Acute opioid dependence: characterizing the early adaptations underlying drug withdrawal
Abstract
Rationale While opioid withdrawal is typically studied under conditions of chronic (i.e., continuous) drug administration, withdrawal signs can also be demonstrated in both humans and animals after a single opioid exposure. This phenomenon, termed acute dependence, may be useful in understanding the early stages of opioid dependence and addiction. Objective This review provides an overview of acute dependence by comparing withdrawal from acute and chronic opioid exposure across dimensions ranging from symptomatology to neural substrates. Assessment of repeated withdrawals from acute opioid administration is also presented as a tool for better understanding the adaptive changes induced by multiple drug exposures. Conclusions Although not identical phenomena, acute and chronic dependence share a number of characteristics. Examining potentiations of withdrawal severity across multiple acute opioid exposures may be especially valuable in characterizing the development of drug dependence. Further study of acute dependence promises to lead to more effective treatments for opioid withdrawal and addiction.
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Norepinephrine activation has long been hypothesized to be involved in opioid withdrawal in animals and in humans.
“Norepinephrine activation has long been hypothesized to be involved in opioid withdrawal in animals, based on neurobiological measures and the pharmacology of withdrawal (Maldonado, 1997), and in humans, based largely on pharmacological studies of opioid withdrawal (Gold et al., 1978;Harris and Gewirtz, 2005).”
From Drug Addiction: Hyperkatifeia/Negative Reinforcement as a Framework for Medications Development (2021) · cites this paper as Harris and Gewirtz, 2005
Cites
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“NMDA receptors may also play a role in acute dependence, as administration of NMDA receptor antagonists blocked hyperalgesia (Larcher et al. 1998; Laulin et al. 1998; Harris et al. 2004a) and elevated startle responding (Harris et al. 2004a) during withdrawal from acute opioid exposure.”
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Drug Addiction: Hyperkatifeia/Negative Reinforcement as a Framework for Medications Development
Koob, G. F. (2021) · Pharmacological Reviews · doi:10.1124/pharmrev.120.000083 · Cited by 337 · see citing works
- Authors
- Harris, A. C., & Gewirtz, J. C.
- Affiliations
- University of Minnesota (US)
- Corresponding author
- Gewirtz, Jonathan C.
- ORCID
- Harris, Andrew C.
- Venue
- Psychopharmacology
- Published
- 2005-02-05
- Volume
- 178
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 353-366
- ISSN
- 0033-3158 (ISSN-L)
- 1432-2072
- OpenAlex
- W2064677610
- Cited by
- 63
- References
- 7
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 1 · 2017: 1 · 2016: 1 · 2015: 3 · 2014: 2 · 2013: 1 · 2012: 3
- FWCI
- 5.24
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
- Locations
- Psychopharmacology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute on Drug Abuse (T32-DA-07097, T32DA007097)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Opioid Use Disorder Treatment
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neuropeptides and Animal Physiology
- Keywords
- opioid withdrawal, chronic opioid exposure, opioid use disorder, repeated drug exposure
- MeSH terms
- Acute Disease, Adaptation, Psychological, Animals, Humans, Opioid-Related Disorders, Psychopharmacology, Substance Withdrawal Syndrome
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