[5 year trajectories for dependence to psychotropics in a cohort of consumers]

The terms regular, excessive or intermittent consumption do not characterize type of consumption, the profile of the drug user, or the threshold of drug dependence.

To characterize trajectories of consumption over a 5-year period and identify sociodemographic and medical characteristics, and modes of consumption associated with the types of trajectories.

286 drug users from the cohort SUVIMAX agreed to take part in our study. SUVIMAX is a controlled randomized primary prevention trial using nutritional doses of a combination of anti-oxidant vitamins and minerals to reduce cardiovascular diseases and cancers. The data came from the questionnaire that examined each psychotropic drug taken between 1994 and 1998, rates of consumption and the beliefs associated with the drug users' modes of consumption and their dependence profiles.

A continuous trajectory is defined as uninterrupted consumption during the 5-year follow-up, and an occasional trajectory as an interruption of consumption for at least 1 month. Only 30% of the drug users with a continuous trajectory considered they could do without psychotropic agents.

The consumption of psychotropic drugs is not in itself harmful, but the duration and regularity of drug intake registered over a 5-year period indicate the drug dependence profile. The trajectory is a relevant and operational tool for better adapting therapeutic follow-up.