การรับรู้ พฤติกรรมและเหตุปัจจัยอันนำไปสู่การใช้ยากลุ่มเบนโซไดอะซีปีนในผู้ป่วยที่ได้รับยาเมทาโดน

Abstract

Objective: To explore perceptions and behaviors towards benzodiazepine use, and to study factors leading towards benzodiazepine use among patients receiving long-term methadone treatment Method: Qualitative research was used. Data was collected through semi-structured in-depth interviews with 13 key informants who were treated with long-term methadone at a hospital in Chiang Mai. The key informants were selected by purposive sampling. They were the prescribed benzodiazepines (BZDs) while receiving methadone or remarked as requesting for BZDs from prescribers. Additionally, a snowball sampling was used to identify potential informants using BZDs from other sources. Results: For long-term methadone patients, their perceptions towards BZDs varied depending on their purpose of use. For informants using BZDs for treating their illness, they recognized BZDs as sleeping pills, stress relievers, or anxiety medications. For these symptoms, healthcare providers might perceive that treating them might be unnecessary. They took BZDs orally. For informants using BZDs for pleasure as a narcotic substance, they recognized BZDs as drunken drug or for euphoria. They used BZDs sublingually or by mixing with methadone before injecting them into the body. Besides the patients’ perception of BZDs, other factors influenced the patients’ used of BZDs included their mental and physical health problems, family problems in lacking understanding of methadone treatment, friend' s substance use, stressful jobs, living in an urban city gaining easy access to BZDs, limiting supply of BZDs from public hospitals and laws regulating BZDs. Conclusion: Patients’ perceptions towards BZDs were different from of the healthcare providers. When their needs for illness and discomfort treatment were unmet, they searched for a cure from other means and from somewhere else. To treat patients receiving methadone holisticly, healthcare providers should not only consider about physical illnesses but also mental illnesses that remain untreated. Key words: Benzodiazepines, Methadone, Drug use, Drug addiction