Fentanyl: It´s Advantages and Disadvantages as a Morphine Drug

1138 Words3 Pages

1Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opiate analgesic, which has a primary function in managing malignant and non-malignant contractible pain, similar to morphine however it is more potent. This is because fentanyl has an octanol-water partition of 9550 compared to morphine, which has 6. This effectively demonstrates that fentanyl is highly lipid soluble, crossing the blood brain barrier more rapidly. Hence it has a quicker reaction time but at a shorter duration compared to morphine. It is commonly used to treat patients with severe pain or patients experiencing pain after a surgery. Fentanyl can also be used to treat patients with chronic pain that are physically tolerant to opiates. Patients who are not physically tolerant to opiates should avoid the use of fentanyl as this can cause undesirable side effects, which can in some cases be toxic. Fentanyl is registered as a class II prescription drug, meaning that it has a greater potential for being abused, which could have negative implications on a patient’s health as it can result in psychological or physical dependence.1 2Fentanyl binds to the opioid mu-receptor in the central nervous system, reducing the perception of pain but also the emotional response to pain. When applying the fentanyl patch to the skin, a concentration gradient develops, which allows the fentanyl molecules to diffuse down the concentration gradient. A second drug reservoir will then be established in the striatum corneum allowing absorption into the local capillary vasculature, subsequently followed by deliverance into the systemic circulation. The transport of drug across the skin can arise through hair follicle and sweat ducts however the main and targeted route is through passive diffusion, the movement... ... middle of paper ... ... side effects such as analgesia, alteration in mood and drowsiness can occur. Fentanyl depresses the respiratory centres and the cough reflexes in addition to restricting the pupils. Analgesic blood concentration of fentanyl can cause nausea and vomiting due to stimulation of the chemoreceptor trigger zone.5 5Opioids increase the tone and decrease contractions of smooth muscle in the GI tract. The transit time that fentanyl causes, may be responsible for its constipating effect. The increase in biliary tract pressure, some patients may experience worsening of pain rather than pain relief. Fentanyl may cause orthostatic hypotension and fainting.5 5Overall fentanyl matrix patches are found to be safe and effective for opioid tolerant patients only, and are found to have minimal adverse effects the most common of which are nausea and application site reactions.

More about Fentanyl: It´s Advantages and Disadvantages as a Morphine Drug

Open Document