Psychopharmacology Quiz 8 (Opioids)

Codeine is a (n) __________.

Antitussive

Of the following, the most potent opiate is:

Dilaudid.

Gamma hydroxybutyrate (GHB) is used by sexual predators to increase sexual desires in their victims.

False

Codeine is converted into morphine by the liver.

True

Methadone is effective for about __________.

24-36 hours

Which of the following is called "speedballing"?

Combining heroin with cocaine

Select the incorrect statement concerning OxyContin.

Deaths from overdoses of this drug have been reported. This is a long-acting product. This is a proprietary name for oxycodone. Answer: This drug is never abused by high school students.

The narcotics mimic which of the following neurotransmitters?

Endorphins

Opiate antagonists have "opiate-like" effects in drug-naive subjects.

False

Fentanyl is one of the most potent opiates known.

True

Heroin is absorbed into the CNS more quickly than morphine.

True

Heroin is converted into morphine by the liver.

True

Human beings have naturally occurring (endogenous) opioids, which cause many of the same effects as those caused by taking opioid drugs (exogenous).

True

Methadone and suboxare are equally efficacious for treating heroin dependency.

True

Morphine analgesia occurs without affecting other sensory modalities.

True

Much of the action of morphine is mediated by its metabolite.

True

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors:

can inhibit the metabolism of codeine, thereby blocking pain relief.

Opiate withdrawal symptoms are accompanied by ________ dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens and ________ norepinephrine release by the locus coeruleus.

decreased; increased

Neural pathways mediating analgesia from the brain to dorsal horn of the spinal cord are classic examples of:

descending inhibition.

Cell bodies of pain neurons from the periphery are located in the ________ neurons; terminals of pain neurons from the periphery are located in the ________.

dorsal root ganglia; dorsal horn

Activation of kappa receptors causes:

dysphoria.

The classical drug laudanum is a combination of opium and:

ethanol.

For how long can post-acute withdrawal symptoms following detoxification and abstinence from opioid or other drug addictions persist?

for three to six months or longer after detoxification

Compared with a pure agonist, a partial agonist in drug-naive subjects:

has lower efficacy.

In morphine-dependent subjects, administration of a mixed agonist-antagonist:

induces withdrawal.

Analgesic drugs can modulate pain by all the following processes, EXCEPT:

inhibiting endorphin-secreting neurons in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord.

Mainlining refers to __________.

intravenous injection

The main difference between OxyContin and Percodan is that OxyContin:

is time-released.

Nociceptors are activated by:

mechanical, thermal, or chemical injury.

Talwin and Stadol are best described as:

mixed agonist-antagonists.

Addiction to and withdrawal from benzodiazepines is not as severe or as dangerous as opioid addiction.

False

All the commercially available opiate antagonists readily cross the blood-brain barrier.

False

An individual who is under the influence of heroin will have dilated pupils.

False

Beta-endorphin is a type of enkephalin.

False

Needing a dose of a drug just to feel "normal" is a sign of tolerance.

False

Opiate antagonists have "anti-opiate" effects in drug-naive subjects.

False

Opioid receptors are best described as:

G-protein-coupled.

Acute withdrawal from heroin is not as life-threatening as acute withdrawal from alcohol or sedative-hypnotics.

True

Tolerance to one type of depressant, such as alcohol, can lead to the development of cross-tolerance for another depressant, such as benzodiazepines.

True

Tramadol can increase the toxicity of 5-HT-based antidepressants.

True

Treatment for addiction to opiates requires physical detoxification and psychological correction.

True

True or false? Buprenorphine can be used to treat narcotic addiction in a regular doctor's office.

True

Within the spinal cord, opiates inhibit pain primarily through:

axo-axonic inhibition.

Why is it dangerous to combine an opioid with a downer like alcohol, barbiturates, or benzodiazepines?

because the combination of depressants increases the potential for respiratory depression, overdose, and death

Clonidine (Catapress) is a potent alpha-2-agonist that suppresses activity of locus coeruleus neurons. Based on your knowledge of the physiology of withdrawal, you would expect clonidine to:

decrease the severity of opiate withdrawal.

The effect of pure opiate antagonists, such as naltrexone, on opiate-dependent subjects is:

decreased pain threshold and dysphoria.

The major euphoric and analgesic effects of opiates are the result of action at the ________ receptor.

mu

The effect of pure opiate antagonists, such as naltrexone, on drug-naive subjects is:

nonexistent.

Endorphins exert most of their analgesic effects:

on descending inhibitory neurons in the spinal cord.

A new class of opioid drugs aimed at curbing abuse combine opiate agonists with:

opiate antagonists.

Clonidine is used to treat which of the following?

opiate withdrawal

Of the following, the major difference between morphine and heroin is in:

rate of absorption.

The most common cause of death by Fentanyl overdose is:

respiratory arrest.

The synergistic effect of drugs refers to...

the combination of two or more depressant drugs, which magnifies their effect on the CNS

Mu receptors for opiates are found in high density in all of the following regions, EXCEPT:

the thalamus. the dorsal horn of the spinal cord. the spinal trigeminal nucleus. Answer: the cerebral cortex.