The fine line between occupational exposure and addiction to propofol

Year 2023, Volume: 53 Issue: 1, 95 - 102, 28.04.2023

Şaziye Sezin Yücelik , Fatma Betül Yoladı , Selen Yeğenoğlu , Terken Baydar

https://doi.org/10.26650/IstanbulJPharm.2023.1134975

Abstract

Addiction is considered as an occupational hazard, especially in anesthesia units in hospitals. Professionals in anesthesiol- ogy clinics have easy access to a wide range of potent psychoactive drugs, causing them to have a higher risk of drug abuse compared to other healthcare personnel. Recent studies and case reports have shown that abuse of anesthetic drugs used in these units has become a problem among health professionals, and awareness of the problem has increased. Propofol is widely used in anesthesia as a sedative-hypnotic prescription drug and in the literature, propofol abuse is mostly referred to in connection with medical and paramedical personnel. In this manuscript, we reviewed the pharmaco-kinetics, -dynam- ics effect of propofol, discussed toxicological outcomes of propofol abuse and possible institutional measures to be taken against addiction.

Keywords

propofol, addiction, abuse, anesthetics

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