Coping With Craving and Withdrawal Due to Substance Use Disorders During the COVID-19 Lockdown

Bir Singh Chavan, MD^a; Ajeet Sidana, MD^a; Ravi Rohilla, MD, MD^b; Jasvir Singh, MA^a

Prim Care Companion CNS Disord 2021;23(2):20m02802

ABSTRACT

Objective: Substance use disorder (SUD) is a chronic remitting and relapsing disorder, and abrupt discontinuation of the substance due to nonavailability in the absence of treatment precipitates withdrawals and craving. The objective of this study was to assess the craving and withdrawal coping mechanisms used by patients with SUDs as a result of disruption in availability of substances and medications due to sudden lockdown in response to coronavirus disease 2019.

Methods: A survey was administered via telephone from June 25, 2020, to July 15, 2020, to patients who had previously attended the substance use clinic of a tertiary care teaching hospital in North India from January 1, 2020, to March 21, 2020 (up to the time of lockdown). Sociodemographic and clinical details were obtained from case record files. A 16-item questionnaire was developed to collect information on coping with craving and withdrawal symptoms. A total of 215 patients were registered in the substance use clinic during this period for the treatment of SUDs, and of those, 43 could not be contacted due to various reasons such as wrong contact numbers, patient expired (not related to substance withdrawal), or not willing to talk. The mean age of the subjects was 37.05 (SD = 13.22) years, and men outnumbered women. The remaining 172 patients were contacted via telephone, and responses were gathered regarding withdrawal symptoms and coping with craving.

Results: More than two-thirds of the patients were still maintaining abstinence from their primary substance of abuse during lockdown. A large number of patients (n = 41, 43.2%) reported difficulty in obtaining prescribed medication for detoxification without renewal of their prescription. More than 66% of patients reported that they were able to control their craving, and many kept themselves busy with household activities.

Conclusions: The majority of patients who had completed the acute phase of withdrawals were able to maintain abstinence in the absence of renewal of prescribed medication and substance of abuse due to sudden disruption in supply. The patients were able to use certain strategies to control their craving.

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