Tryptophan and Substance Abuse: Mechanisms and Impact

Davidson, Majid; Rashidi, Niloufar; Hossain, Md. Kamal; Raza, Ali; Nurgali, Kulmira; Apostolopoulos, Vasso

doi:10.3390/ijms24032737

Cited by 8 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 136 publications

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“…Module 1 (12 strategies) included self-care strategies prior to the substance use session. The strategies covered included healthy eating considering the nutrition requirements persons who use stimulants may have; sleeping hygiene; physical activity; dental, skin, and eye care [because of the high prevalence of nitrate use]; mental health, sexual health; and financial health and safety plans [ 39 – 46 ]. Module 2 (7 strategies) consisted of psychoeducation on the psychopharmacology of stimulants, safety and risks of simultaneous polysubstance use, and self-efficacy while choosing whether or not to continue using drugs in the context of group substance use and sex [ 47 – 51 ].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Feasibility, acceptability, and perceived usefulness of a community-evidence-based harm reduction intervention for sexualized stimulant use among Mexican gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men

Rafful,

Orozco,

Peralta

et al. 2024

Harm Reduct J

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Background The use of stimulants and other substances with the purpose of enhancing, maintaining, and prolonging sexual activity is known as sexualized substance use. Also known as chemsex, this pattern of use has been mainly explored in high-income countries. The aim of this article was to assess the feasibility, acceptability, and usefulness of a community- evidence-based harm reduction intervention among Mexican gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (gbMSM) adults who reported sexualized stimulant use in the past 6 months and who were not enrolled in any psychosocial treatment. Methods The in-person intervention was designed in partnership with gbMSM who used substances. It consisted of 39 harm reduction strategies before, during, and after episodes of use. The components of the intervention were health and self-care, safety, and psychopharmacology. The intervention was delivered at a university campus, a public recreational space, and an HIV public clinic. Feasibility to deliver the intervention was assessed based on enrolment and completion rates; acceptability through a 28-item, 5-point Likert scale (140 max.) constructed and validated for the Mexican population with good reliability coefficients; usefulness through a 5-point Likert scale (“not useful”-“very useful”) for each of the 39 strategies; and potential behavioral change by subtracting the likelihood of implementing each strategy minus the frequency of use of the technique before the intervention. Results Participants (n = 19; recruitment rate = 35.2%; completion rate = 84.2%) rated the intervention as acceptable with a mean score of 121.6 (SD = 7.5). The highest potential for behavioral change was regarding the use of information about the half-life of stimulants, polysubstance use, and overdose prevention. Conclusions This intervention is feasible when provided within public health services where potential participants are already in contact. Harm reduction strategies need to surpass sexually transmitted infections prevention and HIV care and focus on substance use and mental health strategies.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%