Opioid-Induced Hallucinations: A Case Report
2024

Opioid-Induced Hallucinations: A Case Report

publication

Author Information

Author(s): Muacevic Alexander, Adler John R, Dhanabalan Arvind, Saveen Sall, Singh Christina, Ramasamy Ramona, Raveendran Keerthiga

Hypothesis

Can opioid use lead to hallucinations that are misdiagnosed as schizophrenia?

Conclusion

The case illustrates that opioid-induced hallucinations can be mistaken for schizophrenia, highlighting the need for careful evaluation of opioid use in psychiatric assessments.

Supporting Evidence

  • Opioid-induced hallucinations are often underreported or misattributed to psychiatric conditions.
  • The patient's hallucinations ceased when he stopped taking Norco.
  • Careful evaluation of opioid use is essential in psychiatric assessments.

Takeaway

Sometimes, taking pain medicine can make people see or hear things that aren't there, and doctors need to check if the medicine is causing these problems instead of thinking it's a mental illness.

Participant Demographics

67-year-old African American male with a history of chronic back pain and various medical conditions.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.7759/cureus.74915

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