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Opioid overdoses represent a significant public health concern in the U.S., leading to the deaths of tens of thousands of individuals annually. The medication naloxone, accessible as an over-the-counter nasal spray or through injection, has preserved innumerable lives by swiftly counteracting opioid overdoses. However, by obstructing opioid receptors in the brain, naloxone induces intense withdrawal symptoms such as pain, nausea, and agitation.

Currently, scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, including Brian Ruyle, a research instructor and primary author, alongside Jose Moron-Concepcion, the Henry Elliot Mallinckrodt Professor of Anesthesiology, have uncovered a promising new method for reversing an overdose without these side effects in rats, by focusing on opioid receptors outside the brain. These discoveries pave the way for the creation of new medications capable of reversing overdoses as rapidly as naloxone, while minimizing withdrawal symptoms.

Learn more about the research, published on April 1 in the journal eLife, at the Department of Anesthesiology website.

The article New approach reverses opioid overdoses more safely, rat study shows was first published on The Source.

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