The Misuse of Prescribed Drugs During the Syrian Crisis: a Cross-sectional Study

Alaryan, Thurya; Hasan, Tharaa Abou; Eshelli, Manal; Alzeer, Samar

doi:10.1007/s11469-019-00180-4

Cited by 7 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…[ 7 ] Multiple studies have documented higher prevalence of substance use disorders in conflict ridden areas however data from Kashmir is surprisingly missing. [ 8 9 ] The nationwide study was the first study which extensively studied substance prevalence throughout Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir (J & K), however findings may not provide well-defined picture about Kashmir as it has witnessed multiple stressors like conflict and above mentioned natural disasters which the other parts of state (Jammu and Ladakh) escaped to a greater extent. [ 3 ] As compared to other two divisions of the state, Kashmir has different socio-cultural and geographical factors, all of which are important in initiation, maintenance and treatment of substance use disorders.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pattern and prevalence of substance use and dependence in two districts of Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir

Rather

Bhat

Malla

et al. 2021

Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care

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Background: Kashmir has been at the centre of conflict between India and Pakistan after partition of erstwhile British India in 1947. While research suggests that conflict exposure may result in increased substance use, the prevalence of substance use disorders has remained an under-searched area in Kashmir. Method: We employed respondent-driven sampling (RDS) for recruiting substance users from two districts of Kashmir. Estimation of substance dependence was done using benchmarkmultiplier method. Results: Prevalence of any substance dependence was estimated to be 1.95% while as for any opioids, it was 1.80%. Heroin was the most common opioid with last year use by 84.33% respondents. Current prevalence of injection drug use was 0.95% and heroin was the most common opioid among Injection Drug User (IDU), being used by 91.12% IDUs followed by Pentazocine (5.92%). Conclusion: Our results indicate that RDS was a feasible and acceptable sampling method for recruiting 'difficult to reach 'participants like illicit substance users including IDUs. Our results further demonstrate that opioids are highly prevalent in Kashmir and heroin injection is not uncommon. All these findings call for attention from policy makers as opioids are one of the important contributors to mortality and morbidity related to substances.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pattern and prevalence of substance use and dependence in two districts of Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir

Rather

Bhat

Malla

et al. 2021

Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care

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“…It is apparent that the lack of education of the general public on the risk of misusing OTC and prescribed drugs should be addressed by primary health providers, in particular pharmacists. Our previous study (Alaryan et al 2021) highlighted the prevalence of misusing prescribed drugs by the general public from the points of community pharmacists, and the need for addressing the rising addiction rates observed in Syrian society in the last years, which are closely linked to the Syrian crisis and its psychological effects on mental health. Our study did not assess the psychological side of participants; thus, future research should take care of this issue as studies show that AAS users are more likely to have poor mental health, take psychological medicines, attempt suicide, or have low self-esteem compared with nonusers (Gestsdottir et al 2021).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Syria has suffered from severe conflict and humanitarian crisis since 2011, which significantly affected both physical and mental health. Our previous study highlighted the problem of misusing prescribed drugs, such as muscle relaxants, opioids, sedatives, and hypnotics in Damascus and Damascus countryside, where suspected drug misusers demanded drugs from community pharmacies for addiction (Alaryan et al 2021). However, another area of particular concern is the misuse of these substances in gymnasiums to change body shape, build muscle, and improve appearance.…”

Section: Open Accessmentioning

confidence: 99%

The prevalence of misusing over-the-counter and prescribed drugs in Syrian gymnasiums for performance-enhancing reasons: a cross-sectional study

Alkebbeh

Alaryan

Saad

et al. 2022

Egypt J Forensic Sci

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Background This study investigates the prevalence of misusing over-the-counter (OTC) and prescribed drugs in Syrian gymnasiums, in addition to types, sources of knowledge, and patterns of use. A structured questionnaire was distributed to 381 members of sports groups on social media, between April 2020 and February 2021. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS software Version 26 for windows. Results A total of 133 participants (about 35%) stated they took OTC and prescribed drugs. Of those, 79 (11.8%) took proteins and amino acids, and 14 (3.7%) claimed they used 50 different products (mentioned 167 times) of anabolic steroids and other hormones (e.g., growth hormone and thyroxine). The most frequently used substance was testosterone (N =25, 15.56%), followed by thyroxine (N = 12, 7.18%) and stanozolol (N = 11, 6.58%). The source of knowledge was the Internet (48.6%) followed by friends (28.4%) and coaches (20.9%). Most users were males (61.6%) and had a bachelor’s university degree (64%). All anabolic steroid users (N = 14) practiced bodybuilding. Statistically significant relationships were found between the usage of anabolic steroids, proteins, and amino acids with each of the monthly income, frequency of training, level of training, and gender. Users claimed that they got benefits from taking these substances, and the majority of users (about 70%) did not experience any adverse effects. Conclusions Our results showed significant differences compared to neighboring countries, regarding attitudes towards misusing OTC and prescribed medications.

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“…Covid-19 amplifies the manslaughter when the family that cannot be kept out of the wards returns to care for their injured, and even more antibiotics are dispensed to covid-19 patients [ 7 ].…”

Section: Runaway Mutations and Antibiotic Usementioning

confidence: 99%

AMR and Covid-19 on the Frontline: A Call to Rethink War, WASH, and Public Health

Zeitoun¹,

Sittah²,

Shomar³

et al. 2021

Annals of Global Health

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This Viewpoint calls for a greater understanding of the role that water plays in the transmission of anti-microbial resistance and covid-19 in protracted urban armed conflict, in order to develop a ‘pathogen-safe’ practice. It argues that dealing with the twin threats is difficult enough in the best of circumstances, and is so little understood in war zones that surgeons and water engineers now question if their practice does more harm than good. Experience suggests that the known transmission routes are complicated by a great number of factors, including the entry of heavy metals through bullets in patients’ wounds, hospital over-crowding, mutation in treated water or wastewater, and other threats which endure long after the bombing has stopped. The skeleton research agenda proposes greater sewage surveillance, testing of phages and monitoring of treatment designed to dispel or substantiate these assertions.

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The Misuse of Prescribed Drugs During the Syrian Crisis: a Cross-sectional Study

Cited by 7 publications

References 34 publications

Pattern and prevalence of substance use and dependence in two districts of Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir

Pattern and prevalence of substance use and dependence in two districts of Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir

The prevalence of misusing over-the-counter and prescribed drugs in Syrian gymnasiums for performance-enhancing reasons: a cross-sectional study

AMR and Covid-19 on the Frontline: A Call to Rethink War, WASH, and Public Health

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