For example, when I take antidepressant pills, how does the active ingredient get from my stomach all the way up to the synapses in my brain?
In: Biology
When you see the phrase “Targets the source of the pain” or “goes straight to the site of the pain” on pain meds, it’s misleading because it doesnt “target” anything. Like many have already said here, once the meds enter the bloodstream, the active ingredient will go everywhere but only attach to the correct receptors (think the right key for the right lock). So, they can’t “target” anything but will attach (or block) to every available receptor it encounters. Its also worth mentioning that the chemical in the meds often isn’t the cause of the desired effect, it acts as a trigger in a chain reaction resulting in the desired action. This is often through a chain of several protein receptors known as “secondary “messengers” where the triggered receptor will interact with another receptor that could intern interact with another protein receptor (in a message relay) or trigger the release of another chemical or protein that will again illicit some sort of response.
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