Potential Physiologic Effects of Opioids
Anatomic Region of System |
Effects |
|---|---|
| Pulmonary | |
| Respiratory Function | decreased |
| Cough Reflex | decreased |
| Cardiovascular | |
| Vasodilation | increased |
| Peripheral vascular resistance | decreased |
| Baroreceptor reflexes | decreased |
| CO2 Reflex vasoconstriction | decreased |
| Heat rate | decreased |
| Cardiac output | decreased |
| Gastrointestinal | |
| Gastric motility | decreased |
| Gastric emptying time | increased |
| Intestinal secretions | decreased |
| Anal sphincter tone | increased |
| Intestinal contraction amplitude | increased |
| Gastric acid production | decreased |
| Increase GI tone | increased |
| Central Nervous System | |
| Depression | increased |
| Cognitive dysfunction | increased |
| Locomotor activity | increased |
| Increase vagal tone | increased |
| Miosis | increased |
| Cerebral blood flow | decreased |
| Hepatic | |
| Biliary secretions | decreased |
| Bile duct pressure | increased |
| Spasm of bile duct and sphincter | increased |
| Pancreas | |
| Pancreatic secretions | decreased |
| Spasm of pancreatic duct and spincter | increased |
| Urogenital | |
| Urinary voiding reflex | decreased |
| External bladder spincter tone | increased |
| Spasm of ureteral smooth muscle | increased |
| Uterine tone | decreased |
| Immunological / Endocrine | |
| Natural Killer (NK) cell activity | decreased |
| Immunoglobulin production | decreased |
| Phagocytic activity | decreased |
| ADH release | decreased |
| Protactin release | decreased |
| Somatotropin release | decreased |
| Luteinizing hormone | decreased |
| Histamine release | increased |
From the "Journal of the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science", Volume 46, No. 2, March 2007
Updated June 18, 2007 by SAK