Some medicolegal aspects concerning tramadol abuse: The new Middle East youth plague 2010. An Egyptian overview

Abstract

An increasingly alarming phenomenon of tramadol drug abuse has been demonstrated in the Egyptian community. The alleged usages of tramadol had also contributed greatly to its popularity and massive use especially among Egyptian youth as a remedy for premature ejaculatory function and for extended orgasm and increase sexual pleasure as promoted through many online drug stores and media.1 To study the impact of tramadol and its increasing rates of drug abuse widely spread among Egyptian youth on the observed association with recently increasingly noted variable forms of aggression and accidents. This study was carried out on the patients who presented to (PCC-ASU) Hospitals, Egypt in the year 2010 (January–December). The total number of studied cases was 640 with the adult (67.9%), males (77.2%). Abuse form of drug intake was the highest (50.8%). Oral intake (96.8%). The most frequent forms of injuries were cerebral edema (55.9%). The significantly notable increasing violence forms are closely related to drug abuse. Tramadol’s prevalence is the mostly noted due to its wider availability and cheaper prices than other types of abused drugs. The unplanned indirect media advertising for tramadol abuse through movies and show series also played a remarkable role in promoting tramadol abuse. Drug screening for tramadol should be added to all forms of basic toxicological screening. Especially in cases of patients involved in violent crimes and road traffic accidents, also for those applying for drivers’ license fitness program.