This “CYP 2D6” variation leads to more rewards up front but a faster return of pain. The 85% with different genes don’t turn the pills into morphine fast enough to help much with pain relief. However, nausea, constipation, sweating, and withdrawal aren’t affected.

So, “How can anyone get addicted?” There’s a lot to unpack. A colleague of mine developed an OUD after wrist surgery. There was stealing, lying, getting fired – the whole stereotype. Ignorantly, when he was in recovery, I asked him how on earth he let that happen. (You know, because post-operative opioids have always made me feel sluggish and nauseated …). To paraphrase:

“I always feel awkward and anxious, and I can’t ever relax. When I first took the pain pill, I felt awesome. I felt cool. I felt so great, and powerful, and happy, and worthy of being loved. How could you not want to keep feeling like that?”

Researchers call that feeling euphoria, and it is distinct from the relief of pain. A 2022 study asked people who had misused opioids (taken pills for a high) how they felt the first time. Those who went on to develop OUD had a very different experience.

Subjective feeling No OUD Later OUD P value
My speech was slurred 4% 52% .0005
I was moody 4% 64% .02
I would be happy all the time if I felt like I felt then 12% 64% .0005
I felt as if I would be more popular with people 20% 60% .009
I feared I would lose the contentment I had then 20% 56% .02
I felt in complete harmony with the world and those around me 32% 62.5% .005
My movements were free, relaxed, and pleasurable 40% 96% <.0001

Family history of addiction may relate to familial rapid activation or mu receptor euphoria, rather than generational environmental risk. People with the CYP 2D6 metabolism gene also have higher rates of smoking and alcoholism; the neurotransmitter reward in OUD, however, is orders of magnitude more intense. This is why 95% of successful OUD treatment requires medication, manipulating the “switches” to keep the reward pathways in check.

My best friend in high school died of a heroin overdose while I was away at college. I was appalled by her weakness and idiocy and stayed mad for two decades. I bet now that my chain-smoking friend, and the mother who gave her up for adoption, felt opioids differently than I do. I wish I could have told her, if nothing else, that a feeling of euphoria was a sign of risk. And I wish I could have understood then as I do now, her overdose resulted from a genetic disorder, not a moral failing. Rest in peace, Sue.

Amy Baxter is a clinical associate professor of emergency medicine at Augusta University, federally funded for neuromodulation research to reduce needle pain, multimodal low back pain, and opioid reduction. After attending Yale University and Emory Medical School, she completed her residency and a child maltreatment fellowship at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, an emergency pediatrics fellowship in Norfolk, Virginia, and a K30-NIH Clinical Research Certificate at UT Southwestern Medical Center. She is also CEO, Pain Care Labs, and can be reached on Twitter @AmyBaxterMD.

ADVERTISEMENT

Prev

Continuous work coverage in health care: challenges and solutions

September 3, 2023 Kevin 0
…
Next

Navigating recession with cash flow: a vital lesson for savvy investors

September 3, 2023 Kevin 0
…

Tagged as: Pain Management

Post navigation

< Previous Post
Continuous work coverage in health care: challenges and solutions
Next Post >
Navigating recession with cash flow: a vital lesson for savvy investors

ADVERTISEMENT

More by Amy Baxter, MD

  • How Enhanced Recovery After Surgery solves our opioid problems

    Amy Baxter, MD
  • The preference for insurance coverage of opioids over non-pharmaceutical options explained

    Amy Baxter, MD
  • Ending the opioid crisis starts with physicians

    Amy Baxter, MD

Related Posts

  • The pandemic’s epidemic: opioid use disorder and subpar suboxone access   

    Jonathan Staloff, MD and Claire Simon, MD
  • How do we manage pain in the era of the opioid crisis?

    Rita Agarwal, MD
  • The real cause of America’s opioid crisis: Doctors are not to blame

    Richard A. Lawhern, PhD
  • Americans and Canadians use more post-surgery opioid pain pills

    Julie Appleby
  • A patient’s opposition to the anti-opioid movement

    Angelika Byczkowski
  • Marijuana will not fix the opioid epidemic

    Kenneth Finn, MD

More in Conditions

  • Why peer support can save lives in high-pressure medical careers

    Maire Daugharty, MD
  • Addressing menstrual health inequities in adolescents

    Callia Georgoulis
  • Healing beyond the surface: Why proper chronic wound care matters

    Alvin May, MD
  • Why specialist pain clinics and addiction treatment services require strong primary care

    Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD
  • What a childhood stroke taught me about the future of neurosurgery and the promise of vagus nerve stimulation

    William J. Bannon IV
  • Facing terminal cancer as a doctor and mother

    Kelly Curtin-Hallinan, DO
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Forced voicemail and diagnosis codes are endangering patient access to medications

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Meds
    • Why specialist pain clinics and addiction treatment services require strong primary care

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Conditions
    • Who gets to be well in America: Immigrant health is on the line

      Joshua Vasquez, MD | Policy
    • When a medical office sublease turns into a legal nightmare

      Ralph Messo, DO | Physician
    • America’s ER crisis: Why the system is collapsing from within

      Kristen Cline, BSN, RN | Conditions
    • FDA delays could end vital treatment for rare disease patients

      GJ van Londen, MD | Meds
  • Past 6 Months

    • Forced voicemail and diagnosis codes are endangering patient access to medications

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Meds
    • How President Biden’s cognitive health shapes political and legal trust

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Conditions
    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The One Big Beautiful Bill and the fragile heart of rural health care

      Holland Haynie, MD | Policy
    • Why “do no harm” might be harming modern medicine

      Sabooh S. Mubbashar, MD | Physician
    • Here’s what providers really need in a modern EHR

      Laura Kohlhagen, MD, MBA | Tech
  • Recent Posts

    • Inside the heart of internal medicine: Why we stay

      Ryan Nadelson, MD | Physician
    • The quiet grief behind hospital walls

      Aaron Grubner, MD | Physician
    • Why peer support can save lives in high-pressure medical careers

      Maire Daugharty, MD | Conditions
    • Bundled payments in Medicare: Will fixed pricing reshape surgery costs?

      AMA Committee on Economics and Quality in Medicine, Medical Student Section | Policy
    • How Project ECHO is fighting physician isolation and transforming medical education [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Why clinical research is a powerful path for unmatched IMGs

      Dr. Khutaija Noor | Education

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 2 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Forced voicemail and diagnosis codes are endangering patient access to medications

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Meds
    • Why specialist pain clinics and addiction treatment services require strong primary care

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Conditions
    • Who gets to be well in America: Immigrant health is on the line

      Joshua Vasquez, MD | Policy
    • When a medical office sublease turns into a legal nightmare

      Ralph Messo, DO | Physician
    • America’s ER crisis: Why the system is collapsing from within

      Kristen Cline, BSN, RN | Conditions
    • FDA delays could end vital treatment for rare disease patients

      GJ van Londen, MD | Meds
  • Past 6 Months

    • Forced voicemail and diagnosis codes are endangering patient access to medications

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Meds
    • How President Biden’s cognitive health shapes political and legal trust

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Conditions
    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The One Big Beautiful Bill and the fragile heart of rural health care

      Holland Haynie, MD | Policy
    • Why “do no harm” might be harming modern medicine

      Sabooh S. Mubbashar, MD | Physician
    • Here’s what providers really need in a modern EHR

      Laura Kohlhagen, MD, MBA | Tech
  • Recent Posts

    • Inside the heart of internal medicine: Why we stay

      Ryan Nadelson, MD | Physician
    • The quiet grief behind hospital walls

      Aaron Grubner, MD | Physician
    • Why peer support can save lives in high-pressure medical careers

      Maire Daugharty, MD | Conditions
    • Bundled payments in Medicare: Will fixed pricing reshape surgery costs?

      AMA Committee on Economics and Quality in Medicine, Medical Student Section | Policy
    • How Project ECHO is fighting physician isolation and transforming medical education [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Why clinical research is a powerful path for unmatched IMGs

      Dr. Khutaija Noor | Education

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Misunderstandings about opioid use disorder
2 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...