MORGANTOWN — A case report by a WVU neuropsychologist suggests a new reason fentanyl — alone, or in combination with stimulants — may put substance users at risk, whether they take it knowingly or not. It may cause amnesia.
Buying opioids on the street “isn’t like buying Tylenol,” said Marc W. Haut, chair of the WVU School of Medicine’s Department of Behavioral Medicine and Psychiatry. “You don’t know what you’re buying. People may think they’re buying something that’s just an opiate, but it may have fentanyl in it, and it may have cocaine.”
His findings are published in the current issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Fentanyl is an especially potent, synthetic opioid. Between 50 and 100 times stronger than morphine, it puts users at an increased risk of overdose.
