We hear a lot about opioids, especially in USA and Canada, where despite their high risk of addiction and overdose , these moderately strong painkillers have become popular both as formal medical treatments and as recreational drugs. But what do they actually do, and how can they cause death? In a fatal overdose, people often die because they can’t breathe…the drug suppresses brain activity that controls breathing rate, lung expansion, and carbon dioxide monitoring.
More on Scientific American here –
我們聽過很多有關鴉片的事情，特別是在美國和加拿大這些地方，儘管他們的市民有很高藥物成癮和服用過量藥物的風險，但這些中度強效的止痛藥經常被用作正規醫療藥物及娛樂性藥物。但這些藥物如何發揮藥效？而它們又如何引致死亡？於致命的服用過量藥物事件中，死者往往因無法呼吸致死，因藥物會抑制大腦活動，而控制呼吸頻率、肺部擴張及監測二氧化碳等功能亦受其影響。
想了解更多，可瀏覽以下網站：https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-opioids-kill