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Tapentadol abuse and dependence in India
Diptadhi Mukherjee1, Lekhansh Shukla1, Priyanka Saha1
1Centre for Addiction Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore, 560011, India.
Asian Journal of Psychiatry
|March 3, 2020
Summary
Tapentadol abuse is rising in India, with many cases involving intravenous use and Hepatitis C. This synthetic opioid is attracting new users and replacing others, necessitating urgent regulatory action.
Area of Science:
- Pharmacology
- Addiction Medicine
- Public Health
Background:
- Tapentadol, a synthetic opioid analgesic, has been available in India since 2011.
- International data suggested a low risk of abuse, which this study aimed to re-evaluate in the Indian context.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the trend and profile of Tapentadol abuse in India.
- To assess the ease of repurposing oral Tapentadol tablets for injection.
- To analyze national online interest trends in Tapentadol compared to other drugs.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of Tapentadol abuse cases treated at a tertiary addiction center in South India.
- Examination of temporal and spatial trends of online search interest using Google Trends.
- Utilized National Drug Use Survey 2019 data for regional context.
Main Results:
- 23 Tapentadol abuse cases were reported between 2011 and 2019, with a significant increase in the last year.
- Intravenous abuse (83%) was prevalent, associated with needle sharing and high rates of Hepatitis C (60%).
- Tapentadol is attracting new users (56.5%) and substituting other opioids (43.5%), with online interest mirroring Tramadol trends.
Conclusions:
- Tapentadol abuse is a significant and growing problem in India.
- Urgent regulatory measures are required to address the escalating abuse of Tapentadol.
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