Women need different treatment from men with
addiction
The results, published in the open access journal Biology of
Sex Differences today, show that more than half (52%) of women and a third
(38%) of men reported doctor-prescribed painkillers as their first contact with
opioid drugs, a family of drugs which include prescription medicines such
OxyContin and codeine, as well as illicit drugs such as heroin.
The study of 503 patients attending Ontario methadone clinics
identified significant gender differences between the men and women attending
the clinics. Compared to men, women were found to have more physical and
psychological health problems, more childcare responsibilities, and were more
likely to have a family history of psychiatric illness.
Men were more likely than women to be working and more likely
to smoke cigarettes. Rates of cannabis use were relatively high (47%) among
both men and women.
“Most methadone treatment is based on studies with few or no
women at all. We found men and women who are addicted to opioids have very
different demographics and health needs, and we need to better reflect this in
the treatment options that are available,” said Monica Bawor, first author of
the paper and a recent PhD neuroscience graduate of McMaster.
“A rising number of women are seeking treatment for opioid
addiction in Canada and other countries yet, in many cases, treatment is still
geared towards a patient profile that is decades out of date – predominantly
young men injecting heroin, and with few family or employment
responsibilities.”
The study highlights the changing profile of people addicted
to opioids. Compared to results from studies in the 1990s, the average age of
patients being treated for opioid addiction is older (38 compared to 25 years),
with opioid use starting at a later age (25 rather than 21 years).
Injecting drug use has reduced by 60%, and there has been a
50% reduction in rates of HIV in opioid users as a result.
At the same time, there has been a 30% increase in the number
of patients becoming addicted to opioids through doctor-prescribed painkillers,
usually for chronic pain management.
In Canada, the number of opioid painkiller prescriptions has
doubled in the last two decades, and according to the World Health Organization
(WHO), Canada consumes more opioid painkillers than any other country.
Senior author Dr. Zena Samaan added that the reasons are not
clear why women are disproportionately affected by opioid dependence
originating from prescription painkillers.
“It may be that they are prescribed painkillers more often
because of a lower pain threshold or because they are more likely to seek
medical care than men,” said Samaan, an associate professor of psychiatry and
behavioural neurosciences at the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine.
“For whatever reason, this is a growing problem in Canada and
in other countries, such as the U.S., and addiction treatment programs need to
adapt to the changing profile of opioid addiction.”
Major funding for the study was from the Canadian Institutes
for Health Research.
“Even more important, is its potential for greatly reducing
the incidence of cardiovascular disease.”
No comments:
Post a Comment