CODEINE SYRUP BAN: ASSOCIATED WITHDRAWAL SYNDROMES, AND ABSENCE OF ADDICTION TREATMENT CENTERS. PART TWO.

Drug misuse has a different definition to drug abuse. The former refers to instances where individuals take the drug contrary to the prescribed instructions , like taking three pills at a time instead of the recommended two, for example. Drug abuse is the intentional use of a drug for non-medical purposes, like getting high.

If someone wants to deliberately misuse or abuse a drug, for whatever reason, they’re going to find a way to do it. That doesn’t mean we should throw our hands up and accept drug related deaths as a permanent reality, but we should be spending far more time talking about the underlying causes behind drug use and abuse than we spend talking about banning drugs.

People who struggle with addiction and substance abuse are likely to experience withdrawal symptoms if they attempt to stop taking the drug on their own or if they are unable to acquire the drug.

Doctors will usually work with their patients to prevent withdrawal symptoms from occurring. 

This has become inevitable as the federal government through the Minister of Health,  Professor Issac Folorunsho Adewale, suddenly slammed a blanket ban on codiene syrup in reaction to a BBC video report last May, thereby taking all codeine users and the public by surprise. The video report chronicled codeine syrup abuse and misuse especially in the northern part of Nigeria. 

According to the report, allegedly at least over two to three (2-3) million bottles of codiene syrup were being consumed especially for "highness" among the youths in the north alone. And it was alledgedly spreading to other parts of Nigeria and aiding criminality too.

It's rather curious, why the much touted BBC report never cried out that there is no ADDICTION TREATMENT CENTER in Nigeria and psychiatric hospitals are not standard ADDICTION TREATMENT CENTER as obtained in the UK and in the US including Europe. 

You recall that the UK, US and Australia did have phased control of codiene syrup and not even the UK, USA and Australia placed such a blanket ban as done recklessly by the federal government. They only took it off the counter thereby making it a strictly prescription medication ONLY. If the UK did not hurriedly place any blanket ban on codiene syrup till date, why did the Nigerian Federal Government react sharply to a UK based BBC report? 

The worrisome thing is that the government even failed to systematically phase the ban, as should have been, (following international best practices) as human lives are involved. Also, the outright ban is unnecessary instead, it should be taken off the counter and made a strictly PRESCRIPTION ONLY medication. Thus would ensure that the medicine will still be available for the genuine demands

During the phased ban, ADDICTION TREATMENT CENTERS should have been, first, established to manage withdrawal syndrome that would definitely arise. Secondly, adequate health education, enlightenment and orientation should have been employed to create awereness.  

This goes to underscore the fact that medical doctors are not trained to manage preventive health management. They are trained for curative and not preventive health. 

Medical doctors in Nigeria have completely usurped  preventive health from the professionals who originally are well trained to manage /run it. The core preventive health professionals have been sidelined medical doctors in Nigeria. The result is what we have daily in the health industry: Strikes, counter strikes, failure in industrial harmony, and the unnecessary Struggle for superiority/Relevance. 

The government went on to suddenly ban the cough syrup and looked the other way even when the millions of youths started experiencing the agony of withdrawal syndrome. HOW INSENSITIVE CAN THE HEALTH MINISTER AND POLICY MAKERS EVER BE? 

The best approach would've been to mobilize funds for the establishment of the much required, world class ADDICTION TREATMENT CENTERS across Nigeria to manage the expected, resultant WITHDRAWAL SYNDROME of the codeine syrup sudden ban currently affecting millions of youths in the country. 

It is sad why the Minister of Health and indeed the FG is now looking the other way and pretending not to notice the large-scale health issues currently being caused by withdrawal syndrome of codeine syrup and alcohol.

The government also further insulted the integrity of the affected youths (they pretend to procure) by encouraging them to go to psychiatric hospitals closest to them for Rehabilitation as if they are now all psychiatric deviants automatically. INSULT! Who said psychiatric hospitals (and psychiatrists) is best recommended for regular/simple addiction treatment? 

Addiction treatment is not the sole responsibility for medical doctors alone. Any standard addiction treatment program or facility must have the concerted team effort of all other health professionals and therapists in the health sector alongside the doctors, psychologists, psychotherapists, Environmental Health Officers, Nurses/public health nurses/psychiatric nurses, pharmacists, medical laboratory scientists, Radiologists etc.

NOT JUST A DOCTOR ONLY AFFAIR, AS ALWAYS BEEN MADE TO BELIEVE, IN NIGERIA BY NIGERIAN DOCTORS!  Haven said that, all sessions must be independently and professionally managed by the relevant professionals without interference, and then referred to the next professional after after due consultation.

IT'S STILL NOT TOO LATE TO ESTABLISH ADDICTION TREATMENT CENTERS IN NIGERIA.