A REVIEW STUDY ON TRAMADOL ABUSE AMONG EGYPTIAN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

Tramadol, which is a medication used for moderate and severe pains, has caused drug abuse and addiction to the Egyptian community. This study aimed to observe the prevalence of tramadol abuse among Egyptian university students. By following the PRISMA reporting guideline, a systematic review of evidence was conducted. Search strategy was conducted through PubMedNCBI to yield appropriate published literature between 2014-2019, as well as performed literature screening, eligibility criteria, and data extraction. The process of selection yielded a total number of 2 studies to be eligible for the review inclusion criteria. The characteristics evaluated that correlate to tramadol were classified into four groups: gender, smoking, alcohol consumption, and failure in exams before. In general, tramadol showed positively associated with other prevalence characteristics. Tramadol is the second most commonly abused drug among university students in Egypt. The review shows that the use of tramadol has become an apparent phenomenon among Egyptian university students, which requires adequate attention. Future research is recommended to determine the causal effects of tramadol abuse and its role as a potential addiction drug.