Pregabalin and gabapentin abuse among university students in Jordan: A cross sectional study
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Ahmad A Altarifi 1 * , Omar Obeidat 2 , Ahmad Guzu 2 , Amr Said 2 , Mahmoud Albakheet 2 , Ahmad Makkawi 2 , Zuheir Hasan 3 , Mohammed Azab 4 , Moureq R Alotaibi 5 , Khalid Kheirallah 6 , Tareq Saleh 2 *
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1 Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, JORDAN2 Department of Pharmacology and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, The Hashemite University, Zarqa, JORDAN3 Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, The Hashemite University, Zarqa, JORDAN4 Department of Microbiology, Pathology, and Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, The Hashemite University, Zarqa, JORDAN5 Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, SAUDI ARABIA6 Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, JORDAN* Corresponding Author

Abstract

Introduction: Pregabalin and gabapentin (or gabapentanoids) have been reported to be abused for potentially euphoric effects.
Objectives: In this work, we conducted a descriptive, cross-sectional study among university students from Jordan utilizing a structured online questionnaire.
Results: 96.1% of the participants indicated no previous or current use of gabapentanoids, while 53 (3.9%) self-reported previous or current use (ever-use) of any of both drugs. The rate of abuse was higher among males and older students’ groups. 50.9% of drug users did not obtain a valid prescription. Most abusers indicated that their use of both drugs was for non-medical reasons (39.6%), and 69.8% students used both drugs despite being aware of their adverse effects. Hypersomnia was the most reported adverse effect. However, most participants (64.2%) did not report any withdrawal symptoms upon drug discontinuation. Marijuana/hashish was the most consumed substance with gabapentanoids.
Conclusions: Our results invite for further prescribed drug control and increasing the awareness against drug abuse among the youth in Jordan.

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This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Article Type: Original Article

ELECTRON J GEN MED, Volume 21, Issue 1, February 2024, Article No: em561

https://doi.org/10.29333/ejgm/14021

Publication date: 01 Jan 2024

Online publication date: 14 Dec 2023

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