3. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - All submissions
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Item Determining the prevalence of use of over-thecounter (OTC) codeine-containing products in the central Johannesburg area: a mixed methods study.(2024) Asmall, AmirahThe abuse and misuse of codeine medication is a growing concern, in South Africa (SA) codeine combination products and cough syrups are available without a prescription, thereby making it easy to access these products from various pharmacies (Foley et al., 2018). The South African National Council on Alcoholism and Drugs claimed that codeine is the most abused OTC codeine drug in South Africa (Hodes, 2019). There is little known about the prevalence of opioid and codeine use in African countries (Harker et al., 2020). Aim: The aim of the study is to analyse patterns of over the counter (OTC) codeine-containing products in central Johannesburg pharmacy sector and to explore the pharmacist perceptions on the effectiveness of current regulations. Method: A mixed method research design was done by quantitatively analyzing the sales/usage patterns of OTC codeine medications in retail pharmacies in central Johannesburg for the retrospective period of January 2019 to December 2020 and by qualitatively interviewing twelve practicing retail pharmacists on their views regarding OTC codeine abuse/misuse in SA. Results: The results obtained from the retrospective analysis of codeine sales demonstrated that Adco-dol and Gen-payne were the most frequently sold OTC codeine products in central Johannesburg. When the sales were described between the different income areas the high income areas highest sold product was Benylin with codeine. Both the middle and low income areas most sold product was Adco-dol. In the qualitative phase, practicing pharmacists were interviewed where it was found that OTC codeine is believed to be abused/misused in SA. Participants expressed concerns over factors which contribute to the abuse thereof, the ineffectiveness of the schedule 2 register and the possibility of the installation of a national database to control/monitor codeine use. Conclusion: In this study it became apparent that OTC codeine is being misused/abused in SA with current regulations not adequately controlling or preventing this issue. There is an urgent need to re-evaluate the current regulations. This study highlighted the views of the ineffectiveness of the current schedule 2 register in SA along with the suggestion of a more monitored intervention strategy to curb this issue of codeine abuse/misuse. Most participants 13 agreed that the best way to prevent OTC codeine abuse/misuse was to up-schedule it to a prescription only drug or to implement a national database that is automated and integrated into the current pharmacy softwareItem A novel tablet design for zero-order sustained-release(2002-01-28) Sundy, EricaA coated doughnut-shaped tablet is evaluated as its ability to release model drugs at a zero-order rate for 8 to 12 hours. The doughnut-shape tablets were compressed using special designed punches.Automated technology is thus feasible for this system. The coating material , 10% w /w gelatin in HPMC K15M was directly compressed and adhered to the tablet core .Item The "war on drugs" has failed: is decriminalization of drug use a solution to the problem in South Africa?(2013-03-19) Fellingham, RobynThis research report will engage in the debate surrounding decriminalization of drug use and whether it is a possible solution to the problem of drug use in South Africa. This is a question becoming more prevalent in global discussions regarding drug policy and its efficacy. It is held in the report that when evaluating policy two aspects must be addressed; namely the philosophical justification for the policy and the efficacy of the policy. Regarding criminalization it is found that policy may be justified by the public harm principle but that it does not effectively achieve the purpose of preventing and decreasing drug use and associated burdens. Thus, it is argued that prohibition is a constitutional limitation, but does not necessarily achieve its purpose in the least repressive or most effective way. Finally it is suggested that the solution to the drug problem will be one which addresses the background, particularly socio-economic, to drug use. Decriminalization has the theoretical potential to address this context but further empirical research is required in order to establish evidential grounds for continued discussion.Item A Discursive Analysis of Addicted Users’ Accounts of Opiate Addiction(2006-10-26T08:39:57Z) Sinisi, VincenzoThis research report undertook an original exploration into the workings of addiction. The theoretical insights of discursive psychology were applied to the study of opiate addiction and were used to analyse the manner in which using and non-using informants were able to constitute addiction through discourse. By comparing the discursive accounts of self-defined recovered, recovering and currently addicted users, the report highlighted how ways of speaking about substances and their use may be implicated in the maintenance and cessation of addiction. The transcripts of four focus groups, consisting of a total number of 15 informants, were qualitatively analysed using a thematic method that focused on the informants’ strategic use of discourse. The analysis revealed important differences between using and non-using informants in terms of the self employed discursive practices that they used in constructing their experience of addiction. Differences included variations in the attribution of agency to either the opiate or the informant and the degree to which opiate use was presented as cause for concern or not. These and other differences were explored in detail together with their potential implications, functions and apparent effects on the users’ capacity to maintain abstinence as opposed to continuing to use.