Damanjit Kaur¹, Avneet Kaur²*, Amit Bansal¹ and Simerjit Singh³

¹Faith Hospital, Chandigarh, Barnala Manorog Hospital, Barnala, India
²Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Malaysia
³School of Medicine, Taylor’s University, Malaysia

*Corresponding Author: Avneet Kaur, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Malaysia.

Received: June 24, 2024; Published: July 22, 2024

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to assess the impact of demographic factors on opioid use patterns, explore dosage and visit patterns in Opioid Substitution Therapy (OST) in Punjab, India.

Methods: A cross-sectional analysis was conducted across eight OST sites in Punjab from January 2021 to November 2023. The study included 39,649 patients aged 18-60 years receiving Buprenorphine and Naloxone treatment. Demographic data, dosage information, and visit patterns were collected from medical records and analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics.

Results: The majority of patients were male (99.73%), aged 18-35 (46.6%), with low education levels and from lower to middle-income groups. The average prescribed dose was 4.11 mg per visit, with an average of 17.83 visits per treatment course. Natural opioids were more prevalent (77.00%) than synthetic opioids (23.00%).

Conclusions: The study reveals the need for targeted interventions considering unique demographic needs and addressing societal and logistical barriers. Findings suggest that individualized treatment regimens and strategic dosage adjustments are crucial for effective OST implementation. Future research should focus on long-term quality of life impacts and strategies to enhance OST accessibility and effectiveness.

 Keywords: Opioid Substitution Therapy (OST); Punjab

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Citation

Citation: Avneet Kaur., et al. “Opioid Substitution Therapy in Punjab, India: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study of Demographic Factors, Dosage Patterns”.Acta Scientific Medical Sciences 8.8 (2024): 135-144.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2024 Avneet Kaur2., et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.