Pattern of Drugs Misuse among Patients attending Iftikhar Psychiatric Hospital, Peshawar

Abstract

Background: Drug addiction is a very common issue in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa due to easy availability of drugs on account ofsharing border with Afghanistan, illiteracy and lack of implementation of laws to deal with drug trafficking. There is need to study thepattern of misuse of illicit drugs in this region.Objectives: To determine the pattern of drugs misuse among patients attending Iftikhar Psychiatric Hospital, PeshawarMaterial and Methods: It was a descriptive study, carried out on 135 persons, with history of drugs misus, who were presented toIftikhar Psychiatric Hospital, Peshawar, from January 2019 to December 2019. Urine samples of every subject were screened for various drugs using immune chromatography technique.Results: The most frequently misused drug in the study was Opiate (84%) followed by Marijuana(76%),Benzodiazepines(43%), Methamphetamines(8%), Tricyclic antidepressants(4%) and cocaine(0.74%). Out of the total 135patients, 133(98.5%) were males while 2(1.5%) were females. Poly substance misuse was more predominant in the study.Conclusion: Drug addiction is a very serious public health issue globally including Pakistan. Male addiction predominanceand opiates overuse is observed high in the present study. There is need to take all necessary steps to curb the curse of drugabuse.