A Path to Lower-Risk Painkillers

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New findings provide a vital step towards exploring pain medications that may lower risks of prescription drug abuse and side effects of painkillers, according to a release from the University of Michigan Health System. The study is published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

A release from the university notes that drugs such as hydrocodone, the main ingredient of Vicodin, and oxycodone (Oxycontin) are often the best options for the treatment of moderate to severe pain for patients facing medical conditions ranging from a wisdom tooth extraction to cancer. The release notes that these drugs bind to specific molecules called opioid receptors on nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord to prevent the feeling of pain. Yet the body's tendency to develop tolerance to these medications can require patients to take higher doses, which increases risks of harmful side effects and dependency.

Co-author John Traynor, Ph.D is quoted as saying, "We have for the first time discovered compounds that bind to an alternative site on the nerve opioid receptors and that have significant potential to enhance the drug's positive impact without increasing negative side effects. We are still in the very early stages of this research with a long way to go, but we believe identifying these compounds is a key step in revolutionizing the treatment of pain. This opens the door to developing pain relief medications that require lower doses to be effective, helping address the serious issues of tolerance and dependence that we see with conventional pain therapy . . .The newly-discovered compounds bind to the same receptor as morphine but appear to act at a separate novel site on the receptor and therefore can produce different effects. What's particularly exciting is that these compounds could potentially work with the body's own natural painkillers to manage pain."

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A Path to Lower-Risk Painkillers