“Maybe nalfurafine is not so great as a replacement on its own, but maybe it does enough that we could put it together with other opioids and get this dose-sparing effect.” “Right now there’s a lot of work looking for replacements for opioids, for obvious reasons,” said Kaski, a graduate student in the School of Medicine’s M.D./Ph.D. Using less of it could mean fewer morphine-related side effects-such as constipation and nausea-and a lower risk of addiction.

Morphine is a classic, widely used opioid. If he’s right, doctors may be able to prescribe lower doses of morphine by supplementing it with the drug, called nalfurafine, and still soothe their patients’ pain. West Virginia University researcher Shane Kaski is investigating whether an anti-itch medication that targets a specific part of our nerve cells can make morphine-which targets a different part-more effective. By interacting with different parts of the nervous system, they treat some pains better than others. The sting of denim against a sunburn is nothing like the jolt of ice against a sensitive tooth.

From a distance, it looks like one big “ouch.” But if you step closer, many types of pain-like tiles of different shades-emerge.

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