If you’re taking morphine or other opiates, it’s essential to know their positive and negative effects. Unfortunately, these powerful medications can have a ton of adverse reactions, and one of the most commonly discussed impacts of morphine use is memory loss. But can morphine actually cause you to forget things in the short and long term, and should you be afraid of these side effects? Let’s look at how this opiate impacts your mind and if memory loss ever becomes a realistic outcome.
What Is Morphine?
As one of the more potent pain medications in circulation today, morphine is a non-synthetic narcotic used for intense pain relief. Derived from opium, you’re probably familiar with morphine if you’ve been in a serious accident, had major surgery, or consumed your fair share of war movies. Morphine is also used to treat individuals with extreme fears and anxiety due to the strong euphoric feeling it creates.
Are There Any Side Effects of Morphine?
As with any substance, there are side effects and symptoms of extended use. Not every side effect will occur, but some serious ones need medical attention if they develop. Some of the more common side effects are:
- Fever
- Feeling warm
- Stomach pain
- Nervousness
- Nausea
- Itching or skin rash
- Pounding in the ears
- Loss of appetite
- Cramps
- Drowsiness
- Weight loss
In severe cases of either extended use or abuse of the substance, individuals can experience the following effects:
- Slurred speech
- Fainting
- Disjointed muscle movements
- Tremors
- Seizures
- Change in ability to recognize colors
- Swelling around eyelids
- Lightheadedness
- Severe constipation
What to Do If I Experience Memory Loss or Other Complications From Morphine
In some cases, morphine use can lead to short or long-term memory loss. While the correlation isn’t precisely known, studies have shown that a single dose of morphine blocks your inhibitory synapses or the mechanism your brain uses to create memories.
Our hippocampus is a brain complex deep within the brain’s temporal lobe. This is one of the brain’s most important features, responsible for your ability to learn and remember situations. Damage can occur due to various stimuli, and morphine happens to be one of them. It causes structural changes to the hippocampus that reduces the density of your synapses, leading to foggy memory.
So how can one deal with memory loss or the other symptoms of morphine? Treatment starts by addressing problems like morphine abuse and the withdrawal symptoms that come with it. A quality drug counseling program is an option that ensures individuals remove morphine from their lives and deal with significant side effects and complications associated with the detox. Medical professionals can help teach healthier lifestyles, explore mental, physical, and emotional problems, and provide guidance while you recover.
Contact Steps to Recovery to Remove Morphine From Your Life
While it might not be exactly clear how morphine alters your memory and your learning capacity, what’s clear is that individuals dealing with these effects need to find the right help. That’s where the medical professionals at Steps to Recovery come into play. Our team can provide you with opiate rehabilitation for hydrocodone, oxycodone, and of course, morphine. So whether you’re experiencing memory loss or any of the other side effects of these drugs, contact us, or give us a call today at 267.719.8528.
Sources:
https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03507985
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16198201/
https://www.jneurosci.org/content/30/14/5058
https://rupress.org/jcb/article/215/2/139/38748/How-morphine-tips-the-synaptic-balance
