Table 3.
Comparison between patients with misuse/abuse and those with dependence to tapentadol with regard to characteristics and patterns of use of tapentadol
| Variable | Misuse/abuse (n=36), n (%)/mean (SD)/rank | Dependence (n=34), n (%)/mean (SD)/rank | Chi-square/Fisher’s exact/t/Mann-Whitney U value | df | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age of onset of tapentadol (years) | 26.5 (6.4) | 26.4 (6.9) | 0.075 | 68 | 0.941 |
| Duration of use (months) | 7.2 (8.1) | 13.7 (10.1) | 877 | 0.002 | |
| Daily dose (mg) | 248.6 (130.8) | 820.3 (531.0) | −6.264 | 68 | <0.001 |
| Route of use | |||||
| Oral | 36 (100) | 31 (91.18) | 3.319 | 1 | 0.109 |
| Intravenous | 0 | 3 (8.82) | |||
| Brand | |||||
| Tapal | 18 (50) | 19 (55.88) | 0.24 | 1 | 0.62 |
| Others | 18 (50) | 15 (44.12) | |||
| Reason | |||||
| Substitution | 27 (75) | 23 (67.65) | 0.463 | 1 | 0.50 |
| Other | 9 (25) | 11 (32.35) | |||
| Concurrent opioid use | |||||
| Natural | 4 (11.11) | 3 (8.82) | 10.828 | 2 | 0.004 |
| Heroin | 25 (69.44) | 7 (20.59) | |||
| Others | 6 (16.67) | 13 (38.24) | |||
| Substitution of opioids | |||||
| None | 3 (8.11) | 5 (14.71) | 8.364 | 2 | 0.015 |
| Heroin | 23 (63.89) | 10 (29.41) | |||
| Pharmaceutical and natural | 10 (27.78) | 19 (55.88) | |||
| Prescribed by physician | |||||
| No | 16 (44.44) | 27 (79.41) | 9.023 | 1 | 0.003 |
| Yes | 20 (55.56) | 7 (20.59) | |||
| Source | |||||
| Chemists | 24 (66.67) | 13 (38.24) | 5.67 | 1 | 0.017 |
| Friends and peddlers | 12 (33.33) | 21 (61.76) | |||
| Psychoactive effect of tapentadol | |||||
| Inferior | 35 (97.22) | 24 (70.59) | 9.365 | 1 | 0.002 |
| Not inferior | 1 (2.78) | 10 (29.41) | |||
| Psychiatric illness | |||||
| Absent | 35 (97.22) | 27 (79.41) | 5.48 | 1 | 0.019 |
| Present | 1 (2.78) | 7 (20.58) |
SD – Standard deviation