Perceptions of community pharmacists regarding pregabalin abuse: a survey from Sudan

Pregabalin abuse is increasing in prevalence and is associated with significant harm. This study aimed to assess community pharmacists' perceptions of pregabalin abuse and their recommendations to address this issue. This was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted in the Omdurman locality, Khartoum in 2022. Community pharmacies were selected randomly and surveyed using a pre-tested and self-administered questionnaire held on a smartphone. Chi-squared and Fisher's exact tests were run using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 26. A total of 172 community pharmacists completed the questionnaire (77.8% aged 22-30 years, 65.1% females, 79.1% holding bachelor's degrees, and 57.6% having ≤ 5 years of work experience). Most participants (81.4%) perceived that they had observed pregabalin abuse in the last 6 months. Participants indicated that they were aware of the abuse potential of pregabalin (97.7%) and that they routinely dispensed pregabalin only by prescription (92.4%). Most participants reported that people they suspected of abusing pregabalin were mainly men (98.8%), aged 21-30 years (90.7%), and did not regularly visit the pharmacy (72.7%). Actions taken for such customers included stating the product was not available (64.0%) and refusing to dispense (56.4%). The most recommended solutions were raising community awareness about the risks and consequences of pregabalin abuse (35.8%) and maximizing pharmacists' adherence to dispensing regulations (36.5%). Most pharmacists believed that they had observed pregabalin abuse and that it was increasing. They managed the situation primarily by reporting the drug was unavailable and refusing to dispense it. Effective community pharmacy-based interventions are strongly needed to tackle the issue of pregabalin abuse.