[Psychoactive agents: an analysis based on cases from the Department of Clinical Toxicology College of Medicine of the Jagiellonian University in Kraków in the years 1997-1999].

The aim of the study was to evaluate the frequency of acute poisoning with psychoactive substances in adult abusers of Kraków population in 1997, 1998 and 1999 and to compare the number of poisoned patients suffering withdrawal syndrome as predominant. 27.2% (n = 945) of all 3472 acute poisonings treated in the Department of Clinical Toxicology in 1997, 36.9% (n = 1193) of all 3236 treated in 1998 and 47.9% (n = 1546) of all 3233 treated cases that were acute poisoning with psychoactive substances among the abusers of Kraków adult population. Ethanol followed by narcotics in 1998, and by drugs coingested with ethanol and by narcotics in 1997 and 1999 was predominant psychoactive agent in all the analysed years. Organic solvents and glue sniffing and drug dependency increased again in 1999. Opiate derivatives produced at home from poppy straw or juice of poppy head were still the most common narcotic detected in body fluids, but decrease in number of acute opiates poisoning was noted in 1999 as compared to previous analysed years. The most of ethanol abusers aged from 30-49 years. The highest incidence of narcotic and drug dependency was noted in age between 20-29 years.