Opioid medications (OxyContin, Norco, Vicodin, Percocet, oxycodone, hydrocodone, fentanyl) can cause memory loss symptoms.
Chronic Opioid Use and Cognitive Impairment
Long term opioid therapy (> 3 months) can lead to cognitive impairment.
In a study that looked at patients with chronic low back pain, researchers found that the group of patients who chronically used opioid medications for pain management performed significantly worse on cognitive testing relative to the pain management group that used non-opioid pain management methods.
Specifically, the opioid users had worse performance on cognitive speed of processing and working memory tests.
A Warning on Fentanyl Use – Counterfeit Pills
Fentanyl is a highly potent form of synthetic morphine. Fentanyl has been flooding into North America through black market channels.
Criminal drug syndicates have acquired the equipment (that legitimate pharmaceutical companies use) to press fentanyl into millions of counterfeit opioid prescription pills.
Illegal drug operations are not structured to have high quality control standards. This means a significant degree of danger for anyone who chooses to obtain opioid products from illicit sources. A small mistake of pressing 5 milligrams of fentanyl into a single pill is a death sentence for the person using counterfeit medications.
For more information: Read this primer on fentanyl, courtesy MyBrainTest.org.