Monrovia – For many patients, Tramadol is a lifesaving drug because it relieves them of their pains and enables them rest. But for others, it has been discovered that the drugs can be used to make them “high.” Those abusing this drug in Liberia are mainly youths, who are vagabonds on Monrovia’s streets.
Report by Mae Azango, [email protected]
These miscreants are locally referred to as zogos (males) and zogesse (females). Most of them by day are car loaders and pocket pickers and by night, they terrorize peaceful people by armed robbing them of their valuables.
Dennis’ Story
When the drugs started taking effect on Dennis, who abused the pain reliever, he started removing his clothes and climbing on the roof of the house. He nearly went “mad,” before his sister rescued and took him to the Samuel Grant Mental Health Facility in Paynesville.
Dennis was one of many former abusers, who had to switch from these hardcore narcotic substances, cocaine and heroin (Italian white) to Tramadol because it is an over-the-counter drug, easily obtainable and cheap in Liberia. Cocaine and heroin are among the hard-to-find substances and very expensive mood boosters.
Dennis, who is now fighting to stay clean, further narrated: “I felt downhearted after a friend duped me of a deal; so one of my friends introduced me to Tramadol. He told that it will make me feel good.
“Tramadol makes you feel good, like you are on top of the world. But I never knew it was bad. I started taking 50 milligram (mg); I found out it could not make me high. My guy told me to raise it to 100 mg. And few days later, I went up to 150 and then 200 and onward; because the dose you take on the first day will not work on you the second day, unless you step up your dose higher,” Dennis said.
Another Abuser
Another youth only identified as Papie, who was not as lucky as Dennis to get out, recently died at a local hospital in Monrovia, due to an over dose of the drug, according to a nurse who chose to remain anonymous.
“Some people brought their son at our hospital already in a coma, and when we ran tests, we found out his condition was due to over dose of substance abuse. We found out that his brain had shut down or wasn’t responding normally. When they brought him in, his eyes were closed and they never opened until he passed,” said the nurse.
Liberia Medical and Health Products Regulatory Authority (LMHRA)
When Frontpage Africa visited the Liberia Medical and Health Products Regulatory Authority (LMHRA) on the Old Road, Mr. Juwe Kekula, Pharmaceutical Information Officer, said Tramadol is a painkiller that is responsible to treat acute or severe pains, as in the cases of accidents or surgeries.
“Tramadol is usually taken by patients going through the trauma of an accident or patients being operated on in order to ease the pain. In addition of reducing the pains, it brings about euphoria, that makes a person feels dizzy or high, to make them rest from the traumatic shock,” said Mr. Kekula.
LMHRA, responsible to regulate drugs coming into the country, was established among other things to ensure that, in the national medicine supply system, safe, effective, and good quality medicines reach the Liberian public.
When asked about the dosage regulated for any person and the effect it has on a person’s brain, according to Kekula the drug is very strong, so the government through the Ministry of Health does not import more than 50 to 100 milligram, (mg) into the country. He blamed smugglers for illegally bringing in higher milligrams into the country.
“If care is not taken, the drug kills the brain when it is abused. When a person takes a higher dose of the medication, it makes that person lives in euphoria. This means it messes with that person’s mind and seems to place them above everything and make them feel on top of the world,” said Kekula.
According to him, at some point of its reactions on the abuser, that person feels like nobody is their equal. “Just by getting that feeling, the person will feel good and would want to continue the drug by increasing the dosage, because the previous dosage would not be able to stimulate him/her again. When it goes overboard, the victim goes into coma and most often, dies in the process,” he described it, sadly.
The LMHRA official disclosed that Tramadol is placed under scheduled four drugs, meaning it should be less abusive or addictive. Adding: “But in the case of the high intake mostly by young people, it has become abusive and addictive, therefore it should be kept under lock.
“This means that in every setting when it is to be used, it should only be prescribed by a Medical Doctor and dispense by a licensed pharmacy, which knows how to handle it with care. Unfortunately, it has gotten to the point where it is out of control,” Kekula said.
According to him, pharmacies wanting to import such drugs, usually apply to import the drug into the country, and the Ministry of Health reviews and responds appropriately.
“We have arrested some pharmacies selling over 200 mg of this drug and those pharmacies’ owners were called to the Ministry for investigation to find out how and where are they smuggling this drugs into the country from; we wanted to know the source.
A Former DEA Officer
According to a former Drug Enforcement officer, Eugene Davies, who now runs an NGO — Liberians against Drug Abuse — indicated that most of the older zogoes or drug abusers, were child soldiers when they got hooked on drugs for the number of years they spent with their various warring factions.
He further said that in order for these abusers to continue supporting their habits, they get engaged in the snatching away valuables; adding: “If care is not taken, they could become a national threat.”
Back to Dennis
Big Boy Dennis, who is trying to stay clean from Tramadol, is calling on his friends still taking the drugs to desist from it, before they go mad or die in the process.
“I want to tell my brabie them, to leave this drug called Tramadol because it can give you short cut to death. If my sister had not saved me, I would have gone mad,” he stated.