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Physiology & Medicine / Re: Should I fear opiate blockers?

« on: 29/02/2016 07:54:14 »

I take naltrexone (not to be confused with naloxone, a drug, when used intravenously is the fastest way to strip opiates from the system, reversing an overdose)

Just to be clear, both of these agents (naloxone and naltrexone) are opiate antagonists and both will block the same receptors to prevent opioid effects, including reversing overdoses. The difference between them is in the duration of effect. Naloxone is shorter acting and useful for acute overdose in emergency settings. Owing to its longer half life, naltrexone is helpful for long-term prevention of opioid use such as in depot preparations.

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Physiology & Medicine / Re: Should I fear opiate blockers?

« on: 29/02/2016 01:59:31 »

Firstly, kudos to "keeping yourself honest!" I know that rising above substance abuse is very difficult, even with help--keep it up! :-)

If you are really worried about being incapacitated and unable to communicate when in pain, you might want to get a "medical alert" bracelet or necklace (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_identification_tag). First responders and hospital staff are trained to look for these when treating unconscious or incapacitated patients. You wear it with the medical information "in" or covered, for your privacy, but if somebody needs to know they can easily check. Presumably you can find one or have one made that addresses your particular situation, and they can choose analgesics that are not blocked by naltrexone. If you go this route, you may as well add vital information such as blood type and any severe allergies etc.

Good luck, and stay strong!

EDIT: I see my answer collided with two others...

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Physiology & Medicine / Re: Should I fear opiate blockers?

« on: 29/02/2016 01:51:41 »

... But what if the pain victim is unable to communicate ...

Bracelets / pendants / wallet-cards are available to quickly communicate medical information to doctors if the person is unconscious , e.g MedicAlert  , (other brands are available).

Q. Should I fear opiate blockers?

You should be concerned about opiate "abuse",  as it can be fatal.
People develop tolerance, increasing the dose to get the same effect , eventually leading to fatal doses : they stop breathing ... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%CE%9C-opioid_receptor#Tolerance_and_overdoses

... opiate based drugs or alcohol...

There is synergistic effect if alcohol & opiates are combined ... http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2821747