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Hydromorphone-Induced Tactile Hallucinations: Rare Opioid Side Effect

Opioids are strong analgesics widely employed to treat various types of pain. In 2018, an estimated 168 million opioid prescriptions were dispensed in the United States. Opioids carry a number of side effects and up to 80% of patients treated with opioids experience a minimum of one adverse event. A...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Kiyokawa, Miki, Haning, William F
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Cureus 2021
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8011461/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33816021
http://dx.doi.org/10.7759/cureus.13622
Descripción
Sumario:Opioids are strong analgesics widely employed to treat various types of pain. In 2018, an estimated 168 million opioid prescriptions were dispensed in the United States. Opioids carry a number of side effects and up to 80% of patients treated with opioids experience a minimum of one adverse event. Although uncommon, hallucinosis is an effect experienced with opioids, which may be under-reported and attributed to underlying psychiatric disease rather than to the side effects of the opioid itself. Most of the opioid-induced hallucinoses reported are auditory and visual, and rarely tactile. Although opioid medication prescribing is decreasing in the United States, considering the continued opioid epidemic and deaths related to overdose, it is important for physicians to be aware of this potential adverse effect of opioids in isolation. We present a case of oral hydromorphone causing visual and tactile hallucinations. Discontinuing hydromorphone led to immediate cessation of the patient’s psychotic signs and symptoms. To our knowledge, this is the first description of the use of hydromorphone resulting in tactile hallucinations.