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Misuse of Substitution Drugs in the Substitution-Based Therapy
Markus Bleckwenn1, Lara Heister, Moritz Weckbecker
1Institute of General Practice and Family Medicine, University Medical Center Friedrich-Wilhelm University Bonn, Germany.
Background:
The reasons for, and the extent of, misuse of prescribed substitution medication as well as parallel consumption of other drugs during substitution-based therapy have still not been adequately researched in Germany.
Methods:
This study examines the use of substitution medication in German substitution clinics utilizing a nationwide survey with anonymised questionnaires.
Results:
The analysis of the 605 questionnaires showed a 30-day consumption prevalence of 8.8% with regard to misuse of substitution substances. The lack of available heroin (38%) and the lack of open spots in treatment programs (21%) were quoted as being the main reasons for the misuse of substitution medication.
Conclusion:
Although the misuse of substitution medications is considered an important problem, our study showed that the current misuse was prevalent only among a minority of the patients. German regulations focused on the avoidance of misuse might be partially contributing to the problem.