Some medicolegal aspects concerning tramadol abuse: The new Middle East youth plague 2010. An Egyptian overview

Substance Use by Egyptian Youth: Current Patterns and Potential Avenues for Prevention

“…The various substances used by Egyptian youths are known to be prevalent worldwide; including cannabis (UNODC, 2012), other substances such as tobacco, alcohol, and illegal drugs (Akl et al, 2011;Barnett et al, 2009;Bejjani et al, 2012;Degenhardt et al, 2008), and prescription drugs (Al- Afifi, Sakka, & Al-Afifi, 2011;Al-Afifi, Sakka, & Al-Afifi, 2012;Albsoul-Younes, Wazaify, Al-Motassem, & Tahaineh, 2010;Fawzi, 2011;Wu, Ringwalt, Mannelli, & Patkar, 2008). Even inhalant misuse, such as sniffing glue, paint thinner, or gasoline, a practice that is highly prevalent among early adolescents (Kurtzman, Otsuka, & Wahl, 2001;Lubman, Yücel, & Lawrence, 2008), was frequently reported by the 12-14 year old Egyptian youths in our study.…”

“…Indeed, it has been recently cited by authorities in Egypt as a growing and potentially worrisome public health problem (Fawzi, 2011). According to a recent story in the Egypt Independent, the Ministry of Health released a report on drug addiction in Cairo estimating that 1.4 million people (5-7% of the urban population) were addicted to drugs, particularly heroin and/or Tramadol (Viney, 2012).…”

Prevalence and correlates of substance use by Egyptian school youth

“…The various substances used by Egyptian youth have been reported to be prevalent worldwide, including cannabis (UNODC, 2012, 2016), tobacco, alcohol, illegal drugs (Akl et al, 2011Barnett, Curbow, Weitz, Johnson, & SmithSimone, 2009;Bejjani, El Bcheraoui, & Adib, 2012;Degenhardt et al, 2008), and prescription drugs (Al-Afifi, Sakka, & Al-Afifi, 2011;2012;Albsoul-Younes, Wazaify, Al-Motassem, & Tahaineh, 2010;Fawzi, 2011). Tobacco and cannabinoids such as hashish, which were frequently reported among youth focus groups (Loffredo et al 2015), are the most commonly used substances by youth in many countries (Momtazi & Rawson, 2010;Mzayek et al, 2012;Omage & Omage, 2012), including Egypt and Palestine (Afifi, Kariri, & El Susis, 2007;Hamdi et al, 2012).…”

Tramadol chronic abuse: An evidence from hair analysis by LC tandem MS

“…Nevertheless, due to its opiod similar effects, the potential for TRAM abuse is an increasing public health concern [9,10]. Recently, mounting evidences from diversion, abuse and overdose data suggest a growing number of TRAM abusers, particularly in developing countries [10][11][12].…”