Clinical characteristics of chemsex users attended in a ngo in madrid

Introduction The intentional use of drugs before or during sexual intercourse (chemsex) is a phenomenon of special importance in the MSM (men who have sex with men) population due to its impact on mental, physical and sexual health. Objectives The objective of this study was to describe the sociode...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: J. Curto Ramos, L. Ibarguchi, P. Barrio, A. García, M. A. Morillas Romerosa, P. Herrero, H. Dolengevich Segal
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Cambridge University Press 2023-03-01
Series:European Psychiatry
Online Access:https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0924933823013391/type/journal_article
Description
Summary:Introduction The intentional use of drugs before or during sexual intercourse (chemsex) is a phenomenon of special importance in the MSM (men who have sex with men) population due to its impact on mental, physical and sexual health. Objectives The objective of this study was to describe the sociodemographic and medical characteristics, psychoactive substances use of a sample of users with sexualized drug use (chemsex) attended by the non-govenrmental organization Apoyo Positivo in the program “Sex, Drugs and You”. Methods A cross-sectional descriptive analysis of a sample of users attended by the non-govenrmental organization Apoyo Positivo in the program “Sex, Drugs and You” was performed. Results 230 participants were included. Most common drugs used during sexual intercourse were: mephedrone, cocaine, poppers, GHB and methamphetamine. The frequencies of substances consumed during sex were: mephedrone (95%), methamphetamine (80%), GHB (92.2%), ketamine (52%), poppers (alkyl nitrites) (95%), cocaine (89 .7%), speed (amphetamine sulfate) (49.6%) and drugs for erectile dysfunction (86%). 61.3% reported having practiced slamsex intravenous substance use at some time in their life, being a habitual practice at the time of collecting information for 50.7%. The most frequent genitally transmitted infections were: syphilis, chlamydia and gonorrhea. Users reported having been diagnosed with the following genitally transmitted infections: hepatitis B virus (7.4%), hepatitis A virus (18.6%), syphilis (69.6%), human papillomavirus (16 %), herpes (9.4%), chlamydia (43%), gonorrhea (60.5%) and candidiasis (9.7%). Conclusions Slamsex and STIs are usually reported in our sample. Interventions for chemsex users must include a colaborative model which includes professionals from different areas, including internists and emergency physicians, psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses, social workers and sexologists. Disclosure of Interest None Declared
ISSN:0924-9338
1778-3585