What makes you itch in opiates

One reason that idea took hold is that when patients take drugs to relieve pain, itching often is a side effect. Now, studying itching induced by pain-killing drugs, the team of researchers has found that a different receptor is responsible for causing itch than for alleviating pain. In mice treated with morphine, the investigators were able to eliminate itching without affecting pain relief.

Because humans have similar morphine receptors in the brain and the spinal cord, the researchers believe this new finding may someday make it possible to treat itching in those patients who take opioid drugs to relieve pain. Support science journalism. Knowledge awaits. See Subscription Options Already a subscriber? Create Account See Subscription Options. Continue reading with a Scientific American subscription. Subscribe Now You may cancel at any time.

This process involves a combination of physical screening and computational modeling. Once that tentative picture was in place, we were able to use computational tools to create a more precise model of the site.

The computer modeling, performed by co-first author Joel Karpiak, a graduate student at the University California at San Francisco, tested 3. The physical data combined with the computational models allowed the researchers to create a chemical probe designed to interact specifically with MRGRPX2. This new tool made it possible to gain a more precise understanding of this receptor's effects without the noise of other receptors.

An opioid might activate the orphan receptor, but it might also activate other receptors that it interacts with. Imagine trying to recreate a musical score by listening to an orchestra perform a piece of music. Understanding what triggers the itching response could help pharmacologists develop an antagonist for this receptor to reduce the itching side effect.

In other cases, clinicians may want to induce histamine release, thereby boosting the immune response, as in the case of vaccine adjuvants, where an increased immune response may improve immunity. These findings suggest there may be a way to do that selectively. The recent application of targeted anticancer drugs has increased the survival rate of cancer patients.

These new agents cause significant dAEs such as acneiform rashes, dry skin, hand-foot syndrome, paronychia, and itching. Itching is a common side effect of epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors.