Resumen de Responding to new synthetic opioids: a multicentre approach
- español
New Synthetic Opioids (NSO), a class of New Psychoactive Substance (NPS), have emerged rapidly in the drug market in recent years posing a public health problem. These substances show similar effects to morphine but with a higher addictive potential and toxicity increasing the risk of overdose. Often they have been detected mixed with other substances or sold as counterfeits, placing even more at risk the consumer who is unaware of what substances he is consuming. The standard tests used in clinical practice cannot detect NSOs and their study is usually focused on recreational populations such as people attending music festivals or raves. So, we hypothesize that there is a growing phenomenon of consumption of new synthetic opioids in Europe.
The aim of the present thesis is to provide updated data to know the current situation with respect to these substances in our region in a population of individuals with Opioid Use Disorder (OUD). For this purpose, the main objective of this work is to determine the prevalence of NSO use among OUD people in addiction care centers from Barcelona and Badalona. Thus, a characterization of the NSO user and its consume was made including the reasons for its use, detect other NPS used in subjects OUD and, assess the polydrug-use among this population taking into account a gender perspective.
In the first work presented in this thesis, OUD patients were interviewed and asked to provide a urine sample to find out if they had consumed any NSOs. In the second study of this thesis, a urine sample was collected anonymously from OUD patients. All samples were analyzed by two methods, one screening and one confirmatory. Broadly our results showed that, in our environment, there is both voluntary and involuntary consumption of NSO.
- català
En els últims anys, la ràpida aparició i crescuda en el mercat negre dels Nous Opiacis Sintètics (NSO), una classe de Nova Substància Psicoactiva (NPS), ha provocat un problema de salut pública a nivell global. Aquestes substàncies tenen efectes semblants als de la morfina però amb un potencial addictiu i una toxicitat molt superior, per la qual cosa augmenta el risc de sobredosi. Sovint, són detectades en mescles amb altres substàncies o són venudes com a falsificacions, augmentant així els riscos associats al seu consumeix ja que molts usuaris no saben que estan consumint. Aquestes substàncies no són detectades pels test que se solen utilitzar en la pràctica clínica i el seu estudi ha estat més centrat en consumidors esporàdics i en contextos recreatius com raves o festivals de música. Així doncs, creiem que el consum de NSO a Europa està incrementant. Amb aquesta tesi es pretén aportar informació actualitzada del consum de NSO a la nostra regió en individus amb un Trastorn per Ús d’Opiacis (OUD). L’objectiu principal d’aquest treball és determinar la prevalença d’ús dels NSO en una població OUD dels centres d’addiccions de Barcelona i Badalona. A més s’ha descrit l’ús que es fa d’aquestes substàncies, així com del seu consumidor, incloent-hi les raons per al seu ús, la detecció d’altres NPS i el policonsum des d’una perspectiva de gènere. En el primer treball d’aquesta tesi, pacients amb OUD van ser entrevistats i es va adjuntar una mostra d’orina per a detectar les substàncies consumides. En el segon treball, una col·lecció de mostres anònimes d’orina de pacients OUD va ser analitzada amb la mateixa fi. En tots dos treballs, es va fer una anàlisi de detecció de substàncies i una segona anàlisi confirmatòria. A grans trets, els nostres resultats, van mostrar que existeix consum de NSO tant voluntari com involuntari.
- English
New Synthetic Opioids (NSO), a class of New Psychoactive Substance (NPS), have emerged rapidly in the drug market in recent years posing a public health problem. These substances show similar effects to morphine but with a higher addictive potential and toxicity increasing the risk of overdose. Often they have been detected mixed with other substances or sold as counterfeits, placing even more at risk the consumer who is unaware of what substances he is consuming. The standard tests used in clinical practice cannot detect NSOs and their study is usually focused on recreational populations such as people attending music festivals or raves. So, we hypothesize that there is a growing phenomenon of consumption of new synthetic opioids in Europe. The aim of the present thesis is to provide updated data to know the current situation with respect to these substances in our region in a population of individuals with Opioid Use Disorder (OUD). For this purpose, the main objective of this work is to determine the prevalence of NSO use among OUD people in addiction care centers from Barcelona and Badalona. Thus, a characterization of the NSO user and its consume was made including the reasons for its use, detect other NPS used in subjects OUD and, assess the polydrug-use among this population taking into account a gender perspective. In the first work presented in this thesis, OUD patients were interviewed and asked to provide a urine sample to find out if they had consumed any NSOs. In the second study of this thesis, a urine sample was collected anonymously from OUD patients. All samples were analyzed by two methods, one screening and one confirmatory. Broadly our results showed that, in our environment, there is both voluntary and involuntary consumption of NSO.
