Genetics of opioid problems

Opioids are a class of drugs given for pain. They are powerful. And addictive. Legal opioids include morphine and oxycodone. Heroin is also an opioid. But it is illegal. These drugs can have side effects. They include nausea, throwing up and trouble going to the bathroom. They can make you feel sleepy, or dizzy. But they can also lower your heart rate. And slow down your breathing. If you take too much, you could die. Patients often get opioid drugs after surgery. In the US, opioid addiction is on the rise. Genetics may play a part in the side effects you get. Scientists think there is a link between a few gene changes and side effects. Scientists at Vanderbilt University Medical Center will use BioVU to study opioid side effects. They will look for people who got opioids in the hospital after surgery. They will pick about half these patients. They will see who did and did not get side effects. They will focus on patients whose breathing did or did not slow down. And if they had trouble going to the bathroom. Then they will look for gene changes in these patients. They hope to find the same gene changes the other scientists found. They also hope to find new gene changes. Then they will check the other half of the patients that got opioids. They will see if they find the same results. This will help them know they got the right gene changes. The goal is to learn who is at risk for side effects from opioid drugs. This will help us best treat the pain of our patients in the hospital. We may also learn who will not get side effects. That could increase their risk for addiction.