Abstract

This study examined pain perception and pentazocine abuse among sickle cell anemia patients. It was a clinical observational study of patients living with Sickle cell and abusing Pentazocine. The participants of this study involved 7 (5 males and 2 females) sickle cell inpatients between the ages of 19-32 years with a mean age of 25.3 and SD of 4.54, admitted in the inpatient facility of Federal Medical Center and Downtown Hospital, both in Umuahia, Abia State, Nigeria between 2019 to February 2022. The study adopted a qualitative design, and the result was analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings of the thematic analysis presented respondents' reasons for abuse of Pentazocine. All the patients reported that they initially received Pentazocine from their healthcare practitioners as a potent medication for pain relief due to the frequent pain crisis accompanying their health condition. Over time, they perceived Pentazocine as the only medication to soothe their pains. The result also showed that the patients developed a psychological dependence on Pentazocine. All the patients agreed that over time, they were not using it when they have pain, but the fear of pain crisis, cravings, and calmness they experienced when they used Pentazocine led to frequent use and abuse. Hence, the study concludes that actual pain crisis was not the reason for pentazocine abuse among patients living with sickle cell anemia. Still, the psychological perception of pain and subsequent rewards led to abuse. The findings have implications for doctors treating sickle cell patients to reduce the use of Pentazocine as a pain-relieving drug. It also has implications for policymakers to involve clinical psychologists in treatment protocols of individuals living with sickle cell to check and assess their mental and emotional state regarding their health and treatments.