Agonist-Antagonist

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In pharmacology the term agonist-antagonist is used to refer to a drug (usually, if not exclusively, psychoactive) which exhibits some properties of an agonist (a substance which fully activates the neuronal receptor that it attaches to) and some properties of an antagonist (a substance which attaches to a receptor but does not activate it or if it displaces an agonist at that receptor it seemingly deactivates it thereby reversing the effect of the agonist). The best known agonists and antagonists are opioids; morphine is an agonist to opioid receptors while naloxone (Narcan) is an antagonist.

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