Opioids Pharmacology, Abuse, and Addiction

Opioids are responsible for the vast majority of preventable deaths related to drug use, and opioid crisis is a serious international health problem. Opioids are also the mainstay in pain treatment and are invaluable tools in palliative care. The purpose of this book is to present an overview of the complex field of opioid pharmacology through evidence-based chapters in clear language backed up with sound scientific evidence, providing researchers and  health professionals with a firm understanding of their effects and mechanisms of action. The authors present an overview of the history of opioids from ancient civilizations to the current opioid crisis, covering state-of-the-art advances on opioid-induced signal transduction, opioids in pain management, and the neuroinflammatory effects of opioids.  Also discussed are opioid use disorders and their treatment. The authors also review the growing body of evidence of opioid effects on innate and adaptive immune responses, discussing the molecules involved in the crosstalk between opioids and innate immunity receptors to provide an updated view of those compounds as important regulators of inflammation and host defense against pathogens and damage. The overall purpose is to provide the reader with a deeper knowledge of this field despite the complexities associated with the existence of numerous ligands, receptor subtypes, and complex pharmacological profiles. To this end, the chapter authors are specialists in the field who also have extensive experience in teaching, hoping to lend their expertise in translating complex concepts into comprehensive and clear explanations. 

Contents

Part I. Social aspects of opioid use

1. A brief history of opioids and the evolution of concepts associated with substance use disorders

Silvia L. Cruz and Claudia Rafful

2. The two sides of opioid use: Unmet needs of opioids for pain management and the role of opioids in substance use disorders

3. Opioid markets and special populations

Hilda Davila and Alfredo Camhaji

4. Towards a new drug policy agreement

Alfredo Camahji, Mariana Racotta, Raúl Martín-del-Campo, and José Franco

5. The opioid crises

Silvia L. Cruz and Raúl Martín-del-Campo

6. Persons who misuse opioids

Clara Fleiz, David Fajardo-Chica, Jorge Villatoro, and María Elena Medina-Mora

7. The need for structural interventions for persons who misuse opioids 

Claudia Rafful and Carlos Magis-Rodríguez

Part II. Pharmacological and medical aspects of opioid use

8. Opioid effects and classification

Silvia L. Cruz, Miguel I. Paz-Ramos, Araceli Hernández-Mendoza, and César J. Carranza-Aguilar

9. Opioid receptors and neuronal signal transduction

César J. Carranza-Aguilar, Zyanya P. Espinosa-Riquer, Frida L. Martínez-Cuevas, and Silvia L. Cruz

10. Opioids in Pain

Rocío Torres-Méndez, Rafael Acuña-Prats, Nayely V. Salazar-Trujillo, Silvia L. Cruz, and Juan C. Molina-Covarrubias

11. Opioids in Palliative Care

12. Opioids and the immune system

Claudia Gonzalez-Espinosa, Iris K. Madera-Salcedo, Luz M. Molina-Martínez, and Frida L. Martínez-Cuevas

13. Opioid dependence, tolerance, and withdrawal

14. Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) 1: Opioid substitution therapy

James Tidder, Alex Baldacchino, and Joe Tay

15. Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opioid Use Disorders 2. Detoxification

James Tidder, Alex Baldacchino, and Joe Tay

16. Synthetic Opioids as New Psychoactive Substances (NPS)

Silvia L. Cruz and Raúl Martín-del-Campo

Silvia L. Cruz, PhD, is Professor of Pharmacobiology at Cinvestav in Mexico City.  She has previously served as graduate program coordinator and Chair of the Department of Pharmacology at Cinvestav. She has worked as a full-time researcher and lecturer in the drug abuse field for the past 30 years and she is author of the Opioids chapter in the Springer book, Neuroscience in the 21sth Century.