Physiological Response to Opioids

The clinical setting in which women's health physicians practice, whether as generalist, obstetricians and gynecologists, or subspecialists, dictates our frequent clinical interaction with "pain." Opioid-containing medications are frequently prescribed within our specialty as a means of immediate pain relief. Opioid-containing medication causes a deep physiological alteration of several systems resulting in potential harm to acute and chronic opioid users. This article includes a thorough system-based review of opioid-containing medications on physiological systems. Women's health providers should have an in-depth understanding of such reverberations on patients' wellbeing to maintain the safest level of care. A solid grasp of physiological repercussions of opioid use would encourage physicians to seek alternative treatment options. Such practice is essential in curbing the opioid epidemic our patients are facing.