Final answer:
Mixed opioid agonist-antagonists were developed to reduce opioid abuse, by balancing the analgesic effects with a lower potential for dependence and reduced risk of respiratory depression associated with opioid agonists.
Step-by-step explanation:
Mixed opioid agonist-antagonists were developed to address and hopefully decrease the problem of opioid abuse. These medications are designed to provide pain relief while lowering the potential for abuse and addiction that is associated with traditional opioid agonists. By partially stimulating and inhibiting opioid receptors, these drugs aim to produce sufficient analgesia with a reduced risk of causing the euphoria that leads to opioid dependence and the life-threatening respiratory depression seen with higher doses of opioid agonists.
Naloxone and naltrexone are examples of opioid antagonists. Naloxone is used to rapidly reverse opioid overdose, as it can displace opioids from their receptors without producing analgesia or respiratory depression in non-dependent individuals. Naltrexone, on the other hand, is an orally available, long-acting antagonist that helps maintain recovery from opioid dependence by blocking the euphoric effects of opioids, thus discouraging their use.