Imagine a Drug That Feels Like Tylenol and Works Like OxyContin

Doctors have long taken for granted a devil’s bargain: Relieving intense pain, such as that caused by surgery and traumatic injury, risks inducing the sort of pleasure that could leave patients addicted. Opioids are among the most powerful, if not the most powerful, pain medications ever known, but for many years they have been a source of staggering morbidity and mortality.

…

Neuroscientists I spoke with who were not involved in the study told me that the findings, if confirmed in future research, have the potential to meaningfully change pain medicine. Eric J. Nestler, a professor of neuroscience at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, called the study “a novel and exciting approach” to separating the addictive and painkilling properties of opioids. He also pointed out that, based on preliminary research, MAGL inhibitors seem to cause only minimal side effects in humans, such as slight sedation and lightheadedness. “The real proof will be in humans,” Nestler told me. 

Read the whole story (subscription may be required): The Atlantic